With the landscape and the structure of professional sports changing—along with an advance in training techniques—it is no surprise that people who should still be in school are playing professional sports. It isn’t only one sport, either. I have included tennis players, soccer players, and a hockey player to demonstrate how this is a trend across multiple sports.
Coco Gauff, Tennis Player, 19 years old
Coco Gauff has been in the spotlight since she recently won her first singles Grand Slam tournament, the 2023 US Open. Gauff has been in the spotlight since she played and beat Venus Williams at Wimbledon when she was only 15. Over the last four years, she has not only won the US Open in singles; she has become the number-one ranked doubles player, the third-ranked singles player, and a three-time Grand Slam tournament finalist, all the while winning 8 doubles titles and 5 singles titles. Gauff, still so young, is the future of women’s tennis and will continue to dominate the sport and challenge for the top ranking.
Lamine Yamal, Soccer Player (FC Barcelona and Spanish National Team), 16 years old
If we all thought that Barcelona was finished signing young players, already having Gavi and Pedri as its future stars, we were wrong. Last year, Lamine Yamal came onto the pitch, both as a substitute and as a starter, at the age of 15. This season seems to be no different. Yamal has broken even more records with Barcelona and the Spanish national team. He was the youngest player ever to score for Spain’s senior national team, still only 16 years old. Even Lionel Messi didn’t turn professional until he was 16. Lamine Yamal did it when he was 15.
Connor Bedard, Ice Hockey (Chicago Blackhawks), 18 years old
Somehow, the Chicago Blackhawks got the first overall pick in the NHL draft this year, and they got an amazing pick, with experts predicting that Bedard could be the next superstar and have an immediate impact. Bedard will change the game for the Blackhawks. For the last 2 years, Bedard has been destroying the competition in the Canadian Junior League, the WHL. Hockey fans have been hearing about Bedard for years, so they are thrilled to see him in the NHL. He just turned 18, and the hopes are high for “Bedsy” and his amazing skill set.
Melanie Barcenas, Soccer (San Diego Wave FC), 15 years old
Melanie Barcenas is a 15 year old playing professional soccer in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). She would only be a sophomore if she were in high school. As it is, she is the youngest player ever to be signed to an NWSL team. She also became the first high schooler to receive a name-image-likeness (NIL) deal with Nike.
Chloe Ricketts, Soccer (Washington Spirit), 16 years old
Chloe Ricketts is a new professional like Melanie Barcenas (both born in 2007). If Ricketts were in high school, she would be a junior. After Barcenas, she is the youngest NWSL player. Ricketts and Barcenas made history when they were both substituted in during a Wave-Spirit game. At the time, they were the first 15-year-old pros to play each other professionally.
The sports world is changing. Training is getting better, and athletes are now better than ever, too. The competition is fierce, but even so, 15 and 16 year olds are good enough to turn professional. By age 20, some may be among the best players in the world.
