Amazing how much insight that 10 year old has. Pitching has ruined elbow joints in youngsters. I took classical ballet as a youngster. My Russian teacher would not permit us to be on point until we were 12 years old and had had ballet for several years. Even the basic positions were modified to protect young joints. I wonder how many kids are forced into sports by over achieving parents.
Or just parents who don't realize what the damage can be. There is a reason for T-ball. It is obviously easier for a small child to hit the ball on a T, but it is also good that there is no pitcher and no ball heading directly at a small child.
I saw a Jr. High Football team practicing recently. Who would let their 11 year old play football??
And I saw the team picture of a 1909 high school football team at our local diner. Only 13 boys on the team, and one of them wasn't pubescent yet. The weirdness has been going on for over 100 years.
what concerns me is that the kid says, intelligently, he doesn't think he should play, but then goes on and finishes the season and plans to play again next year, and dad says okay. I wonder what MOM says.
Once, many years ago, my younger son was trying to decide whether or not he wanted to go to college. I said, I don't want to pressure you unless you want to go. He said, reasonably, you've saved money for me to use for college, the house is full of books. Dad is a professor, you work for a university and have a master's, all of that is PRESSURE!
You wonder if the dad who writes for the sports section doesn't exhibit similar pressure.