Odds of Transitioning From One Level of Sports to Another

Many kids dream of a career in professional sports. They join youth leagues and tryout for high school sports team with hopes of obtaining a college athletics scholarship. A very select few have the talent and get the opportunity to play at the professional level. The odds are against a transition from high school or college to the pros, but the chance does exist. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) studies many statistics to determine the true odds.

  1. Men's Soccer

    • According to the NCAA, about 5.6 percent of high school boys playing soccer will play in college. Approximately 1.6 percent of college senior soccer players are drafted into Major League Soccer (MLS), a professional league with teams in the U.S. and Canada. This puts the odds of a high school senior soccer player becoming an MLS draftee at one in 1,250 (0.07 percent).

    Football

    • The NCAA puts the odds of a high school senior football player playing on the collegiate level at less than one in 16 (about 6.0 percent). About 1.7 percent of college seniors are drafted into the National Football League (NFL). The odds of a high school football player eventually being drafted by an NFL team are eight in 10,000 (about 0.08 percent).

    Baseball

    • High school baseball players have a 6.4 percent chance of playing college ball, according to the NCAA. About 8.9 percent of college senior baseball players get selected in the Major League Baseball (MLB) draft. This puts the odds of a high school baseball player becoming an MLB draftee at one in 200 (about 0.44 percent).

    Men's Ice Hockey

    • According to the NCAA, about 10.8 percent of high school hockey players will play in college. Of these players, approximately 3.8 percent (one in 26) will be drafted by a National Hockey League (NHL) team. The odds of a high school player becoming an NHL player are less than one in 300 (about 0.32 percent).

    Men's Basketball

    • Only 60 players are drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) every year. As a result, the odds of a high school player being drafted into the NBA are just three in 10,000 (0.03 percent), according to the NCAA. About 3.1 percent of high school players move on to the college level, and 1.2 percent of college men's basketball athletes are drafted into the NBA.

    Women's Basketball

    • Women have the opportunity to progress to the professional level in basketball as well. About 3.5 percent of high school players join a college team, according to the NCAA. Approximately 0.9 percent of college players are drafted by a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team. About one in 5,000 high school girls basketball players becomes a WNBA draftee.