The next time you're about to scold your kid—or spouse—for spending too much time playing videogames instead of enjoying the sunny weather, consider this: They could be preparing for a career in motorsports. That's a possibility Nissan and Sony have created with their "GT Academy," a worldwide contest to find skilled racing gamers and make them into skilled racing drivers, then send them to the big leagues.
Becoming a professional athlete is hard. Aside from receiving a healthy dose of God-given talent, aspiring athletes need to put in huge amounts of practice, then be discovered by someone in a position to get them to the big leagues.
In sports like baseball, football, and basketball, the practice part is pretty easy. Find an open field and pick up the relatively inexpensive equipment, or join a local team. The talented rise to the top, gain attention, and can make their way to the major leagues with million-dollar paychecks.
Motorsports isn't like that. There aren't youth leagues kids can join for a few bucks. No varsity driving teams for motivated high schoolers. Most towns don't have a local circuit, and if they do, getting track time isn't like hopping on a basketball court.
GT Academy
