Growing up fast

Training technology
Some of the sports prodigies are the result of improvements in training technology that have helped young athletes develop earlier and faster, some fitness experts say. Parents are willing to spend the money for strength and conditioning coaches, sports camps and other private coaching.

"There's more research on pre-pubescent strength training and we’re finding the more specific we can get to training the body, the less risk of injury and better performance," says Katherin Coltrin, director of Back Bay Fitness, a Newport Beach, Calif., training facility. "You’re going to see talent come out earlier and last longer."

But Dr. Reginald Washington, chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness, cautions that the kind of specialized, vigorous training that's become popular among the very young can be dangerous and needs to be carefully monitored.

"Young people are very vulnerable to overtraining," Washington says. "It takes a toll on a young body."

Washington also expresses concern for the scores of kids who try to emulate their sports heroes or are pushed by their parents into high-level competitive athletics.

"I wonder about the other ones who trained and trained and ended up with overuse injuries," says Washington. "I worry about the 7-year-olds who run marathons because their parents think they should, or the [kid] who has to shoot 100 free throws every night because his father wants him to play high school basketball. There's a lot of that going on."

Indeed, sports injuries are on the rise in American children and teenagers, with about 3.5 million kids between 5 and 15 suffering sports-related injuries every year, according to the AAP.

Caught up in the fame
While some whiz kids go on to have long careers, experts caution that for every success story like Tiger Woods or Venus Williams, the tennis superstar who turned professional at 14 and seemed to gracefully handle the pressure of success at such a young age, there are plenty of kids who showed promise at an early age, but burned out and disappeared.

"Some younger players have tremendous talent, but being a pro isn’t just skill level," says Gil Pagovich, a partner in Maxximum Marketing, a sports marketing firm. "Success in the pros comes from a tremendous work ethic, but some of the younger guys get caught up in the fame."

As long as fans want to see the new and exciting young player, sneaker companies and other sports marketers will push for teens to turn pro, Pagovich says. When Adu ran onto the field at RFK Stadium, the crowds chanted "Freddy, Freddy!" Whenever LeBron James plays, arenas sell out.

"Everybody’s looking to latch onto these guys at an early stage and get from the basement to the penthouse," says Pagovich.

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