Youth athletes show propensity for entrepreneurship
Article By: Agnes Hina
University of North Georgia (UNG) assistant professor of finance Dr. Kirill Pervun with two co-authors recently published a research article entitled "From athletes to entrepreneurs" in the Journal of Small Business Management.
The authors analyzed biographies of 2,000 American executives and concluded that individuals who participated in competitive sports in their youth are more likely to become entrepreneurs later in life. The research indicates that participation in individual sports (such as tennis, running, and swimming), but not in team sports, drives the results. Moreover, being a star youth athlete further enhances the likelihood of entrepreneurial action.
Specifically, for every 100 new ventures established by non-athletes, athletes who engaged in individual sports created 298 companies, and those who additionally demonstrated outstanding athletic achievements started even more (394) businesses.
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