What is 21? Blackjack, the legal drinking age and the age at which professional athletes begin to excel.
Think back to your 21st birthday or imagine what yours might be like. The reality is that as college students, our 21st is going to be mired with school and work, but no immediate success.
This week, 21-year-old Bud Smith went out, and, in just his 11th start, he became only the 16th rookie to throw a no-hitter. Smith’s unlikely no-hitter highlighted the sports world this week.
For Smith, the no-hitter is easily the highpoint of his short career. At 21, Smith has reached the pinnacle of the pitching world. As one of only 16 rookies to ever throw a no-hitter, Smith has placed himself in elite company.
Similarly, at age 21, Tiger Woods had won multiple tournaments, including The Masters. Woods, known now simply as the world’s best golfer, began his rise to superiority at age 21.
When Pete Sampras was 21 he had already won a U.S. Open championship. Sampras was just 19 years and 28 days old when he captured his first grand slam event. Like Woods, Sampras rose to the top of his sport and has maintained dominance over tennis for the past 10 years.
In 1998, Kerry Wood struck out 20 hitters in one game. Wood tied the Major League record of 20 K’s in his rookie year, and 21st year of his life. Since then, Wood’s career has been plagued with injuries.
Or perhaps on your 21st birthday you could have been part of the Chicago White Sox’s starting rotation. This year two fifths of the Sox rotation has been made up of players 21 or younger. At the outset of the season, Jon Garland and Mark Buehrle were both 21 years of age.
Earlier this year, the top five picks of the NBA draft were all snatched right out of the proverbial bassinet. Each of the players taken were all under the age of 21 at the time of the draft. Now, they are all debating whether to sign for eight or nine million.
Take Michael Vick, the first pick in the NFL draft. Vick signed his multi-million dollar deal to sit on the bench and back up Chris Chandler. Given Chandler’s injury-prone nature, Vick will probably see playing time by halftime of the first game.
These athletes are some of the greatest athletes in the world and they are all succeeding at age 21. It is remarkable that these athletes have the ability they do at the age of 21.
It is often argued that professional sports are luring young athletes away from college too early. This is possibly true, but regardless of that fact the athletes that have the ability to play professional sports should be heralded.
It is true that the young players in professional sports often fail. The people of St. Louis have seen young talent disintegrate before their eyes in the form of Rick Ankiel. Nevertheless, the ability of such youth cannot be debated.
Players such as Ankiel, Dimitrius Underwood and Lawrence Phillips are more well-known simply because of media scrutiny. Thus, when players such as Smith and Wood succeed the media cry should be equally as loud.
To simply take the field or court in the professional ranks is near impossible, but to excel in the professional ranks is amazing. So the next time you go out to celebrate someone’s 21st birthday, just think what it would be like to be a successful athlete at 21.
And yes, it really does happen. Just ask Bud, Tiger or Kerry.
