We forget to enjoy the game

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Aug 9, 2006

The beginning of August is a time of transition. Those of us who work on an academic calendar enjoy the last gasps of summer as we prepare for fall classes. For my two sons, this time of the year signals the beginning of the sports year, too. My youngest son this week began the first of two weeks of conditioning for seventh-grade football.

While I have encouraged my sons to participate in sports, my approach has been quite low-key. I discovered the opposite end of the spectrum as I glanced through a recent issue of ESPN Magazine, which had an article on a 12-year-old basketball phenom who is ranked the No. 1 sixth-grade basketball player in the country.

Yes, there are actually sports recruiting services that rate players this young. In fact, one "recruiting guru," Clark Francis, actually rates fourth-graders!

Leaving aside the questionable logistics of how anyone could possibly determine who is the best fourth-grade basketball player in the United States, the larger question is what purpose does this serve?

Have we come to the point where we really need to put this type of pressure on a kid who hasn't even gone through puberty?

The father of this sixth-grade boy claims he is no different from a parent who encourages his child to pursue a career in law or medicine.

The last time I looked at a typical grade school curriculum, there weren't too many pre-medicine or pre-law classes. Instead, students might be exposed to social studies or biological sciences. The reason being is that it would be unreasonable to expect a child to make a career decision at this age.

So why do we find it acceptable to push our children when it comes to athletics? Parents need to accept responsibility and not hide behind lame answers like, "My son loves the sport" or "My daughter has always wanted to be a professional athlete."

Do these dreamy-eyed parents sit down with their kids to explain the brutal mathematics beyond pursuing these dreams?

I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I feel that I can confidently say that there are probably millions of doctors and lawyers in this country. By comparison, there are about 400 to 500 NBA players.

Clark Francis says he rates these kids because it is good business. He goes on to claim that he isn't hurting anyone by doing so.

Apparently the lesson is that any 10-year-old kid is fair game. He isn't forcing these kids to play in these games and on these traveling teams.

Talk about passing the buck!

Hey Mr. Francis, my daughter has a pretty good leg on her.

Of course, she is still in the womb, but is it too early to work on getting her on your list of soccer prospects?

Nicolas Shump is a doctoral student in American studies at The University of Kansas. He can be reached at Nico1225@sunflower.com.