Athletes train in gyms and on fields, courses, courts, or rinks, depending on the sport.

In some sports, such as baseball, in which teams play over 140 games a season, players spend a lot of time away from their families and friends. Loneliness on the road is a common complaint from professional athletes at all levels. Furthermore, athletes may not be able to make it professionally in their own country and may have to move to another area, such as the US or Europe, to find a place on a team

Although the actual season for most professional sports only lasts for part of the year, often 3 or 4 months, athletes must keep in top physical condition all year long. During the season and pre-season, an athlete usually spends about 4 hours a day, 5 days a week on physical conditioning and practice. In addition, there may be team or individual strategy meetings.

During the off season, some athletes cut down on their training and receive treatment for any injuries they may have suffered during the season. Others, however, take shorter vacation time and continue training in order to keep improving their skills. It requires a lot of hard work to stay competitive.




Professional athletes are often employed by sports teams and leagues. These athletes usually work on a contract basis. This means they are paid a certain amount for a specific length of time. Sometimes this is a weekly rate, or a per season rate, while other times a multi-year contract may be signed.

Other athletes rely on the prize money they win at tournaments for their income. Depending on their level of success, this could add up to a large sum or just a few thousand dollars a year. Although the prizes in sports such as tennis or golf can be very high, an athlete is still only paid if he or she wins or places high enough in the standings.

The income earned by professional athletes varies widely from sport to sport, and is affected by individual skill levels and the popularity of the sport with spectators. Generally, the more popular a league is with spectators, the higher the earnings of the athletes competing in it. For example, the average annual salary of players in the NHL is in the millions of dollars, while those in the AHL (American Hockey League) often earn between $40,000 and $75,000 a year.

It is also important to remember that even those athletes who make it to the elite levels of their sport can usually only enjoy a few years at the highest salary levels. For example, the average span for players’ careers in the NBA is less than 4 years. For athletes who are cut by a team or suffer a career-ending injury, little compensation is available.

Most people who have careers as professional athletes do not earn the enormous sums that those in the elite leagues do. Those who compete in leagues that do not get a lot of national press coverage may still be able to earn a living solely from their sports earnings.