SUPERSTARS OF TOMORROW

The 25 biggest athletes. The 25 biggest sports. The biggest graduating high school class in history. Meet The MH 25.

- GREG PRESTO

MAYBE YOU'VE HEARD that Gen Z is falling behind.

Or that they're checked out IRL. That they're weak, unprepared, snowflakes. In the face of all this shade, we found that at least when it comes to the nation's high school athletes-none of it is true. Men's Health scoured the country to find 25 of the top athletes in different sports who are part of the class of 2025, which is the biggest and most diverse in history, with 3.9 million high schoolers getting their diplomas this year.

They're graduating at a tricky time.

We've entered the era of professionalization in high school sports, and it's accelerating. The U.S. youth sports economy-which includes everything from travel to coaching to apps that organize leagues and stream games-is worth $39.3 billion, up from $15.3 billion in 2017, according to WinterGreen Research, a firm that tracks the industry.

It's projected to hit $69.4 billion by 2030.

Someone who has witnessed-and powered this paradigm shift in youth sports is Bill Parisi. He founded Parisi Speed School in Wyckoff, New Jersey, in 1993 to train athletes of all ages. "At first, no one did extra training outside of school, and what we're doing was viewed as odd, over the top, even abusive," he says. "Now, if you don't send your child for extra training, you're letting them down." There are currently 115 Parisi affiliates nationally, featuring "movement vocabulary classes" for kids as young as 5 and yearlong programs for reclassing eighth graders, which offer academics plus intensive training.