Focus on nation's prodigy

By By Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
Bryce Harper might not be a household name yet, but just give him some time.
The 16-year-old baseball prodigy has made a sudden impact in the sport, bypassing his final two years of high school to earn a GED, allowing him to head right into college.
Don’t blame Harper for trying to put himself in a position to enter the first-year professional draft in 2010. He certainly has talent. Even Sports Illustrated proclaimed him baseball’s equivalent of NBA superstar LeBron James.
Unfortunately, Harper’s decision could have a much deeper impact on athletes with professional aspirations.
There will be elite caliber athletes who will also try to make the jump to the professional level early. Some will find success. Some won’t.
The question that begs to be answered: Are we pushing young athletes too hard, too fast?
The baseball landscape is filled with players with can’t-miss talent who never climbed the second rung in the minor league ladder.
There is no doubt that athletes today - even high school athletes - are better than their predecessors.
Harper will find himself under the microscope during his career at College of Southern Nevada. Every mistake he makes will be magnified, every play will be scrutinized. That just comes with the territory.
But it might be unfair to some who follow in Harper’s path.
There is an intense pressure to succeed athletically today, even though very few players ever make a living playing their sport.
Each athlete seems to have a whole unit of support, from nutritionists, sports psychologists and conditioning experts.
It’s a costly gamble for parents.
In a nutshell, sports have become big business. There are recruiters and performance coaches all looking for their share of the pie when it comes to young athletes.
But this hasn’t just hit the high school ranks. Recently, a pro-style combine was announced to serve junior high athletes.
Talk about a case of too much, too fast.
Maybe it’s time to let kids just be kids again.
Sports editor Todd Thompson can be reached at 773-6566 or at todd.thompson@hartselleenquirer.com