13 year old skipping college?

Discussion in 'Women's College' started by hotjam2, Feb 26, 2019.

  1. hotjam2

    hotjam2 Member+

    Nov 23, 2012
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    not sure where to post this, but interesting article on a 13 year old who claims is going to skip college & go this year pro
    A Soccer Pro at 13? Olivia Moultrie Will Give It a Try - The New York Times

    the article mentions that a 4 year scholarship is on average worth $300.000 at a top D1 school. Accept maybe Harvard or Stanford, I got a hard time believing that as most D1's are public. Besides, the coach usually does there at most too discourage players from taking top notch academics like nursing, as it would take way too much from soccer. So after 4 years, your stuck with an bachelor's in PE, anything higher or masters is another 2 years(which isn't covered by a soccer scholarship)
    anybody agree or disagree?
     
  2. Number007

    Number007 Member+

    Santos FC
    Brazil
    Aug 29, 2018
    UVA is 40+ and 17+ board ..and its public. Parents/ Kids can value education however they choose or bend to soccer.
     
  3. L'orange

    L'orange Member+

    Ajax
    Netherlands
    Jul 20, 2017
    #3 L'orange, Feb 26, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 26, 2019
    So she's turning pro--but there seems to be nowhere for her to play professionally at age 13. True? So then...what? She's taken the endorsement money but is going to play at a development academy somewhere for the next few years, which is what she'd have been doing anyway?

    Will she turn out to be real deal--or will she be the soccer version of Michelle Wie or a female Freddy Adu? I'd say that there's a pretty good chance that she will fail to meet what will be very high expectations. Why? Because while there apparently is a big gap between her and her teen soccer peers now, that gap is sure to narrow as she gets older and plays against bigger and better players. It won't be so easy to dominate. I'm not suggesting that she won't be good--but there are a lot of kids who are amazing standouts when they are 12-14, but by age 19 they're footnotes. Pugh herself was a bit like this--not at age 13, to be sure, but still too good for college, straight to the pros and a starting spot on the U.S. national team. Now, she may have lost that starting spot. She should still have a fine career, but I'm not sure if she'll turn out to be special. Maybe....
     
  4. ytrs

    ytrs Member+

    Jan 24, 2018
    So why not take the sure money now? Based on the article it implies she is getting more than $300,000 from Nike. How many 13 year olds turn that down? The boys go pro as teens. Why not her?

    Plus, with the NCAA getting hammered in courts and public opinion about allowing athletes to earn money on their name and likeness, she may end up being eligible to play in college.

    Most attend college to help their employment prospects (i.e. to earn money). So why should she turn down very good money now without even a high school degree?

    Why risk a plateau in her game and UNC rescinding her scholarship offer in a few years?

    Seems a wise decision to me.
     
  5. nocarters

    nocarters Member

    Chelsea
    United States
    Oct 22, 2018
    Georgia
    ytrs - I thought, barring something exceptional, the legit colleges like UNC don't rescind verbal commits?
     
  6. ytrs

    ytrs Member+

    Jan 24, 2018
    I can tell you that is not accurate. I have seen verbals rescinded (not at UNC but other top programs) for performance reasons. I will not share with who because that is not the point of the thread. The other reasons I cited are the basis for why I would not turn down that Nike offer.
     
  7. chch

    chch Member

    Aug 31, 2014
    A) if the kid was clearly not into school, she can always be a soccer coach or DOC in the US and make a decent wage later. US soccer club coaches and DOCs make more than a lot of entry jobs that require a college degree.
    B) by the time she turns 18 it's possible the NCAA will lose some big court case and athletes will be allowed to have endorsement deals.
    C) she can always pay for college later and still go
     
    ytrs repped this.
  8. Soccerhunter

    Soccerhunter Member+

    Sep 12, 2009
    I generally do not consider myself a soothsayer. But to no surprise at all, below follow some quotes from my response to the news of Oliva's announcement of her commitment to UNC 13 months ago.

    "I'm astounded. This is a total off-the-wall surprise.

    "What are the chances that she will actually matriculate and UNC? I suspect that the staff probably realize that it's pretty slim. …....


    "….. he (Anson) knows full well .. that the chances of nothing changing for her in the next four years is pretty remote....

    "The more I hear, the more I suspect that this deal may fall apart before she becomes a college student.


    I had no idea how accurate I would be given today's news including Anson's comments that he is not surprised.

    The trajectory of Olivia's career and life over the next 5-10years will be very interesting to watch. She may drop out of soccer altogether, be a soccer star, or an also-ran as she matures and changes through puberty and young adulthood.

