ABSTRACT
Major-league play, it seems, involves a survival of the fittest, with the fittest almost certainly adept at adaptation. In the four big leagues’ opening years, players made little money, a sharp contrast with the current situation. Athletes who reach the four most prominent sports leagues are a tiny percentage of the prospects. Players who have pro sports careers must have superior athletic abilities such as high-level motor skills and hand-eye coordination along with knowledge of their sport developed from years of practice and play. It is possible to consider a pro-sports career as a process, revealing itself in sequential steps each of which requires adaptation, the draft and related matters, the first encounter with the league, adjustment to involvement in the majors, and termination. Once on a big-league team, players need to develop basic skills and outlooks that promote good performance and improve their survival chances.
