Turning Pro at 13

MacDre said:
I respectfully disagree with your last sentence. I think the “new money” is going to make the game attractive to those that have been politically, socially, and economically disenfranchised instead of rich hardworking un athletic Anglo girls.
Soccer in the US is one of the most flagrant examples of de facto segregation and white privilege.
We will start winning when those Americans whose ancestors were selectively bred for performance like pitbuls for centuries have an incentive to enter the game.
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Yes. So far, 100% of Nike's "new money" has been given to someone whose parents can afford to buy enough So Cal property upon which to build a soccer field, send their daughter to Europe to train, homeschool her, maximize the tax implications of professionalizing their daughter, move to a new state on a whim, and who have a NYT reporter on speed dial. I definitely see how Nike making an already affluent kid even richer - and who is now a professional Internet influencer and brand maven helping Nike sell $300 cleats to her other rich friends - is good news for the disenfranchised.

I do appreciate your attempts to stir controversy, though.
 
MacDre said:
I respectfully disagree with your last sentence. I think the “new money” is going to make the game attractive to those that have been politically, socially, and economically disenfranchised instead of rich hardworking un athletic Anglo girls.
Soccer in the US is one of the most flagrant examples of de facto segregation and white privilege.
We will start winning when those Americans whose ancestors were selectively bred for performance like pitbuls for centuries have an incentive to enter the game.
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What a dope.
 
MacDre said:
Hasty conclusion my friend. If you bring soccer balls to my hood, kids are gonna play basketball or football with them. These kids have no concept of soccer. They have never even heard of Messi, Ronaldo, & Newymar. I am almost embarrassed to admit that I knew absolutely nothing about soccer until my daughter introduced me to the game. You see, in the US descendants of slaves see basketball, football, and baseball as a way out of the ghetto. I think this is mostly because basketball, football, and baseball are what kids in the US have been exposed to.
To further illustrate my point lets look at Brazil. Brazil controlled the slave trade. Approximately 85% of African-Americans are From Brazil. After the abolition of slavery Brazil gave the descendants of slaves soccer balls and this is why Brazil is a great soccer nation. Also, I suspect that if you took a bag of basketballs to a favella in Brazil the kids would play soccer with them because most have no concept of basketball.
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Not enough dough yet in the US. I have been a “soccer guy” for about 10 years and I have repeatedly said that when you go to the hood and see Ronaldo and Neymar and Messi jerseys along with Kobe and MJ and Lebron jerseys, our country will get good at soccer.
 
MacDre said:
Lot of merit to what you are saying. This is why I’m taking a different approach.
My daughter will start college this fall. She will graduate from Cal (Math & Spanish major) around 17 and then we are off to Spain.
There’s definitely more than one way to skin a cat.
Please do not under estimate the social aspect. She’s not going to have an opportunity to enjoy here teens years and when your famous with money it’s harder to find genuine friends.
I’m so glad I grew up dirt poor in area where all we had was each other.
I kinda feel sorry for her!
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How old do you have to be to play college soccer? Is there an age requirment?
 
End of the Line said:
Yes. So far, 100% of Nike's "new money" has been given to someone whose parents can afford to buy enough So Cal property upon which to build a soccer field, send their daughter to Europe to train, homeschool her, maximize the tax implications of professionalizing their daughter, move to a new state on a whim, and who have a NYT reporter on speed dial. I definitely see how Nike making an already affluent kid even richer - and who is now a professional Internet influencer and brand maven helping Nike sell $300 cleats to her other rich friends - is good news for the disenfranchised.

I do appreciate your attempts to stir controversy, though.
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they worked hard to afford all those things you seem to be envious of be happy with what you have earned in life
 
MacDre said:
instead of rich hardworking un athletic Anglo girls.

We will start winning when those Americans whose ancestors were selectively bred for performance like pitbuls for centuries have an incentive to enter the game.
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Now, now, MD, there’s plenty of athletic “Anglo” girls out there. And don’t make me count them, just as you shouldn’t be asked to count all of the educated successful African-Americans. Both are very old and disproven stereotypes.

Don’t get me wrong, I think we all agree that girls soccer, as it currently stands, is mostly white, suburban, and middle class. Would I like to see more diversity, absolutely, but there is no need to put other people down.
 
Interesting thread that tangentially hijacked by one of our new members.