    I wish her well.
     
    blissett and ytrs repped this.
  9. hotjam2

    hotjam2 Member+

    Nov 23, 2012
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    there's no real money to be made by just playing women's pro soccer; the famed German Bundesliga only goes as high as 100K euros an years for it's top senior players. There's only a few clubs; Lyon, PSG, Arsenal, Man City & Chelsea that might go as high as 200-300K an year.
    In the US; the NWSL had a ridicilously low $8k starting pay in the league(though that figure was from a few years back). the only way to make decent money is to try to get on the senior NT, which pays it's regulars as much as $250K per year plus bonuses for winning the WC/Olympics

    OR

    make money on endorsements which can be a cash cow(Alex Morgan made millions) & obviously Moultrie's family is trying to head towards in lieu of giving up her NCAA elgibility. Here's another article, where they say she's relocating to Portlandto play for the Thorns academic squad(coincidentally Nike's HQ is located there, lol)
    Olivia Moultrie Rewriting Script For Women's Soccer By Turning Pro At 13


    here's some highlights of her
    Olivia Moultrie 2018/19 Season First 8 DA Games - YouTube
     
  10. Number007

    Number007 Member+

    Santos FC
    Brazil
    Aug 29, 2018
    there is not a big gap between her and other players on the field.
     
  11. Number007

    Number007 Member+

    Santos FC
    Brazil
    Aug 29, 2018
    #11 Number007, Feb 27, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 27, 2019
    what do you consider exceptional? Ive seen UNC rescind
     
  12. Germans4Allies4

    Jan 9, 2010
    UNC started early recruiting and starts every loophole related to early recruiting once a rule is changed. And they rescind as much as anyone.
     
  13. Got Jukes?

    Got Jukes? Member

    Feb 3, 2013
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Not true at all....many athletes have been stuck holding an empty envelope come signing day
     
    ntxsage repped this.
  14. Got Jukes?

    Got Jukes? Member

    Feb 3, 2013
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    One area not discussed is whether her body will be able to handle the demand of playing pro. I have been amazed at the increased level of physicality and speed as the move is made up from club to HS to college to pro. She may cause herself a shortened career by pushing her body too hard too early.
     
  15. Tom81

    Tom81 Member+

    Jan 25, 2008
    Her parents are crazy IMO, to let her do this.
    A fee college education (she could get a full ride) is worth millions in the right career. Even some $300,000 bonus is not worth it, b/c we all know most of that will be spent.
    She is too young to put her body through all that!
    She could have her cake and eat it too, by waiting and attending college and getting a free education. If, big if, she's still special, national team duties and many hundreds of thousands would await her AND she would have a degree.
     
  16. ytrs

    ytrs Member+

    Jan 24, 2018
    Tom81, you don't know how much she received. The article said she received more than her scholarship value. So we figured MORE THAN $300,000. Maybe she received a cool million. What parent of a 13 year old turns that down? She will make much more in the coming years while in high school. You would be a fool to throw away hundreds of thousands of dollars. She can pay her own way for school and have a lot left in the bank.

    Also, why play 'if' when you can have it guaranteed today?

    She is not playing on the pro team. She is considered professional because she signed with Nike.
     
  17. Tom81

    Tom81 Member+

    Jan 25, 2008
    You are correct! I don't know.
    It is true that there are certain figures that make sense not to turn down.
    Hope her family sets aside enough money to fund a good college education.
    It'll be interesting to see how this unfolds going forward.
    Hope those around her manage her appropriately. So many unknowns with a 13 year old. Physical growth, puberty, hormones, emotions all are in play.
    She needs to compete at a level that challenges her without overwhelming her.
    Good luck to her!
    Selfishly, I hope this trend doesn't lead to what has happened in baseball.
    In college baseball, you need to recruit good players, but it recruit the best, there is a strong chance you don't sign them b/c MLB teams draft and sign them.
    As a college soccer fan, I hope it doesn't go that way, but we will see.
     
  18. nocarters

    nocarters Member

    Chelsea
    United States
    Oct 22, 2018
    Georgia
    Eh, the usual - Girl gets pregnant, commits felony, that sort of stuff is what I would consider exceptional. What are the reasons you've seen UNC de-commit?
     
  19. 6peternorth9

    6peternorth9 Member

    Nov 15, 2012
    Club:
    Southampton FC
    Thanks to her dad, she was never going to be eligible to play in college before she signed whatever she just signed.
    She had far too many amatuarism violations prior to this happening so assume he is trying to get as much as he can now.
    Anyone comparing this to what happens on the boys side makes me laugh. Platforms are completely different.
    I do hope things will work out for her.
     
