Most Major League Baseball players come from small towns and rural areas, despite over half of the US population living in cities with over 500,000 people. The trend is also seen in other North American sports leagues. Possible reasons include less distractions and more personalized attention in small towns. Other sports facts include high divorce rates among professional athletes and low numbers of female NBA referees.
Although more than half of the people in the United States live in cities that have more than 500,000 people, only 15% of Major League Baseball players come from cities at least that size. The vast majority of Major League Baseball players come from small towns and rural areas. This is also true for other North American sports leagues: Only 29% of National Basketball Association (NBA) players come from cities that have more than 500,000 people, and nearly 90% of Professional Golfer’s Association (PGA) Tour players come from cities that they have a population of less than 500,000 people. There are several theories for this trend; some say it’s because small-town kids are less likely to be distracted by drugs and gangs and may receive more personalized attention from coaches. Another theory is that small-town kids have a chance to develop their skills in a less stressful atmosphere.
More Unusual Sports Facts:
About 70 percent of professional athletes go through a divorce at some point in their lives.
Female NBA referees are rare. The league had only one female referee during the 2011-2012 season, and only one other woman had ever been an NBA referee.
An estimated 10% of high school male athletes use steroids for performance enhancement. This doesn’t account for other legal performance enhancers, such as creatine, which has been associated with an increase in tendon ruptures and hasn’t been studied for its long-term effects in people under 18.
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