16 Year Old Kid Drops Out OF High School To Play Baseball

[theantiquetiger]

Just wondering what your thoughts are on this. I for one, see nothing wrong with it. He is getting his GED and going to JC. It is not like he is dropping out because he is a loser, drop out druggie. This kid has a talent that will make him millions of dollars. It is like he is a prodigy of math and drops out to be specially tutored. He is continuing his education, but also focusing in on his talent:

Baseball Prodigy

Now I remember reading about some kid dropping out of HS to play video games professionally. I see greatness in that kid's future.

[JPkempo]

As long as he's getting his GED I don't see a big problem.

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

Even if he DIDN'T get a GED I couldn't see him staying to finish. You don't get many breaks in life and when one shows you gotta jump on it.

Don C.

[toys2cool]

I don't see anything wrong with that,some other kid dropped out of HS to Basketball in Europe one year and come back for the NBA

[goldenryan]

stay in high school bro, college well that's another story.

[vulcan2074]

Thats a Once in a Lifetime chance. I'm glad he's going for it
Sammy

[Joe90]

When Wayne Gretzky was first signed by the Oilers, he attended High School during the hockey season.

What's the problem with staying in school? He should be able to attend the Fall/Winter semester at least. If it was important to him he could do it.

[Brue]

just like leaving college early for the nfl - you can always finish your degree later - you can't always play ball later.

a high school diploma would earn you a million dollars if you worked over 40 years.

if he can make that in one year and go back - why not?

[4NDR01D]

High School's overrated.

[Donkey Hoatie]

Nothing wrong with this at all. 16-year-old kids from Central America are signed to play baseball all the time and nobody seems to blink about that. And, those kids aren't even getting the equivalent of a GED. If this kid was a musical prodigy and had the chance to play Carnegie Hall, I don't think anyone would think twice. All in all, as long as the GED is on the up-and-up, then everything should be fine with this move.

[megocrazy]

It's not like the old days when sports didn't pay enough to live forever. You go to school to get an education so you can get a good paying job in the event the sports thing fails. Now the signing bonuses are in the millions of dollars. You sign a 10 million dollar contract and with smart investing, you're covered for life. It's a hundred years at six figures per. If you're a top round draft the money is even better than that. I say grab the money, bank/invest it and if it falls through, go back to school at 24 when your career is over. You will never see a top line sports talent doing sports commentary in the future. Lebron, Koby, Pujols, they just won't need the cash like some current players do. Saw Bob Uecker on TV the other day. He probably made more money off the Major League movies than he did in the major leagues. In todays market he probably would have made 10 to 15 million as a better than average starter/backup catcher. He also wouldn't have done Mr. Belvedere and the ML movies either. "Just a bit outside!" If any of my kids had this opportunity in this day and age, I would yank em out in the 4th grade if I had to. They might be going to get their GED at 27 but it would be in a helicopter from some remote island retreat they owned which would be OK with me.

[wolfie]

If someone is going to pay him millions of dollars to play a sport what does he need an education for?

[ThatBatmanGuy]

As long as he stays away from the 'roids, unlike the other so-called heroes of baseball, I don't have a problem with it.

[Adam West]

Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard to start Microsoft during his sophomore year.

Freddy Adu became a professional soccer player at the age of 15.

Education is important but when you have a special gift and the money is certain; I think you need to strike while the iron is hot.

When I was in college at the University of Maryland, I was taking a specialty business law class with about 15 people in it which is super small for a campus of 30,000+ students. In walks this hulk of a man; I hear a couple of guys whispering about him but have no clue who he is.

I find out by introducing myself to him that he is Kevin Walker (the Cinncinnati Linebacker who ended Bo Jackson's career....this happened later). He said he left for the NFL draft before he graduated from college but was back finishing up during the offseasons so he had something to fall back on when his career finally ended.

I remember thinking good for him. He was extremely nice and really smart. He grabbed the opportunity while it was there, put his education on hold for a while but continued on after the season ended. I'm sure that the decision was more lucrative than had he stayed in college and possibly missed on a great opportunity.

[toys2cool]

If I had a gift like that,I would'nt even think about it