My brother Bill alerts me to a piece in the Wall Street Journal on 16-year-old golf prodigy Michelle Wie declaring pro earlier this month, and how she immediately secured a 4-year, $20 million endorsement deal with Nike. (Stephanie Kang, "Michelle Wie Wins a Deal Helping Nike," Wall Street Journal, Oct. 5, 2005, at B1).
I thought it would be interesting to research the reactions to Wie declaring pro and her endorsement deals:
"Michelle Wie has proven she can play with anyone, male or female. So why leave all that money on the table? She's uncommonly mature and will survive any perceived social crisis." Bob Ryan, Quick Shots, Boston Globe, Oct. 9, 2005, at D2
"It's interesting. People don't want to talk about Michelle Wie's golf game. They want to discuss her presence. Graceful and confident, poised and mature." Doug Haller, Million Dollar Baby, Arizona Republic, Oct. 2005, at 1A
"The crowds following her grew that afternoon and they have not gone away. What they saw was a player with a swing of beauty, a person blessed with poise who was comfortable in the spotlight, mature way beyond her years." Peter Dixon, Wie Ready to Make Big Splash Into Paid Ranks, London Times, Oct. 5, 2005, at 84
"When it comes to the precocious Wie, very little that surrounds her is routine." Fred Lewis, Honolulu Advertiser, Oct. 17, 2005, at 1DHmm. It seems that the words "mature" and "precocious" are regularly associated with Wie--a stark contrast to the NBA's "life experience" rationale for imposing an age floor of 19 years of age. So why is Michelle Wie regarded so differently than Kevin Garnett and Lebron James were regarded when they declared for the NBA Draft out of high school? Why does society applaud Wie for her success, but then appears skeptical, even distrustful of premiere high school basketball players--players who are typically two years older than Wie and players who are actually the best behaved group of any group of American NBA players--particularly when they can obtain the same marketing deals that Wie can obtain?
"Precocious pro Michelle Wie would love to qualify for the British Open Championship, . . . " Mixed Response, Perth (Australia) Sunday Times, Oct. 16, 2005
"She's exceptionally mature." B.J. Wie, professor of Transportation at the University of Hawaii and Michelle's dad, quoted by Barker Davis, Wie Goes from Prodigy to Pro, Washington Times, Oct. 6, 2005, at C1
Might society's disparate reaction to Michelle and Lebron have something to do with how it reacts to the following juxtaposition?
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