Since their days on the playground and pee wee football, they were the best. The skillset of these developing athletes stood head and shoulders above the rest. Coaches and parents noticed. Teammates hoped to be like them, yet in their heart of hearts that knew such thoughts were nothing more than daydreams in which even they didn’t believe.
The young athletes moved on to high school where they were named All-State. Universities yearned for them. Recruiters tried to charm their parents in the comfortable confines of the athletes’ childhood living rooms. They picked the school, enjoyed their athletic free ride and gave something back to the university in the form of wins and excellence.