Elite teen age athlete$...

[KFC911]

Many sports now ... due to big $$$ .... they can be multi-milluonaires before they are able to vote. This isn't good for raising gifted athletes, nor their respective "sports" at very young ages... but I digress.

It's not what I grew up with and loved ... and I never had that problem .

It's good "play" ... if you can get it?

Discuss...

[wdfifteen]

At least they’re not selling meme coins. I worked my ass off in high school and as an adult and never became an elite athlete. It’s not easy, and someone is making bank off of their hard work. It may as well be them. Now,if they were 300 pound couch potatoes making billions off of meme coins I’d say there was a big problem.

[KFC911]

I don't begrudge the college stars getting paid something Patrick... the old system sucked.

I was thinking along the lines of a "star" 12 yr old athlete being a golden goo$e at 17... ooodles of them . Every Mayberry High School football $tar ...

It's almost like gettin' laid ain"t good enuf these daze

[onewhippedpuppy]

I think they should get a piece of the pie for sure. The ones that become major D1 athletes get there because of talent and hard work, and they deserve some amount of the millions that the university makes off of them. With that said, I disagree with the current situation where university donors can simply cut a check for millions of dollars to recruit their choice of athlete. Like Dave Portnoy spending $3M to flip the nations #1 QB from LSU to Michigan. There need to be some rules and limits, right now it’s the Wild West and there’s no way smaller schools can compete.

[KFC911]

^^^^ Totally agree at the college level. I'm really thinking about the impact on a much smaller but widespread young $tar$ ....

Think big $$... in Hootervilles everywhere...

Hooter villes

My kind of towns....

[wdfifteen]

Who deserves to be rich? The children and ex-wives of billionaires, or kids who worked for it? There is a lot of iniquity in the world, hard working young athletes aren’t the first ones I’d be calling out for it. Yes, they are young and unprepared for wealth, but they didn’t get there by accident of birth.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Who deserves to be rich? The children and ex-wives of billionaires, or kids who worked for it? There is a lot of iniquity in the world, hard working young athletes aren’t the first ones I’d be calling out for it. Yes, they are young and unprepared for wealth, but they didn’t get there by accident of birth.

I think you are missing the point of this thread .... it's not about what's happening at the collegiate level now.

I'm talking about naturally "gifted" Jr. High stars ... big fish... small ponds ... Mayberry U$A ... on steroids for big fish in big ponds.

Changes the sports and their motivations ... for some and those around them. Methinks those kidz won't be well served ... who will?

Follow the $$$ ... amateurs they ain't .... no mas.

[onewhippedpuppy]

For high school I think you’re still talking about the top 1% of the top 1%. My kids have gone to school with kids who are highly recruited D1 athletes and they still have normal lives in high school. Sure there’s always the “next LeBron” who gets a four year free ride to attend IMG Academy with all the perks, but those are a select few. Now once they graduate high school, that’s when they start showing up in a new Corvette.

[berettafan]

If your athletic skill is helping to fill a 60,000 seat arena every game day i think you deserve more than a meal and a place to sleep. Yes they get a free 'degree' but let's be serious, these kids jobs are the sport. They are working stiffs from the moment they step onto campus. My son's athlete buddy was home for a few days at Christmas then right back to work. Didn't have time to come home for Thanksgiving. It's a friggin job for these kids, they should absolutely share in the wealth. The vast majority are not gonna obtain any other valuable skills while in school so they are very clearly trading years of their lives to bring glory to the field for the benefit of the school.

And that glory translates into ticket and jersey sales, hat sales, and admissions applications. It's a mess but the kids are the engine so they should be paid.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by KC911

Many sports now ... due to big $$$ .... they can be multi-milluonaires before they are able to vote. This isn't good for raising gifted athletes, nor their respective "sports" at very young ages... but I digress.

It's not what I grew up with and loved ... and I never had that problem .

It's good "play" ... if you can get it?

