A major shift in professional sports has occurred in the past decade. Whereas, in the past, veterans were desired for their experience, the shift has brought a new emphasis to youth. This shift has affected almost all major sports, and an end does not seem near.
The most recent example of the youthful takeover of sports occurred this week when Ty Tryon earned his PGA Tour Card when he passed the rigorous test of Qualifying School. Q-School, as it is known, is regarded as one of the most difficult tests in sports. Golfers must make it through six rounds of stroke play to earn a PGA Tour Card and only the top 35 golfers in the world earn a new card each year. Tryon-who is only 17 years old-made earning his tour card look easy, as he finished in 23rd place and was never really in a situation to lose his opportunity to make the PGA Tour.
What makes this accomplishment so interesting is the dramatic shift that golf has gone through in recent years. Golf is one of the most frustrating games in the world and it generally takes years upon years to master the sport. With the emergence of teen phenoms like Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia in recent years-and now the record-breaking performance of Tryon-golf has been taken over by the younger generation. In the history of golf, with small exceptions like the U.S. Open winning performance of 19-year old caddie Francis Ouimet in the 1920s, we have not seen a period of dominance by young stars like we have right now.
In golf, the gains by young stars can be explained in a number of ways-players start putting a large emphasis on the game at an earlier age and new equipment has leveled the playing field-but the overall dominance of the younger athletes is striking and almost all-pervasive. Football is the only sport that really is safe from the youth movement, largely because of the physical maturity that is needed to play at elite levels and I see it retaining its age bias, but all other major sports are being infiltrated by young stars. High schoolers like Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett are among the best players in the NBA, Alex Rodriguez and Vladimir Guerrero are baseball stars that have made an impact before the age of 20 in the major leagues and international soccer has long seen teenage superstars emerge.
I don't see any changes that can regulate this demographic shift in professional sports. Teams will always look for the best talent available and younger stars will always be a temptation. There will never be a substitution for age and experience, but sheer talent has become the deciding factor in personnel decisions.
Sox stop suffering?
Since I haven't talked about the Red Sox for a couple of columns now-I have been far too disappointed by their season and am only now coming out of my depression-my last column of the year deserves a mention of my hopes for the Red Sox this offseason.
The first thing I wish for is a healthy season out of the Sox top three: Pedro, Nomar and Manny. At no point this season were all three of these players in the lineup in the same game and this was a major factor in the disappointment of this past season. Pedro is by far the best pitcher in the game, when healthy, and he needs to dedicate this offseason to improving his stamina and readying himself for a full season of work. Manny and Nomar are two of the best pure hitters in the game and their return to the lineup in full health will bolster the Sox lineup. Manny was hampered by a hamstring injury throughout the season and had a very disappointing second half after lighting the world on fire in the first two months of the season. Nomar is in a little different state, because it is far less certain that he can come back at full strength from his wrist injury. He underwent a surgery that no other baseball player has ever had and he came back too early. I think that he will be able to play at full strength next year, but it might take him a little while to get back up to speed.
Secondly, the Red Sox need to resolve the Carl Everett situation. Everett is an extremely talented player, but over the past year and a half he has not played well and he has clearly worn out his welcome in Boston. If the Sox got nothing in return for Everett they would still improve the team. Any player that they can get in return, even if they have to swallow a huge salary in order to make a deal, will be a big boost.
Third, the Sox really only need to add two or three players-a third baseman, an outfielder and a starting pitcher. The Red Sox farm system is barren of major talent right now, so their only real chances for improvement are through free agency and trades involving major league talent. Thus, I hope that they have another productive offseason and that they fill the obvious holes that they have. Adding another first base/DH type to the team will do no good whatsoever, so they need to make sure to spend their money wisely.
Looming over this offseason is the pending sale of the club. Though the buyer is unknown, there are a number of suitors that have met with approval from Major League Baseball and it appears that the sale will be completed soon. With the sale, there is the possibility of major changes in the front office and on the field, so the earlier the sale can be completed the better chance the team has of having a productive offseason.
All that I hope for each year from the Red Sox is that they play up to their potential and that they don't rip out my heart at some point during the season. This year, they did neither of these things-falling far short of the playoffs after leading the division at the all-star break-and it was one of their most disappointing seasons in recent years. Next spring, hope will be born again for Red Sox fans and I just hope that it will be justified
The NFL and drugs
The NFL has been hit by a rash of suspensions this season due to failed drug tests and I wish I knew why.
I can understand some of the suspensions. When players make the conscious choice to use performance- enhancing drugs or illicit recreational drugs, they are making a decision and they are opening themselves to the possibility of getting caught and then having to face the punishment. What baffles me are the suspensions for their usage of banned nutritional supplements.
If I were a professional athlete and my career depended heavily upon my body, I would obviously be interested in making myself better in any legal way possible. I would also be very keenly aware of what constituted a legal way and what was illegal under the rules of my sport. But amazingly, many players take what they think are legal supplements and then they amazingly test positive for an illegal substance. Do they not know what substances are banned by their sport? It is just sheer idiocy that results in a public embarrassment for themselves, a massive loss of pay and a professional stigma that will stay with them throughout their careers.
I am also surprised that individual teams don't do a better job of regulating what supplements their players take. It would be in their best interest to make sure that their players don't take substances that either endanger their health or their ability to play the game and, with the massive amount of money that is at stake, I would expect teams to protect their investments much better.
Some people will always make stupid mistakes and that really can't be governed. Others will make conscious decisions that imperil their ability to play. But it is the people who make mistakes in this area that confuse me the most. Why not take the little extra time and effort and make sure that you are in the right?