Becoming a professional athlete is like getting struck by lightening, it rarely happens.
Any individual who tries his luck at achieving a career in professional sports professional usually has to have numerous characteristics working for them. Pressure, hard work, and most importantly luck, are all elements needed to reach that upper echelon in sports.
The difficulties and pressure felt by these athletes are usually escalated though when it comes to their children.
Being the off-spring of a professional athlete attracts more pressure than being the athlete. Since birth, the kids are in a limelight that beams over them forever. The general public watches with wonderment and ask: can they ever be better than their parent?
Chances are, the kids will be nothing like their parents and given every opportunity to be anything they want to be. That’s possible when they come from a wealthy family with a pro athlete as a parent.
Then, there are those who continue down the same path as the generation before them.
Here are some of the young up-and-coming athletes who are picking up where their parents left off:
Doc Rivers & Austin Rivers
Sometimes, the child’s ability has more potential than his parents. That’s true for this father and son combo.
Doc Rivers spent fifteen seasons in the NBA and was drafted in the second round by the Atlanta Hawks. His best year in the NBA came in 1986-87 when he averaged a double-double (12.8 ppg and 10 apg) for the season.
Although never a superstar as a player, he status has magnified as a coach. He began his coaching career in 1999 for the Orlando Magic and led the Boston Celtics to a title in the 2007-08 season.
Although he has several kids playing at colleges and high schools in a variety of sports, his son Austin Rivers has the highest ceiling to become a breakout athlete. Currently rated #1 on the Rivals.com 2011 prospect ranking list, the high school senior Rivers appears to have all the tools to become great in college and the NBA.
Cecil Fielder & Prince Fielder
Some family relationships may be strained, but certain kids still follow their parent’s footsteps.
Cecil Fielder played thirteen seasons in the majors as a first baseman, primarily with the Detroit Tigers. Fielder led the American League in homeruns twice and was a runner up for MVP those same seasons. His burly, rotund body was a signature of his throughout his baseball lifetime as he finished with over 300 homeruns and 1,000 RBIs.
As for his family, the former Tiger has had a severed relationship with his son and current Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder. The two have had a falling out ever since the younger Fielder cut ties with his father, who helped him with his first contract after being drafted by Milwaukee.
Despite the relationship, the younger Fielder’s career is off to a promising start. He is already nearing 200 homeruns for his career despite just turning 26. Similar in body type to his father, he has already been an all-star like his father and may surpass him in a number of statistical categories.
Joe Montana & Nick Montana
There are some athletes who aren’t superstars out the gate, but work hard to become great. That can be the case for their off-spring as well.
Joe Montana was never a highly rated quarterback when he left Notre Dame to enter the NFL Draft. Some scouts doubted his arm strength and small frame, so he fell into the San Francisco 49ers lap in the third round.
All he did since then was become one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
He would go on to win four Super Bowls, three Super Bowl MVPs, become a two-time NFL MVP and be coined the nickname "Joe Cool" for his level-headed play in high pressure situations.
His son, Nick Montana, is having a similar start to his college career.
The younger Montana has a similar body type to his father (he stands six foot three and weighs 191 pounds) and was ranked 22nd among all pro-style quarterbacks in the nation for his 2010 class. He is entering his freshman year at the University of Washington and will get to study the position behind arguably the best quarterback in college, Jake Locker.
As the public observes the legacy created by athletes over their careers, watching their kids evolve to try and reach, or even go beyond, that point is even more enticing to monitor. There is only one hope that most parents have of their children and that’s to see their kids become successful at any career they choose.
Luckily for aspiring pro athletes who want great sport’s careers like their parents, lightening can strike twice.