Like someone mention pages ago herein, one can always go to school but the opportunity clock is ticking away for athletes. For this 13 yrs old kid, all I can say is "go girl, go"

One of my friend and I were just having a similar conversation about his son. His son is on 17U Team USA baseball. Has verbal commitment to D1 school, and is being scouted by MLB. Maybe its Manny and Bryce $300M+ contacts that disillusions us but we both said if his kid is drafted, and is bringing signing bonus around ~$2M+ he should sign with MLB.

The girl of this subject has nothing close to that figure but is only 13 and ton of uncertainties, other than how marketable she is to Nike's lifestyle social media to other young girls. But that's good, right? Because it has a value and someone is willing to pay for it.

I was surprised by some of the reaction on this forum about his kid though. I too, as someone said earlier, see this as no different than a kid getting paid to do some commercials or acting part. I think many complicates it because they are already they are trading off between college vs professional soccer. Who cares. If she wants to become professional soccer player, then she'll have to do what it takes. If she wants to be a college student, all the exposure will only help her cause to bring value to the school she is applying to. The fact that she may not be NCAA eligible only matters if she wants to play college sports. Maybe she'll play pro and attend college during off season. Or maybe she will have washed out of sports all together by then....
 
End of the Line said:
Yes. So far, 100% of Nike's "new money" has been given to someone whose parents can afford to buy enough So Cal property upon which to build a soccer field, send their daughter to Europe to train, homeschool her, maximize the tax implications of professionalizing their daughter, move to a new state on a whim, and who have a NYT reporter on speed dial. I definitely see how Nike making an already affluent kid even richer - and who is now a professional Internet influencer and brand maven helping Nike sell $300 cleats to her other rich friends - is good news for the disenfranchised.

I do appreciate your attempts to stir controversy, though.
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Yep, so far. Will see what the future holds
 
messy said:
Not enough dough yet in the US. I have been a “soccer guy” for about 10 years and I have repeatedly said that when you go to the hood and see Ronaldo and Neymar and Messi jerseys along with Kobe and MJ and Lebron jerseys, our country will get good at soccer.
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Hopefully soon. Good to see good people like you in US Soccer
 
Jack23 said:
How old do you have to be to play college soccer? Is there an age requirment?
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In terms of soccer IQ, speed of play and technical ability I think my kid is ready. However, my concern is that she is too small and is going to get hurt. We are proceeding cautiously until she gets some size on her.

In terms of age I have been told “if they are good enough, then they are old enough.”

I’m hopeful that she’ll be able to compete for a starting position around 14-15 though.
 
Justafan said:
Now, now, MD, there’s plenty of athletic “Anglo” girls out there. And don’t make me count them, just as you shouldn’t be asked to count all of the educated successful African-Americans. Both are very old and disproven stereotypes.

Don’t get me wrong, I think we all agree that girls soccer, as it currently stands, is mostly white, suburban, and middle class. Would I like to see more diversity, absolutely, but there is no need to put other people down.
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I apologize for not being clear. There are athletic anglo girls-the USWNT, tennis, and swimming have several.
I’m talking about the vast majority that are only playing on a competitive teams because there parents are paying. They have not earned their positions based on ability to play. Their positions come from their parents ability to pay.
I also think there are un athletic African-American girls but club soccer is not full of them.
 
LASTMAN14 said:
Here is an article that I believe has not been posted anywhere on the forum. It gives a different perspective on this situation. Non-the-less it appears there is much about this situation that has not been revealed.

https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/club-soccer-articles/olivia-moultrie-is-a-sign-of-the-times_aid45892
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Interesting take when comparing OM to AS. Would have liked for the article to also detail the differences between the parents and their backgrounds to give more back story to how the paths are different / similar. Thanks for the share @LASTMAN14
 
A good friend actually forwarded that article to me. It appears AS just plays regular old club. And has little fanfare in comparison. But has achieved a great deal.
 
Chalklines said:
looks like the parents sell snake oil for a living

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Marinovich syndrome.

Oh, wait - I said that already.

They're not out of place, I guess, in a universe where the jersey sponsor of LA Galaxy is a similar oxymoronic (Herbalife Nutrition) pyramid scheme.
 
Hmmm -I'm thinking this is a good move for Nike and I wouldn't be surprised if this girl becomes the face of the new Nike line geared towards the tweens. The athleisure wear industry is huge - I'm sure many here on this forum has spent over $100 on lululemon leggings for their 13 year old- I'm not alone, right, right?!!! Athleta has a line specifically targeted for this age group and while the big names - Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, etc...have gear for this age group, it's not huge...yet. Good for this girl and I hope this gets her closer to achieving her dreams/goals all while putting cash in the bank!!
 
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