Age Fraud In Youth Sports Essay

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Sports are changing especially gender-wise, people may cheat the system to play younger players or get a larger contract to be “younger”. A player that claims he is younger than he or she is is not fair due to experience indifference and higher player value, allowing a larger contract for them to cheat the system. Age requirements are important due to laws and liabilities, depending on the country and league rules. If you are under the age of 18 and are injured in a league, there could be large consequences for that league or other player that has injured them, even without their parents knowing “Sometimes parents are not even aware that this is what has been done to their children”. Matt Ford says from an age fraud sports article in Africa. …show more content…

Young skilled athletes will be hindered by older talent that lie about their age to make themselves look better and a higher value prospect for teams or leagues, it is challenging to identify someone's true age specifically if they are from a foreign country with no birth records or very little background information, size, and height, which can narrow down any type of suspicion towards a league, team, or player of an unfair advantage. Sports organizations use strict training, databases, and tests for age fraud prevention. Biometric testing solutions are being used for physical abilities or similarities in “young” or “old” players; these tests are performed across the United States in the NFL, MLB, MLS, NHL, and the NBA, according to Wicket Sports. Strict penalties are being pushed by coaches and organizations to penalize players who lie about their age and raise awareness of player integrity and verification of player identities. With a handful of large sports leagues in America, age fraud is a complex issue that includes thousands of players, coaches, staff, and officials to ensure an even level of competition for

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