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After 24 pages I am still trying to figure out what this actually has to do with anything a player can do?
Coach ... was the discussion ever about what can the player do? 24 pages later it's gone full circle. The point is that as the "Outlier" book detailed, circumstances (not in the hands of the individual ... in this case birth date) can have a dramatic affect on how things turn out. Birth date in American youth sports, and early maturation are huge advantages. What you see here is Parents of those kids saying, NO, that had nothing to do with it, my player was just more skilled. When you know darn good and well, if you ever coachd a 13-15U Travel team, that you went after those biologically older kids (they may or may not have also had earlier birth dates) because they were stronger, more advanced thus "perceived" as more skilled. I will say it again, not necessarily more skilled BUT biologically and perhaps also chronologically advanced.
It is what it is. If they, the younger ones & perhaps late maturers, stay in athletics it does even out when puberty is completed. That swing at say 14, can be as much as four years (i.e., they can be chronlogically 12 - 16 yrs. old). Now that is huge because as evidence shows, even one year can matter at earlier ages.
Now what are people/parents doing; they are starting there kids later!! Also, school systems are encouraging it, both for maturity and athletic reasons. My son's friend, Dad just pulled him out of school last year, as a Sophmore, and sent him down to IMG Academy in Fla to do nothing but play baseball for a year. He came back this year, still a Sophmore. A 6'3" lefty pitcher, do you think his athletic opportunities might benefit from that strategy? Not saying it's right but as a result of the "evidence" that stuff is happening ALL the time. My son has a November birthday and will be 18 this year at graduation and is one of the youngest amongst his athletic teammates.
