If you are recruiting 8th graders then expect families and clubs to start grooming the kids to recruiting polished starting in 6th grade. Talk to any club coach and they will tell you player development needs to be far along by 8th grade in a sport that commits kids based on summer after 8th grade and the fall of 9th grade. Sure that stokes the money grab but it isn't misleading advice. NCAA coaches preaching the balance of multiple sport athletes are recruiting so early that they themselves are at fault for kids not playing other seasonal sports in their middle school years. There is also enough scientific evidence that youth single sport training focus raises tissue and other overuse injury rates, saying nothing of mental burnout. So while the moral debate on early recruiting ethics rages we at least know this trend is harmful to the health of boys.
And girls.
