(i.) There are some who have not considered professional sport as real work – even though the sweat and pay is far above many other jobs.

(ii.) There are some who mistakenly think that playing a sport competitively is somehow “unspiritual.” But there are energetic kids who are able to express themselves by playing competitive sports like nothing else. It is a beautiful thing. They should be encouraged to be serious, athletic, artists – not “jocks.”

(iii.) Traditional careers must not be forced on kids when they would rather pursue more exciting, wholesome, non-traditional, careers. Kids must not be discouraged from pursuing a career in professional sport, for example, even if preparing for it is expensive and time consuming (they can also help pay).

(iv.) Achieving the resolve to become professional athletes is not easy for some kids because of a lack of support. In Christian families, for example, if parents tell their kids the lie that it is “wrong” to play or practice on Sundays (nowhere in the Bible is there a command that Sunday is to be a day of rest), and also quote: “children obey your parents…” and “honor thy father and mother…”, it becomes increasingly difficult for talented, Christian, kids to hold on to their dream of playing in professional sport.

(v.) What incentive (besides forced fear) is there for athletic kids who are not being helped in their true career path, to do well in school? These kids, who are athletically talented, should be allowed to take the sport that they passionately wish to participate in, seriously. They should be allowed to pursue their athletic endeavors. They should be told of the importance of developing beyond the “recreational” level, into the professional level – not only physically, but mentally also, through school, philosophy, books and college, so that he or she grows as a person, and not just as a skilled athlete. I believe that it is within athletes’ best interest to obtain a reasonable education (at least a college degree); not only because there can be severe injuries in sport, but also because athletes are usually required to retire relatively young - in contrast to other occupations.

(vi.) It could take years of college for some athletes to develop the mental strength to overcome the lack of support and destructive influence against their dream to play professionally. Some, due to their increasing age, might never overcome the neglect and confining force (a force that is undue restraint) they have experienced in their youth. They could feel its affect well into their adult lives (currently, there are too many athletically gifted adults who could have had happy lives as professional athletes – but are now stuck in unrewarding jobs). Some might overcome this neglect and influence of confinement, on some level, but are now well into their thirties or forties. At this age, most (if not all) professional athletes are seriously considering retirement – not beginning a career in some sport.

(vii.) Regrettably, there are some who do not appreciate kids playing in sports. Others ban kids from playing competitive sports, while permitting them to play in cheaper recreational sports. There are also those who assume that kids aspiring to play in professional sport is unrealistic and unhealthy. Still, others misapply Scripture, saying that “whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4, NKJ). But a committed Christian athlete never wants to play a professional sport to become “a friend of the world.” He or she simply wants to play a professional sport because it is something that he or she loves to do – and he or she can do it while earning a satisfying paycheck. If anything, professional sports will help committed Christian athletes draw closer to God.