By Lily Zhao
<lzhao@hilite.org>
What if parents could give their child the ultimate genetic athletic advantage? What if parents could design a child with the forearm of Venus Williams, who could throw a perfect spiral like Peyton Manning, who could slam dunk a ball like Kobe Bryant or who could hit a hole in one like Tiger Woods?
The idea isn’t as far-fetched as it seems. According to E:60’s coverage of “Sperm U,” a documentary about parents who go to great measures to make sure their child has a fighting chance at a better future, many parents who cannot conceive children naturally opt to go to the extreme of buying not just a healthy child, but a child with athletic advantages. These parents go to sperm banks that offer the seeds of baseball, soccer and basketball players, among other sports. By doing so, they hope that their children will have the genetic code for success. Their goal is to get their child a college scholarship and recognition; but, knowing that their child has a genetic athletic advantage, expectations can change.
Because of this, most of these parents push their kids to strive in athletics early and often. In gymnastics, 3-year-olds are being molded into tiny versions of Shawn Johnson, while in soccer, 5-year-olds can make David Beckham-like goal line kicks; but, is it fair to immerse these young athletes in their respective sports, simply because their parents expect their child to get a full college scholarship or because their supposed genetic makeup prompts them for success? What about the child’s free will and ability to make choices?
Well, if a child has the DNA of a football player, many parents hope that their child has actually received the genetic traits of their donor and therefore pay the expenses by hiring private coaches and trainers. They want their child to be the best, whether they’re the quarterback or defensive linesman. So instead of focusing on academics, many athletes are home-schooled so that they can properly train for their sport. Because of that, most of these children do not have any hobbies but their designated sports. And even if some children are seven feet tall, they don’t all necessarily want to play basketball. But because their parents have a preconceived notion that their child must exceed expectations in athletics, that child normally doesn’t get a say in what he wants for his own future.
And while many people think these parents are “crazy,” colleges offer scholarships that do nothing to alleviate these parents’ ideas. That’s because coaches in college football like Pete Carroll from the University of Southern California and in college basketball like Billy Gillespie from the University of Kentucky are already recruiting middle schoolers; these coaches think that if they can interest that athlete and his parents in their respective programs, the athletes will be more likely to sign a contract later on.
While these scholarships may be beneficial in college, many adults find the conduct of these coaches and parents “harmful to the future of that child.” According to U.S. News, 76 percent of parents disagreed with adults who pressure children to pursue a career in athletics even if that child has no passion for the sport.
Overall, some parents believe that their children who receive the sperm from an athlete will automatically succeed at sports. While some do, others won’t and while some children become professional athletes, others will become professional educators. In the end, it’s not up to the parents to completely decide their child’s future, it’s up that child to decide their own future.