  20. PlaySimple

    PlaySimple Member

    Sep 22, 2016
    Chicagoland
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Michelle Wie, while probably not having as much success as envisioned, has done alright for herself. She is not yet 30, has nearly $7 million in lifetime earnings, many more millions than that in endorsement deals, and has a degree from Stanford. That's not too shabby and is a "version" that many would like to be.
    I tend to agree with this. This, to me, is almost akin to the "one and done" basketball player or, even, those going straight from high school to professional. Believe it of not, there were those that actually thought LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, and Kobe Bryant were crazy for not playing college ball. While it is no longer an option for HS players to go straight to the NBA, there are other options available to them. While I am not going to make an analogy between the 13 year old Moultrie and these basketball players that were men when going to the NBA, was is analogous is that she is making money NOW while she is able to. As others have said, and most of you know, the bodies of girls change a lot through their teen years. Many aren't affected much but many or more do become slower and lose a step as they age. Injuries are another factor. Soccer is very hard on the body of a woman. What's to say that body changes and injuries aren't going to become a factor and prevent this girl from making money in the sport in the future or, even, still being granted a spot at UNC. Verbals are not guaranteed. A bad injury or a change in the body that prevents her from being able to play in the future can make a verbal go away. Now, if things don't work out, she'll still have plenty of money, plus more, for a college education. I'll never fault an athlete for skipping college to take guaranteed money. College, if that is what a person wants, will always be there. The money may not always be there.
    This is an aside but what struck me as much as this girl's obvious skill was how poorly skilled the red team was (first 2ish minutes of video). This is supposed to a GDA team? I've seen recreational teams that look more skilled than that team. It also wasn't an issue of Moultrie just making them look bad because of her skill. They were just bad. There was no defensive skill whatsoever. Additionally, this is a 16/17 DA game. The majority of the players are 2 to 3 years older. If the players in the DA are supposed to be the best of the best, I'm not encouraged by what I saw. The other highlights in the remainder of the video, and against other sides, also show a lot of unskilled opposition. I'm sure that Moultrie can still hold her own vs more skilled opponents but she will not "shine" as much. I would like to see her play against teams that are more skilled.

    I wish this girl luck and I hope that she makes it. As collegehunter stated, her career over the net 5-10 years will be very interesting to watch.
     
    ytrs and blissett repped this.
  21. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006
    #21 Cliveworshipper, Feb 28, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2019
    Well, in a case that got lots of comment on BS, two players were decommited just few day before signing day when Amber Munerlyn became available when Stanford decommitted her. As I recall, the signing of the can’t miss kid didn’t stick and she shipped off to UCLA in a year or two. . Stanford’s alleged reason was grades, as it usually is with them when players are dropped the last semester before signing. Stanford’s generous scholarship policy for all students precludes it being a lack of athletic money.

    I think Nikki Riesse was one of the players dropped.I can’t remember other.

    But as with virtually alll transactions, they are supposedly secret, so all you get are grumbling from those aggrieved. I don’t recall Anson gave reasons for the last minute dropping of the offers, but speculation was it was to free up scholarship money for the “better” player.
    But it is usually the players with lesser recruiting standing who suffer, not the stars.
     
  22. Number007

    Number007 Member+

    Santos FC
    Brazil
    Aug 29, 2018
    injury, not career threatening
     
  23. nocarters

    nocarters Member

    Chelsea
    United States
    Oct 22, 2018
    Georgia
    Interesting.. Maybe we should have accepted multiple verbal commits in case one falls through... I'm Kidding!!
     
  24. ntxsage

    ntxsage Member

    Apr 25, 2012
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    It's apparently much more common than most in the recruiting process are led to believe. Certain coaches are known to "never stop recruiting", but club soccer parents have no insight to who these coaches are, and are generally told college coaches rarely decommit.

    Verbal commitments are posted broadly on social media by players and often by schools. There should be some level of transparency about coaches that early recruit and routinely rescind offers. If not, I cant imagine how this trend does anything but accelerate in a detrimental direction for student athletes.
     
    nocarters repped this.
  25. ReallyOldtimer

    ReallyOldtimer New Member

    Barcelona
    Spain
    May 4, 2017
    The early verbal commitment business stops the moment those 14-15-16 year olds count against the scholarship allotment.
    NCAA rules changes in the last year do seem to be tamping down some of that foolishness.
     

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