Essay Sample about Overtime Elite

The dream is to hoop under the bright lights, to feel like the great Kobe Bryant or Micheal Jordan. As a basketball player, you imagine being introduced onto the court in front of the multitude of people in attendance. Hearing the announcer say as you walk up from the bench “At 6 foot 3, 190 pounds, sharpshooter, introducing... ”   You do the handshake you and your teammates have been practicing for weeks, then you wave to your parents in the stands as if you're telling them'' I made it.”  To have the opportunity to play professionally is the fantasy of some, and the goal of others, but only a handful get to live that moment.  

Overtime Elite, OTE for short, was created to offer the world's most talented young basketball prodigies a better pathway to becoming professional athletes. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, the league consists of 24 to 30 players that feature some of the top high school rising juniors, seniors, and post-graduate athletes globally.  They will compete both within the OTE league and in competitions against domestic and international teams. OTE is a great way for young talent to develop and evolve their skills. This trailblazing new idea is changing the way players get recognition, providing a comprehensive accelerator for players’ professional careers.  There's a reason this operation has been financially supported by celebrities like Jeff Bezos, Drake, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and Trae Young. 

There are a handful of people that can jump into the clouds, and some that are faster than lighting, but most were not gifted with those abilities. To compensate, those other athletes put in countless hours every week just to define and sharpen their skills--so don't they deserve to play with the top competition?  Overtime Elite provides their players with all the tools they need to succeed. With world-class coaching, cutting-edge sports science and performance technologies, and top-notch facilities, each athletes’ prowess will be enhanced significantly, opening the gate to endless possibilities for their careers.  With all of this at their disposal, it must be expensive to get in.  Wrong, Overtime pays each player six-figure salaries to participate in the league. So access to high-level coaching, the opportunity to play in a pro-environment, and you can enhance your skills--plus you're getting paid to do it.  Sounds too good to be true.

Players like RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson have taken the traditional route to the NBA, going straight to college out of high school.  Following college, they enter the NBA draft in hopes to be part of the 0.03% of people that make it.  Recently, players like Lamelo Ball have opened our eyes to the different possible paths that can take you to the professional level.  Overtime Elite is a new pathway that was created to help young athletes gain their reputation early. The league allows players to both play the sport they love while gaining popularity which leads to sponsorships and fame.  Top prospects can sign lucrative sponsorship deals with colleges like Kansas, Duke, and Kentucky.  Each one of these players’ social media accounts has blown up, including Instagram and Tiktok. These players have trading cards--that's right--their own trading cards. Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cards have already been sold.  In the near future, you can see these athletes receiving their own NFTs. The market for these players is at its highest,  Overtime expects an annual revenue of up to $300 million in five years, which only increases the success rate of the program. 

Imagine stepping off of a stretch limo bus and stepping into a brand new 103,000 sq ft facility built by Overtime; these players are treated as if they are actual professional athletes--because they are.  Going on to play in a completely decked out arena, filled with lights and effects that make the whole experience unreal. The atmosphere is unmatched, the competition in the air is noticeable, and you can feel the adrenaline rushing through your body.  In the stands are 60 pro scouts, and representatives for 29 out of 30 NBA teams, all watching your every move.  After the game, you are presented with advanced statistics of your game, and you are informed by top basketball analysts on how you can improve.  Every game is different from the last.  One game can change your whole career, multiple games can change your whole life. 

When they are not playing ball, these athletes are learning. These are high schoolers after all. Academics last around 3.5 to 4 hours a day consisting of fairly small classes. The student-teacher ratio rarely exceeds 4 to 1. This allows each student to get more attention with their education.  The principle of academics for OTE is Washington, D.C's 2019 principle of the year Maisha Riddlesprigger. Just as Overtime puts a ton of emphasis on basketball, there is no lack of attention in the academic department. Most players agree with the education system because it allows them to learn what they need to learn while also getting practice time.  They aren’t complaining about only getting 4 hours of school compared to the 8 hours they would regularly have in school. Having classes with your teammates will also improve their team chemistry. Making your teammates your friends will only improve the team's performance on the court. Let's say a player participating in OTE fails to make it to a professional career; Does that mean he lost everything because he gave it all up to join the program?  Lucky for them, Overtime has their back. They promise that if an OTE player does not make it to the NBA or secure a professional career overseas, Overtime will contribute $100,000 to pay for a student’s college tuition.  This means that each athlete in the system has a backup if anything goes south. One player, Bryson Warren, says “At the end of the day, I can still be a doctor and make NBA money.”  In addition to this backup plan provided to them, high school education is covered so students can advance straight to college. 

With all these benefits in one package, there will be some doubters. Some question why parents would allow their children to leave and participate in this.  Athletes having to leave their life to play in a new basketball league where the success is unknown, that doesn’t sound too appealing. Well, most of these families are more than willing to let their son play in the league because it allows them to play the game they love while also gaining money.  Most of these athletes come from not the wealthiest families, when they are interviewed, they explain how rough it was growing up. They say how basketball was their escape from life. The opportunity to play professionally and get paid is an honor to each player. One parent says she is proud that her son has gotten many different brand deals due to his play in OTE.  Other people ask why these players take such a high risk by throwing away their college basketball careers by playing in a league that might not even be successful. There is only a very minimal risk factor for these athletes. Most of them will secure a professional career either in the NBA or overseas. With all the resources provided to them by Overtime, they can only improve; and by constantly playing against pro talent, each player will be ready for that next level.  Overtime did a great job of guaranteeing each player is covered if they do end up not making it.

Overall, the athletes participating in OTE are only getting closer and closer to their dreams. Most of them agreed to join the league because they realized that this is the competition they need to play on a daily basis in order to get better. From already being scouted by NBA teams at the age of 16, to getting your own playing cards, these players’ lives are changing for the better.  With millions of followers across all social media platforms, they walk around the city with constant encounters with young fans who are in shock they are meeting such great athletes.  The market is high for these players, but more importantly, the sky's the limit for each individual.  With enough effort, maybe one of these players can be the next Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. OTE allows young athletes to get a taste of what it's like to play under the bright lights. From here, they’re only a fingertip away from the main goal… “With the first pick in the 2024 NBA draft, the Los Angeles Lakers Select…”  You stand up and do that handshake you and your best friend have been practicing for weeks, but before you put on the hat and greet the commissioner, you hug your parents and say, “I made it."