Is 14 too young to be playing professional sports?
Freddy Adu became the youngest athlete in an American major league to play.
Adu was this year’s number one pick in the Major League Soccer draft and he was chosen by the D.C. United.
The 14-year-old from Ghana moved to the states at age 8 and since then he has been an incredible site on the soccer field. Adu is playing in a league that has men that are more than twice his age and on Saturday he proved he can hang with them.
But is 14-years-old too young?
The issue in the NBA is: Is 18 too young, and that is just skipping high school.
But Adu is four years younger than that. He is only 14.
That is one year before his learner’s permit and two years before he can actually drive a car by himself. His mom is still dropping him off at practice and he is in the MLS.
Adu turned down numerous European contracts to remain in the United States. He, instead, went down to Florida from his home in Maryland to train with U.S. national youth teams and also take an accelerated high school program at the Florida Academy. He will receive his diploma in May.
So what can a 14-year-old offer a professional sport?
Well to say the least, Adu brings a great deal of skill, agility and quickness to the MLS. He can juke out a defender in a blind of an eye and leave defenses at their knees.
Not to mention all of the media attention the league is now getting. Adu is a publicity goldmine. He has already been on the David Letterman Show and 60 Minutes, and that’s just to name a couple.
America has been good to this teenager from Ghana but will his success continue in the MLS or will he be a bust?
Adu will be under a microscope all season due to his amount of talent and especially his age. Is this too much pressure for a 14-year-old to handle? My thought on that question is if he has the right people around him than he is capable of going as far as he wants.
I think he will continue to get better as he grows older and with good coaching he could develop into one of the best soccer players of all time.
It might be too early to tell how good he will be, but he definitely has all the stepping stones in place to have a good career. Adu just has to play and not get caught up in the hype.

Author