Erriyon Knighton goes pro

[Atticus]

close-enough: Vashti Cunningham

She had 3 months left in HS and was JUST 18, but there must be some who were <17 and went pro before their senior year.

[gh]

She had 3 months left in HS and was JUST 18, but there must be some who were <17 and went pro before their senior year.

yes, but the question was, did they crash and burn?

[Atticus]

yes, but the question was, did they crash and burn?

It's telling that you're stumped too, but there MUST be someone who didn't C&B.

[Conor Dary]

With the dubious future of track....if some kid can get Adidas to pay him I say go for it....

[Atticus]

With the dubious future of track....if some kid can get Adidas to pay him I say go for it....

Yeah, but didn't he just give up $200,000 in track scholarship money?

[ATK]

Do Ukrainian kids compete for their HSs? If not, they are essentially open athletes anyway? Doesn't affect anything if they are paid, yes/no? There'd be no reason NOT to accept money at any age.

Then I guess this is mainly US focused for the most part as there are probably a lot more examples internationally. Christophe Lemaitre went pro with Asics on his 17th birthday.

Adding to the "close enough", Allyson Felix was still 17 when she signed with Adidas, only 2 months after she finished high school.

[Conor Dary]

Yeah, but didn't he just give up $200,000 in track scholarship money?

Who offered him that.....

Take the cash and run....

[18.99s]

Do Ukrainian kids compete for their HSs? If not, they are essentially open athletes anyway? Doesn't affect anything if they are paid, yes/no? There'd be no reason NOT to accept money at any age.

Unless they had aspirations of getting a scholarship to the NCAA.

[18.99s]

Then I guess this is mainly US focused for the most part as there are probably a lot more examples internationally. Christophe Lemaitre went pro with Asics on his 17th birthday.

Was he still in high school at the time?

I brought up age 18 and high school not primarily because of physical maturity, but more because of mindset and mental maturity. Kids who haven't reached either milestone, and also don't have the patience to wait for either milestone before going pro, are unlikely to have the discipline and mentality for the demands of a pro T&F contract.

Briana Williams did sign her pro contract before 18 and while still in high school, but at least she was very close to 18 and is being coached and mentored by Ato, so she may have a good chance of avoiding the typical crash-and-burn fate of teen phenoms.

[18.99s]

Who offered him that.....

Take the cash and run....

Depends on how much cash.

$60,000/year in cash (before taxes!) is worth less than the tuition + room & board + coaching + travel + medical benefits of a full scholarship.

[gh]

i could be wrong, but I believe it is "standard practice" for the shoe companies to include tuition as part of the signing deal for these pre-collegians

[Conor Dary]

Indeed... I wouldn't be surprised this guy got an even better deal.

EUGENE, Ore. — When Loudoun Valley senior Drew Hunter ran 3:58.25 to break Alan Webb’s 3:59.86 high school indoor mile record from 2001, fans in Eugene, Ore. were giddy for the Oregon commit to arrive next fall. But when an opportunity presented itself for Hunter to turn professional, he decided to forego his NCAA eligibility and sign a long-term professional contract with adidas, making him the first high school male distance runner to turn professional.

The monetary terms of the deal were not disclosed, but SI has learned it is a 10-year deal and adidas will pay for Hunter's education at his university of choice.


https://www.si.com/more-sports/2016/...l-oregon-track

[mungo man]

USA is late to the party. Turning pro at 16 is normal in most parts of the world in every sport except those that involve physically assaulting an opponent like rugby or boxing. The key is to have good adults around you. If this is missing, things usually don't end well.


As for Erriyon, its good to strike while the iron is still hot. There is a significant chance that he will never reach the heights people are predicting. This after all is track and many teenage phenoms often flame out. So if he can extract a huge contract from Adidas now, then good for him.

[Atticus]

i could be wrong, but I believe it is "standard practice" for the shoe companies to include tuition as part of the signing deal for these pre-collegians

So, for example, Duke is $60K/yr for T,R&B, so if they're offering a guaranteed 4-year, $240,000, PLUS an annual stipend, he should ABSOLUTELY take it.

[Conor Dary]

Where is anyone getting this $60g a year?

No one knows what his contract is....but if Adidas thinks he could be the next Bolt you can bet they are paying him more than Drew Hunter who was expected to be the next Alan Webb...and that was 10 years for $100,000 a year plus tuition...