Long before my boys got into sports I came across many parents of exceptional tots. I would go to a preschool activity and a mom would be talking about her sons Super League Tee-ball team. In elementary school my boys would come home from school talking about their friends who were all-star soccer players. At the grocery store I would hear parents on their cells discussing the latest shenanigans of their kid's Extra Special Sports Team. There were so many phenomenal athletes around here the football little league program had to expand their 'A team' to three 'A teams.' I have no idea how many Super Teams existed in my town, but almost every parent I encountered had a super duper child athlete. How was it that all these superstar kids lived in my city? Where did they all come from? What was going on that all these future Bo Jacksons and Michael Jordans lived here? For awhile I was surrounded by superstars, all-stars, and everything else kiddo spectacular your mind can imagine. I mean these kids were on the fast track to the pros.
Then my son entered high school and many of the superstars disappeared. What happened? Where did they go? To be honest, I didn't notice their sudden departure right away; probably because my son is still actively playing, and I continued to see many of the parents and the kids around town. It wasn't until I ran into one of the superstar's mothers, Gretchen, at the grocery and had a chance to talk to her that I realized many of the All Stars were no longer playing. Our conversation in front of the deli counter was eye-opening.
To give you some background... Gretchen's son, Matt, and my son played on the same ninth grade basketball team. Matt was amazing. Not only did it appear that he out hustled most of his teammates, scored more baskets, and out defended the fellas, he was also on a Super League team. Every game was sprinkled of talk about him playing on the high school team; which was very difficult to get on because of the high number of students at the school. There was no doubt we were watching a future college basketball star. However, after ninth grade Matt was never seen on the basketball court again. What happened?
I'll tell you what happened, Matt didn't make the high school basketball team; the coaches claimed he fouled too much. He threw out his sneakers and never went out for the team again, instead Matt decided to become a Super Academic and focus on business. No joke, that is what Gretchen told me, except for the Super Academic part. She shared with me that Matt was a fantastic student and had tested into one of the best tech programs in the district. Matt's first 'No' may have ended his athletic career, but not his future of being an All Star and being in the Super Program. When Gretchen and her husband could no longer pay and politic Matt's way onto the team he and his parents gave up and turned their focus to something else.
Maybe that is why my son continues on in sports, he had to play better than the money and the politics and learn how to swim with the big sharks without getting bit. Now that I look at it, in my city not only am I surrounded by Super Duper Teams, I am drowning in EscaladeXLs, big fake boobs, giant wedding rings and flashy designer handbags. Many of my neighbors are facades of themselves, and those facades are covered in super SuPeR SUPER. I guess what happened is the superstars never left they just took their superstar selves to different pastures.
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