The Occupational Attainment of Former College Athletes: A Comparative Study

Abstract

The widespread belief that sports participation can serve as a stepping stone to later occupational succes was investigated. The athletes studied consisted of the entire population (N=160) of senior males from the three San Francisco Bay state universities. A comparison group (N=450) of senior male nonathletes were randomly selected from the same institutions. Data was gathered via mailed questionnaires. Multiple regression was used to analyze the effect of the test variable "athletic status" on the dependent variables "occupational prestige" and "earnings". Control variables included the respondents' education, age, ethnicity, academic average, years of work experience and father's occupational prestige. The analysis indicated that athletic status had no significant effect (p < .05) on the dependent variables. It was furthermore determined that there were no significant differences in terms of occupational attainment between athletes who are members of ethnic minorities and minority nonathletes, white athletes and white nonathletes. It was concluded that, for the type of athletes investigated, little support can be given the belief that sports serves as a stepping stone to later occupational success.