The SportsProf raises some interesting questions. This is just a short excerpt:
Many parents don’t want their kids — especially boys — being the youngest in their grade at school. Are there disadvantages to being the oldest kid in the grade? For example, will the kids of average age write off the oldest kid as less able because if he’s that old and in your grade, mustn’t there be something wrong with him? Or do kids really not think about that type of stuff at all, but rather whether someone is good and nice — or not? And are the decisions made because of a concern about the kid’s overall welfare, or merely about his ability to compete and earn a college scholarship?
What would you do? Suppose you’re not a good athlete and neither is your spouse and your kids haven’t demonstrated any noticeable athletic ability. Suppose one has size and one has speed, and people in your town are putting kids on travel teams at 8 and getting caught up in all sorts of extracurricular sports programs. You hear about kids getting into better colleges, getting better aid, with perhaps some of them getting full rides to a school. What do you do?