Every November, high school senior soccer players across the country anxiously look forward to signing their national letters of intent- announcing their plans to play soccer at the collegiate level. For as long as these teenagers can remember, soccer has been their life. Their homes are decorated top-to-bottom with trophies, ribbons, and championship memorabilia from the various pee-wee leagues, youth select teams and varsity squads that called these kids “MVP’s.” For these players, soccer has been their livelihood and their passion since they were born. Their dream of playing for a major college team is one step closer to their ultimate goal: becoming a professional soccer player.

            WRONG.

            Nicholas Palmer, captain of the New York University soccer team, isn’t planning on a life in the pros; in fact he’s hoping to work for the New York Yankees organization once he graduates from college. So how is it that a kid who has spent three-quarters of his life dedicated to soccer intends to spend the rest of his adult life with a baseball team? While many see a job with the Yankees on par with any other “dream job,” Palmer is merely accepting a general fact that plagues most collegiate athletes: going pro after college is an unrealistic goal for the majority of the student-athletes who participate in NCAA sports.

            Less than one percent of the 149,000 Division I athletes turn pro following their college career. It comes as no surprise that a bright and talented student like Nick has decided to forgo the tumultuous challenge of turning pro in a sport that is hardly considered popular among American spectators. With soccer being a more “European” sport, perhaps Nick’s goal of working as a public relations associate for a baseball team isn’t so far fetched: as an all-American kid, shouldn’t Nick work in America’s sport?

            Actually, Nick credits his family and his New York upbringing for his love of Yankee baseball. Born and raised in Ithaca, New York, Nick’s fondest memory as a child was watching Yankee games with his dad. His love of sports was evident from a young age. Nick was always the athletic type, playing soccer and baseball from childhood until high school.

            “I played baseball through high school, but I was not as passionate about as a player. I saw more potential as a soccer player.”  

            Being 5’11” and 185 lbs., Nick knew he’d never be a star basketball player or a crushing linebacker for the football team. Even though he loved baseball, he was destined to be a soccer player simply because he fit the mold: perfectly toned and sculpted muscles, ripped calves, and a sun-kissed face with weather-bleached hair. While his Irish heritage takes responsibility for his freckled face, the slouchy pants and his overpronated walk are dead giveaways of his soccer passion.

            Like so many other players across the country, Nick was a star athlete in high school. He had traveled around the country playing in select teams and even spent a summer in England at soccer camps. By the time signing day came around, he had been recruited by several colleges around the New York state area. The temptation to remain close to home and play at Cornell University was easily dismissed when the lure of a bustling metropolis called, even if it was a Division III team.

            While New York University may be a leading research institution, it is hardly a hot bed for athletics. Nick saw a golden opportunity: the chance to get a prestigious education, live in New York City, and continue to play soccer. He knew that professional soccer would never be a realistic goal, but he could continue to live out his life as a player while getting one step closer to his other childhood passion: the New York Yankees. As a journalism-history major at NYU, Nick hopes to parle his job at the Sports Information Department at NYU into a similar position for the Yankee organization. His goal is not out of the realm of possibilities with his NYU connections and close proximity to Yankee Stadium.

            While Nick has solid plans for his life after the NCAA, the remaining ninety-five percent of student-athletes who will never transition to the pros has prompted Adrian McBride to start the company Life After Sports. Since 1988, the company has helped thousands of student-athletes shift gears and find appropriate jobs in the workplace, providing career counseling, and helping students maintain long-term contact with former athletes. Many companies seek out student-athletes because of their reputation as individuals with strong drive, determination, resourcefulness and leadership skills. Working directly with universities and companies, Life After Sports helps to make the reward at the end of the season more about the long term goals rather than the unattainable dreams or sorrow that comes with closing a door on a student’s collegiate career. For the few who turn pro, a dream has been realized; for the thousands who transition, a different pot of gold awaits.