Member threshold

In the discourse community of professional athletes, there is a lot of expertise a player must acquire to become a part of the discourse community.  Every athlete (before becoming a professional, and only .08% of athletes play professionally in football, and .04% in baseball), has to be scouted and evaluated extensively before they are to become a professional.  In addition, just because an athlete makes it professionally does not mean they will have a long and successful career.  Most athletes starting salary is not much more than the salary of a middle-income family  Most players that successfully get to a professional league or team do not last long.  But that is what is required to be a professional athlete in the discourse community.