Discuss...

We live in an era where a person can become a multi millionaire by being an "influencer" on social media.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by cabmandone

We live in an era where a person can become a multi millionaire by being an "influencer" on social media.

Point taken...

I've earned every million Pelican has sent me over the years!

But I mowed lawns as a teen for peanuts ....

Grass was greener back then too

[unclebilly]

The only data point I have is ski racing.

My daughter has ‘a shot’.

To get her there will cost us atleast $100,000 over the next 4 years. She is currently 11.

Training, skis, camps, race fees, travel, memberships all cost money.

The average family making average income don’t afford to raise a top level athlete.

My point is that these kids were millionaires before they started.

[KFC911]

I need to start a new thread....

Average Everyday Teen Age Athletic $tarz

The typical "pretty dang good HS" team player in Podunkville, USA ... just a raw talent ... easy peasy $ now from the local car dealer?

Just not good for sports ...

[pwd72s]

Such things happened even during my era. I graduated high school in '61.

There was an 8th grade classmate..very talented runner. Suddenly, his dad got a job offer he couldn't refuse, moving from factory worker pay grade to executive level. The offer came from the town that produced many state high school championships. Of course, merely a coincidence.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by KC911

I need to start a new thread....

Average Everyday Teen Age Athletic $tarz

The typical "pretty dang good HS" team player in Podunkville, USA ... just a raw talent ... easy peasy $ now from the local car dealer?

Just not good for sports ...

Pretty good from podunkville is best case going Juco. No new car for him! Having watched this as a parent over the years, it takes a combination of raw talent, hard work, and God given physical gifts to go D1 to a big school. I’ve seen guys break records in football and barely get a look because they weren’t tall enough. OSU isn’t looking for 5’6” linemen or running backs.

I’ll also echo Billy’s comment about the cost of having your kid in serious sports, but I’m too smart to add up what it’s costing me. Right now we are basketball and baseball offseason, my son goes to a trainer 3-5 days per week, a pitching coach 2x per week, 2x baseball offseason practices, 2x basketball practices, 1-2 basketball games. Once basketball is over in Feb the baseball practices will ramp up and he starts tournaments mid-March. This is likely his last year for basketball but his coaches think he’ll play varsity football as a freshman and should easily make the baseball team as well. I have no illusions about him being a future pro, but will fully encourage his desire to work hard to achieve a goal. Great lesson in life.

[KFC911]

I give up .

This thread was supposed to be about kids playing sports as a teen who have ZERO chance outside of Mayberry ....

Can they make $ off the local car dealer using their likeness...

Not big money, not big talents ... but "big deals" in ittybittyvilles....

$tars of the year .... every year mebbe.. .. at 17 ... hmmm.

No bueno ... es no bueno.

[onewhippedpuppy]

LOL I have no idea what you’re talking about then.

I’m inclined to say that if you’re not good enough for a big time college, you’re probably not going to be advertising for Joe Bob’s Ford dealership.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

LOL I have no idea what you’re talking about then.

I’m inclined to say that if you’re not good enough for a big time college, you’re probably not going to be advertising for Joe Bob’s Ford dealership.

Then you just don't know the rural south like I do

This cold brings out the best of threads

[A930Rocket]

Little Rocket man was a year round and high school swimmer. Was rated in the top 10 at age 14. Several state records. His goal was to use swimming and grades to get into a great school. He went to Yale. It was at this point, I realized he was a big fish in a small pond at the state level, but was a small fish in a big pond at the collegiate level. I’m sure he would’ve liked the money, but nobody’s paying swimmers!

[KFC911]

^^^ I had two apt. mates in college that were on the women's swim team .... grueling practice schedules.

No $ in $wimming

I reckon I'm really just thinking about junior and high school football stars at local levels .... like in Texas, etc. where hs football is a passion....

Then again ... I might not know what I am thinkin' ....

Snow does that