Going Pro: Scholarships, Student-Athletes and the Money

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Summary: Reveals the viciously competitive side of sports recruitment
Review: Going Pro: Scholarships, Student Athletes And The Money is the testimony of a professional journalist who decided to search out the truth concerning the efforts, the successes, the failings, and the odds of student athletes striving to turn pro. His revelations are ominous - in the words of one of his interviewed subjects, with proper training and preparation, a student athlete has greater odds of one day owning a professional team than playing on one. Going Pro reveals the viciously competitive and even corrupt side of high school and college sports recruitment, from false birth certificates used to give kids can have an age advantage over others in their league, to how the shady practice of fudging athlete's grades hurts not only the school and the students who work for their grades, but especially the athletes themselves - who are later severely hampered in the real world due to their lack of education. Stressing that there will always be those who seek to exploit student athletes for fanaticism or for profit, and that a good education is not only vital - it is the safety net for our children's future, Going Pro is an absolutely compelling read cover to cover, packed with anecdotes, statistics, and the cold hard truth about youth sports. An absolute "must-read" for high school students dreaming of becoming a sports professionals and their families.


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Summary: Going Pro or Going Broke?
Review: In today's world of multi-million dollar sports contracts and product endorsements, it's the dream of millions of kids to one day "go pro." In reality, less than one percent of high school athletes make it to professional sports. But what happens to the teenage superstars who forego a college education and turn pro, only to have their sports careers cut short by injury or unforeseen circumstance? Are young athletes being exploited by a system that generates millions of dollars at their expense? Big money can also bring problems to those who play well and thrive in their sport for years, as many fall prey to crooked managers, greedy family members, and untrustworthy friends. Author Donald Moss, a veteran sports journalist who left his newspaper job to travel the country researching this book, poses hard questions to athletes and their parents, teachers, coaches and agents. He acknowledges the complexity of the problem, pointing to the disparity of educational and socio-economic opportunities, questionable recruiting practices, and a TV audience hungry for the next Tiger Woods or Michelle Kwan. He laments the push by scouts and parents for kids to concentrate on a sports career, attending summer camps and often sacrificing a "normal" childhood. In this "just do it" society intoxicated by unlimited potential, sometimes "NO" is the best thing a young superstar can hear, says Moss. He champions the high school and college coaches and athletic directors who demand both scholastic and athletic excellence, and urges young people to utilize the safety net of a good education. What happened, he asks, to the days when kids played sports just for fun?