The effects of injuries vary widely between sitting out for a game or two, missing a couple weeks, missing a season, to never be able to play again. When a child is in middle school the body is developing drastically. “More than 3.5 million kids under age 14 receive medical treatment for sports injuries each year” (stopsportsinjuries.org). In the early development stages, kids are more exposed to some serious injuries that can affect their entire sports career, possibly even cutting their sports career short. Why risk recruiting a kid who has not fully developed into their body with a high risk of injury when their kids in high school who have grown into their own bodies and know what common injuries they may be exposed to. Anything can happen in sports from a twisted ankle, a concussion, a broken bone, to a tear in a muscle or ligament. Some of these injuries are so serious that they affect the careers of NBA or NFL players. If an injury can change the career of someone who has been playing for years, then how is it any more certain for a kid to face one of these injuries. As a matter of fact “in 1985 a study estimated that 17 million sports-related injuries occur each year” (Clayton). There is a very high risk of injuries in sports and there is no guarantee that one of the 17 million injured sports players is not one of those kids. Also, kids are going to push their limits when they are being recruited by colleges, …show more content…
Coaches want the best of the best to play on their teams so they can dominate. Recruiting middle schoolers is not the answer to this though. Yes, keeping track of how a young athlete performs is okay, but the recruitment of a young athlete is not. There are too many things that can go wrong in the process of recruiting an undeveloped kid. A kid should never be put in a situation where they are already deciding what they want to do in their life as if they are a high school senior. There is a big gap between college and middle school and it is almost unfair to the kids who have to be put through the recruiting process when they are so young. It is never certain that academics will remain the same from the transition from middle school to high school, a kid does not really know what they want to do with their life, and serious injuries are likely to happen to a young body that it just is not safe.
Works Cited
"In Middle School, Grades and Attendances Matter." Attendance Works. N.p., 12 Nov. 2014. Web. 18 Apr. 2017.
Morin, Amanda. "Developmental Milestones for Typical High-Schoolers." Understood.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2017.
Nixon, Robin, and Robert Roy Britt. "10 Facts Every Parent Should Know about Their Teen's Brain." LiveScience. N.p., 31 Mar. 2016. Web. 15 Apr. 2017.
Weathersby, Edwin. "College Football Recruiting: Is Committing Early a Good or Bad Growing Trend?" Bleacher Report. Bleacher Report, 10 Mar. 2017. Web.