Idolization of Young Athletes
How old should an athlete have to be before they are thrown into a life of fame by media and fans?
This is a question I constantly find myself asking, especially in the past few years.
With the increase in NIL deal opportunities, media coverage of high school and college athletes, and increased fan engagement, the barrier for child athletes being pushed into a life of fame seems to lower every year.
The first example I can think of is NBA superstar Lebron James. He is without a doubt one of the most criticized players of all time, and it has been like that since he was just a kid in highschool. Due to his absurd talent and skill he has had little to no private life since he was 18 years old.
However, the main point at which this really started to sway, in my opinion, was with the Ball family.
For those unfamiliar, the three Ball brothers were excellent basketball players from a young age. They all played together on the Chino Hills high school team and received rapid media attention. Now two of the brothers, Lonzo and Lamelo, are in the NBA, while the third brother, LiAngelo, plays in Mexico’s top basketball league.
The three brothers were driven into the spotlight at an early age partially by their father, Lavar. He pressed tirelessly for the media to cover his sons and display them to the world. Credit to him, it worked. But now it seems like this has become a model for other parents, and it may not always be the best thing for kids.
The two major problems with propelling these kids into fame are depression and financial literacy.
Many kids do not know how to handle the attention, praise, and criticism that comes with a life of fame. International icons such as Naomi Osaka and Michael Phelps have come out expressing how they had battles with depression and anxiety due to the absurd amount of pressure and criticism they faced.
Financial literacy has also become a massive problem. Many times when these athletes are thrown loads of money they tend to disregard school and education. This in turn makes it difficult for them to understand how to manage money. One of the most famous examples of this is NBA Hall of Famer, Allen Iverson, who blew through his entire career earnings within two years of being retired.
So what is the solution? Do we completely stop covering athletes until they are 18 years old? Should we collectively realize that these are KIDS and shouldn’t be heavily criticized at such a young age? Whatever the answer is, we have to find a way to protect the mental well being of our youth athletes.
