A seventh grader from Mesquite, Texas is making headlines this morning because unfortunately, he's been told that he's not allowed to take part in his favorite sport anymore -- because he's just way too big. At over 6 feet tall and 300 pounds, 12-year-old Elijah Earnheart has officially been kicked off the Pee-Wee football team. The rules of the league state that any seventh grader who weighs more than 135 pounds is not eligible to play -- and the president of the league is strictly enforcing them.
And while I feel kinda bad for him being disappointed and all, I have to agree with the decision made by the president to forbid him to play on the team. Because the last thing any parent of an average sized 12-year-old wants to see running full speed ahead toward their kid on the football field is a boy the size of a professional linebacker.
I mean, football is scary enough when there are kids of the same size playing against each other. Throwing someone as large as Elijah Earnheart into the mix takes the fear and worry factor from parents (not to mention the other Pee-Wee players) to a whole new level.
However, football doesn't necessarily have to be over for Elijah for good, because he is permitted to play in the school league instead of playing for the Pee-Wee team. But both he and his mother, Cindy Earnheart, agree that the kids on that team are too experienced for him to play against, and he needs to get some basic experience of his own in the sport before joining the other school players.
Huh. I'm assuming the real reason they don't want him playing for the school league is out of fear of him getting hurt. But considering just how much bigger Elijah is than the other kids on the Pee-Wee team, doesn't he pose exactly the same risk to them as far as possible injuries go? I smell a total double standard here.
Elijah's mother definitely isn't willing to let her son's Pee-Wee game end without a fight. Nope -- she's doing everything in her power to get the decision overturned so that he can play on the team -- even going so far as to protest with t-shirts and signs that read, "Let Elijah Play."
You can hear more about Elijah's football dilemma in this video clip.
So, what are your thoughts on this controversy? Should Elijah be allowed to play Pee-Wee football? Why or why not?
Image via myfoxdfw
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Comments 66
It can be heartbreaking when your kid is as big as kids much older than they are. They are too young to understand why kids their own age feel threatened by their size, and they often don't know their own strength. The answer is not in letting a kid the size of a pro football player play pee-wee football, because whether he means to or not, he can seriously hurt the children playing with him. Maybe she can work with the school so that he can get the experience and/or knowledge to play with the older kids.
I agree with the President, as heart wrenching as that is. It's simply not safe. If he's not ready for the level of the team he IS eligible for, than it's up to the parents,not the schools to either find a way to prep him, or make the decision to exclude him.
The rules are there for a reason, although I understand why he is disappointed. Perhaps this mom should be more concerned about why her 12 year old weighs 300 pounds rather than expecting the rules to be ignored just for her.
He should start practicing with the school team. He's big enough that he can handle taking hits while learning the fundamentals that he needs. He's probably bigger then most people on his middle school team anyways, so there shouldn't be a concern about him getting hurt. My school had varsity players his size. Once you're old enough to play on a school team, you shouldn't be allowed to even consider Pee-Wee. It's just not safe.
And this mom is exactly what's wrong with kids and parenting today. People don't want to follow the rules when their kid is affected, never mind WHY the rule is in place, "IT'S JUST NOT FAIR!" Mom needs to get over herself and find another solution.