Robservations: ‘Next big thing’ not big at all
Attention, youth soccer coaches. Make sure you’ve got those 5-year-olds playing their absolute best, because the pros could come calling.
According to a report on the Associated Press sports wire, several European professional soccer clubs have been scouting a talented young Brazilian named Jean Carlos Chera recently.
The key word there? “Young.”
Jean, you see, is 9 years old. Nine, as in not yet in double-digits. And professional teams are interested in signing him.
“Seven or eight European clubs have already contacted us to know more about Jean,” said Adilson Batista Prado, team president in the youth league Jean plays for. “They want to know what he is all about, and I tell them he’s a phenomenon, probably the best player to come out of Brazil.”
Wait a minute. Wasn’t Pele from Brazil? Are we to believe that a kid who hasn’t even mastered cursive handwriting and his multiplication tables is better than the most famous soccer star of all time? You’ve got to be kidding.
Nonetheless, the pursuit of Jean continues. And while all the teams interested in him have not been revealed, Prado — who, to his credit, will not allow the youngster to speak to reporters — said squads from Portugal, France and Germany have made contact, and traditional British power Manchester United has asked for videotapes of Jean in action.
Of course, there has already been a precedent set for youngsters joining the pro soccer ranks. In 2003, 14-year-old Freddy Apu was picked as the “next big thing,” and was pursued by European franchises before eventually signing with Major League Soccer.
But the pursuit of the current “next big thing” is taking it a bit far.
He’s just 9, for heaven’s sake. He might not want to be a soccer player when he grows up, much less before he grows up.
What if at age 11 he decides to take up the violin, and proves to be a “phenom” at that, too? Will orchestras from around the world start beating a path to his door?
The point, and the advice someone needs to give all these soccer scouts, is simple. And it’s the same advice many of us who have kids, and who enjoy watching them play various sports, should follow.
He’s a kid. Let him be a kid.
Let him enjoy playing a game he obviously loves, and is incredibly proficient playing. Don’t suck the fun out of his sport by making him worry about signing bonuses and endorsement deals. Just let him play.
Is it just one friendly neighborhood sports columnist’s opinion, or does the signing of Freddy Apu, and the scouting of Jean Carlos Chera, seem to be the beginning of a disturbing trend?
What’s next? Pre-schoolers? Will the MLS be sending scouts to Pistole Park and checking out the under-6 co-ed league? If Mia Hamm gets pregnant, will coaches request copies of the ultrasound?
Sure it sounds ridiculous. But apparently, when you’re searching for the “next big thing,” you’ve got to start looking in smaller and smaller packages.
So if that’s the way it’s going to be, I’ve got a 7-year-old at home that wasn’t too bad on the putt-putt course on our last vacation. Maybe I’ll give the LPGA a call.