[Jon Bonjovi, from an episode of Oprah’s Master Class]–“Nothing makes me more angry or more sad, than to see somebody’s dream get crushed by somebody else who is just wagging their finger or the threat of excluding them from whatever, crushing a kid’s dream.”

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A note to parents that have kids playing sports.

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Keep this photo in your mind as you poo-poo your kid’s goals and aspirations based on what “you think” you know about professional sport, elite level sport achievement, etc.

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Take a look at the sad sap in the photo.

The sad sap in the photo that you might discourage from trying to play football in the NFL has earned the label of being THE best quarterback in the history of the NFL.

Tom Brady.

Acquired for peanuts…..as a 6th round draft choice.

In the draft, 198 players were picked before him.

The sad sap in the photo that you might discourage from trying to play football in the NFL was in 2021 in his 21rst season.

As of 2021, played in 10 Super Bowls.

Won 7 Super Bowls.

Most Valuable Player in 5 Super Bowls.

The sad sap in the photo that you might discourage from trying to play football in the NFL…..in 2021, at age 43, he played to get to his 10th Super Bowl in 21 seasons.

You know nothing.

Act like it.

Don’t poo-poo your kid’s goals and aspirations.

Keep your mouth shut, grab your pom poms, get behind not in front of your kid.

Cheer don’t yell.

Encourage don’t push.

Build-up, don’t put-down.

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A cliche…..Telling an inner-city kid that only X percent of basketball players make it to the NBA, therefore get that degree to have something to fall back on.

If you find yourself reciting this cliche to some kid, please be sure you’re doing so out of willful malice and intent to do harm, rather than out of the all-or-nothing view of careers in sport [make it to the NBA or hit Skid Row] combined with ignorance of the Trillion dollar business of sport which the athletes account for a small fraction of the total commerce.

Rather than reciting cliches, consider encouraging the kid to take courses at their school about finance so they can learn how to manage money whether they become an NBA player or a janitor. Consider educating yourself before presenting a false all-or-nothing scenario to the kid [make it to the NBA or hit Skid Row] . Go to an NBA basketball game. Count the number of star players you recognize. For each player you recognize, multiply by 50 to 100 to give yourself some idea of the number of players you never heard of that didn’t make it to the NBA that are making 2 – 5 times your yearly combined income between you and your spouse, playing for 4 months each year for 1 – 2 decades playing for teams in Europe, east Asia, or Australia in leagues you never heard of.

Count the number of star players you recognize. For each player you recognize, multiply by 50 to 100 to give yourself some idea of the number of players that didn’t make it to the NBA, don’t have a college degree, that are now agents for NBA players, making 2 – 20 times your yearly combined income between you and your spouse.

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Notice the people sitting at scorers table, employed by the NBA making a good living inside the sport. The referees on the court, they make a living doing that. Had you arrived a day or two prior, you would have seen 20 – 30 people covering the hockey rink and laying down the basketball court. They get paid for that. Ask yourself how many people each team employs, from the opera-tions people, the administrative assistants and secretaries, to the janitorial staff. How about the scouts….college degree won’t help you there. See if you can name all the players sitting on the bench who’s parents 10 or more years ago paid some former basketball player good money to attend their camp[s]. That former player does that as a career, as many do. Never played a mi-nute in the NBA, yet they make as much annually as you and your spouse combined. While sitting in your seat, name all the NBA coaches that never played in the NBA and never coached at a major basketball program at a University. Use your I-phone to find out how much money the foul shooting coach makes or what degree program you think they needed for that job.

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Consider the agent for star player Jeremy Lin. You never heard of him. He didn’t make it to the NBA. Played overseas. Used his player status to get an office job working for the Houston Rockets. Used that experience to start his own agent business. Didn’t have star players, just people struggling, people that didn’t make it to the NBA. Folks that didn’t get drafted to the NBA. Folks like Jeremy Lin. Then he did what other agents have done, expanded his business, hired people. That’s more basketball related jobs filled by somebody. Maybe the kid who’s dream you’re pooping on.

Large sport agent and sport management companies [each] hire hundreds of people for sport related jobs. You don’t see or hear about these people yet many of them make as much as any college professor at a top tier university.

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Careers in pro sport are no different than any other sector of our economy.

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