PERSPECTIVE

per·spec·tive  (pər-spěk'tĭv)
n.  
1. A view or vista.

2. A mental view or outlook: "It is useful occasionally to look at the past to gain a perspective on the present"

3. The relationship of aspects of a subject to each other and to a whole: a perspective of history; a need to view the problem in the proper perspective.

4. Subjective evaluation of relative significance; a point of view


250,000 high school athletes playing varsity basketball. There are 4,700 NCAA Division I male basketball players, and yet each year there are only 60 new NBA players. So, if you project from the high school level to the NBA, .02 percent are going to become professional basketball players. What are the chances that a high school athlete is going to become a professional in any sport? A youngster has a better chance of becoming a millionaire than a professional athlete.

Let’s do the math:
At age 11, you open up an IRA account on their behalf and your child puts $250 in that year. The next year the child contributes $500, the following year $750, and so on, increasing the contribution by $250 per year until age 18. Then assume that the child never makes another contribution after the age of 18. If the money in the IRA earns 10 percent per year (a hypothetical return), the account could reach just over $1 million by age 65, assuming there are no withdrawals along the way.

Many people will spend way more than $250 a year pursuing basketball related tournaments and activities that they believe will bring them closer to that big-time scholarship which they hope will lead to a shot at the pros. Some will argue academics, O.K., I am an example of someone who used their athletic ability to fund their education(and I went to class). But let’s be honest, most who are chasing big-time scholarships aren’t trying to meet the professors, they want to meet the coaches and see the athletic facilities. They believe the quickest way to a million dollars is exposure at any cost and at any age while chasing the dream.

In reality it is easier to become a millionaire than a professional athlete by following the above formula, I guess it just all depends on your perspective!