It’s clear that athletes are likely to seek the United States when looking to move to a new home. You can see this simply by looking at the percentages.
For example, roughly 14% of people who live in the United States were born overseas. However, if you look at Major League Soccer, roughly 50% of the players are from foreign countries. The same is true for about a quarter of all Major League Baseball players. In the National Basketball Association, roughly 21% of players are from outside of the U.S.
So why is the United States such a preferred destination? What draws foreign athletes to this country?
Bigger leagues
To begin with, the United States has some of the biggest leagues in the world, where athletes can make the most money. They certainly have options to play basketball overseas, but they’re not going to make the same amount of money they would in the NBA. For athletes who want to maximize their earning potential and compete against the best players in the world, the only way to do it is to move to America.
Better training
Depending on what country they’re coming from, many athletes also move to the United States because of the training facilities and coaching options. They may be naturally gifted but feel that they have learned all they can in their home country. By coming to the U.S., they can network with other athletes, hire new coaches, and enjoy state-of-the-art training facilities that allow them to take their sporting ability to the next level.
If you are an athlete considering coming to the U.S., it’s very important to know exactly what legal steps to take, what visa you’ll need and much more. It can help to work with an experienced law firm at this time.