Turning Pro at 13

Seems like a huge mistake to me. One bad injury and all that more than likely goes away. Even a small, nagging one can cause enough problems to lose that.

With FIFA rules she can't play in Europe anyway. Doesn't seem like a smart decision to me.
 
When you read the word "phenom" in an article about a young athlete, they often don't make it nearly as far as expected (partly because the path to the top is so rocky with too many variables to call it with any certainty at 18, nevermind 13!)

Good luck to her though; I hope it works out.
 
it seems like they cant wait for greatness to happen. She is better than every kid her age and a year or two older but going against grown women who depend on soccer for their living things might get real.(if that is how this works) I hope she has a Tiger Woods type career and not a Freddy Adu

I'm sure she is spectacular for her age, but I've never seen her really stand out in DA games at u16/u17. Maybe a half dozen players on her own team look as good or better. The comparison is a little unfair because she is so young, but I think that shows why this is so vastly premature.

I think these arrangements with Nike create a lot of conflicts of interest with US Soccer. Nike dumps a lot of money into women's soccer, which is great. But Nike's marketing team shouldn't dictate national team players, which this type of thing tacitly does.
 
I'm sure she is spectacular for her age, but I've never seen her really stand out in DA games at u16/u17. Maybe a half dozen players on her own team look as good or better. The comparison is a little unfair because she is so young, but I think that shows why this is so vastly premature.

I think these arrangements with Nike create a lot of conflicts of interest with US Soccer. Nike dumps a lot of money into women's soccer, which is great. But Nike's marketing team shouldn't dictate national team players, which this type of thing tacitly does.
Playing on that team at age of 13. If you can play 3 years up on a DA team and still be good you are light years ahead of the competition. Looking at the stats she had a 3 goal game, and a number of 1 goal games. Plus people want to pay her 200K per year now. Figure she pockets at least a half a million worst case scenario. Best case she makes a million before she is 18.
 
I hope this works out for her and everyone else involved.
I'm a little confused- She is joining the Portland Thorns Development Academy but she has a sponsorship deal with Nike? Can youth/amateur players have a corporate sponsor? Is she turning "pro" or is she playing in the DA?
At the age of 13, she might be able to play at this level. My fear would be the maturity level of a 7th grader playing with high school or older aged players. The locker room talk. The things that 17 year girls experience is much different than what a 7th/8th grade girl deals with. The way they train. The muscle development. Their interest in boys, music, etc is very different.
This isn't Tiger Woods or Serena and Venus Williams playing in a mostly individual sport where they can be somewhat isolated from the world of older teenagers/young adults.
I would also worry about these possible health/safety issues:
1. Overzealous parents of competitors - This girl will have a target on her back at every game she plays from now on.
2. Overzealous coaches of competitors - Not that they would try to hurt her. But she'll probably find herself being double and triple teamed in many games.
3. Overuse Injury - Training to be a pro at 13 years old can put a lot of demand on a young body. I don't know where shes at on the puberty scale, but lots of things happen around this age. And shes also go to live up to her sponsorship commitment. What if she needs to take a month off, but is pressured to return in 3 weeks because Nike will be filming at a showcase?
 
What is wrong with her parents?
That was my first reaction as well. Then again, if she continue her education, and a few years from now is able to get accepted to her college of choice by her own academic merit, why not? It seems she will make more than enough from this Nike deal to pay for any undergraduate and even graduate school if she chooses to.

I'm sure her parents know what's best for her than we do. If my kids have a chance to make a million dollars before turning 18, and are not dropping out of school to do so, and is their (not my) choice to do so, I'm all for it.
 
Plus people want to pay her 200K per year now. Figure she pockets at least a half a million worst case scenario. Best case she makes a million before she is 18.
I'm guessing the parents put a pretty low value on their kid getting to have a life as a kid. I think they've made good moves all the way up until this point. But trying to go pro this early is premature.
 
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