Do all sports favor the big kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Much of track and field is not for the stocky.

+1 Long distance running doesn't favor big kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So only team sport is baseball.

Even if smaller players absolutely do make it in baseball (and softball for girls), youth coaches absolutely favor the taller / broader kids.

Definitely this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Baseball don't care. Especially with modern stats analysis. Alejandro Kirk (Blue Jays catcher) case in point. If you watched the World Series last year, you might remember that the announcers spent the whole series making fun of how fat he is. And only 5'8".

Height matters a lot in baseball. Kirk is an exception, which is why the announcers were pointing out his build. Even for a catcher, where shorter players can do well, he is considered short. Even the average catcher is slightly over 6 feet tall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wrestling.

Greatest sport for life. If you can survive everything else in life is easier.

Wrestling is the answer for an undersized kid. Late bloomers can do especially well, because a 106 pound junior/senior will be wrestling freshmen most of the time.

+1 I have a couple friends who switched from football to wrestling as their primary sport because they were incredibly strong/fast/aggressive defensive players but short/small.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it is a bummer that the team sports favors the bigger kids, at least once they get to be teenagers. I have a very athletic kid who is one of the best on his soccer team and one of the better ones on his baseball team. He is 9 and 4'2" and 55 lbs.

In soccer he is fast and agile and can and does score. He plays wing or striker, depending on where the coach needs him.

In baseball he is currently playing mostly infield and he is a pretty good pitcher, at least at this level. The bigger issue with the infield is that he is a lefty. It's ok now because he is a good fielder with quick reflexes but it won't always be that way. If he continues with baseball, he is going to have to rely on his speed and his arm to be an outfielder. I'm pretty sure he isn't going to be tall enough to play first base.

He loves sports and is good at them but I worry when all the kids hit puberty. We think he is also going to be a late bloomer in that area, so its going to be tough.

Your kid is only 9, so just wait and see what happens.

On the plus side of being smaller when younger, is that we saw so many players where their only attribute was that they're big. And they never really learned how to do anything properly. It eventually gets to a point where those players can't keep up with the rest of the players and can't really do anything else.

At the middle school level, I was happy to see smaller players we knew make their teams. I think those players were deserving due to their high skill and iq level. I was kind of worried that they wouldn't get a fair opportunity due to their size but they all made it that year.

There was one player at sixth grade, who was on the smaller side but when we saw him the following year, he had a growth spurt and I hardly recognized him anymore.

So just wait and see what happens.

btw to answer OP's question, I would think in baseball size is less of a factor and knew some really good small players at the youth level. I forget which MLB player said baseball is a sport where size doesn't matter. And in basketball, I see smaller players wreck havoc on the court by being quick, aggressive and having a high basketball iq. Always getting steals, always killing other teams with smart plays, etc.

This is the OP of that post. I hope you are right. My son is adopted so we don’t know his genetics. His birth mother is 5’0”, but so am I so any child I have would have small genetics. We don’t know anything else.

NP here. I feel compelled to respond to your post as a short adult adoptee who is also a parent to an adoptee as well as a baseball player (2 different kids)!

Your son has a lot going for him as a lefty pitcher! Coaches will love that. I also see a good number of 1B who are either average height or surprisingly actually on the short side. I'm talking about high school and travel ball, btw- clearly not the MLB!

PS- you never know about your son's height- genetics are funny like that!

[Anonymous]

My DH was very into sports growing up, specifically baseball, basketball, and football, in that order. He was an all-star little league pitcher mutliple years in a very competitive area. He's a natural athlete with strength and speed and great hand/eye coordination. But around 9th grade everyone shot past him in size. He played all three sports his freshman year in hs, then gave up because he just couldn't keep up. He's 5'6". (To this day it amazes me that he played football and basketball in 9th grade at that size, even if just JV).

He would tell you that size matters for all sports, except wrestling -- which he never had any interest in, but his friend Larlo who is very small, I think about 5'4" or maybe smaller, was a state champion wrestler. And of course boxing, where they group you by size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it is a bummer that the team sports favors the bigger kids, at least once they get to be teenagers. I have a very athletic kid who is one of the best on his soccer team and one of the better ones on his baseball team. He is 9 and 4'2" and 55 lbs.

In soccer he is fast and agile and can and does score. He plays wing or striker, depending on where the coach needs him.

In baseball he is currently playing mostly infield and he is a pretty good pitcher, at least at this level. The bigger issue with the infield is that he is a lefty. It's ok now because he is a good fielder with quick reflexes but it won't always be that way. If he continues with baseball, he is going to have to rely on his speed and his arm to be an outfielder. I'm pretty sure he isn't going to be tall enough to play first base.

He loves sports and is good at them but I worry when all the kids hit puberty. We think he is also going to be a late bloomer in that area, so its going to be tough.

Your kid is only 9, so just wait and see what happens.

On the plus side of being smaller when younger, is that we saw so many players where their only attribute was that they're big. And they never really learned how to do anything properly. It eventually gets to a point where those players can't keep up with the rest of the players and can't really do anything else.

At the middle school level, I was happy to see smaller players we knew make their teams. I think those players were deserving due to their high skill and iq level. I was kind of worried that they wouldn't get a fair opportunity due to their size but they all made it that year.

There was one player at sixth grade, who was on the smaller side but when we saw him the following year, he had a growth spurt and I hardly recognized him anymore.

So just wait and see what happens.

btw to answer OP's question, I would think in baseball size is less of a factor and knew some really good small players at the youth level. I forget which MLB player said baseball is a sport where size doesn't matter. And in basketball, I see smaller players wreck havoc on the court by being quick, aggressive and having a high basketball iq. Always getting steals, always killing other teams with smart plays, etc.

This is the OP of that post. I hope you are right. My son is adopted so we don’t know his genetics. His birth mother is 5’0”, but so am I so any child I have would have small genetics. We don’t know anything else.

NP here. I feel compelled to respond to your post as a short adult adoptee who is also a parent to an adoptee as well as a baseball player (2 different kids)!

Your son has a lot going for him as a lefty pitcher! Coaches will love that. I also see a good number of 1B who are either average height or surprisingly actually on the short side. I'm talking about high school and travel ball, btw- clearly not the MLB!

PS- you never know about your son's height- genetics are funny like that!

Just to add..Georgetown Prep's best player from 2025 is a lefty pitcher who played on the USA Baseball 18U national team and will likely get drafted into the MLB. He is over 6'0"...but not one of these 6'8" pitchers...I would say his like 6'1".

He is also adopted!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it is a bummer that the team sports favors the bigger kids, at least once they get to be teenagers. I have a very athletic kid who is one of the best on his soccer team and one of the better ones on his baseball team. He is 9 and 4'2" and 55 lbs.

In soccer he is fast and agile and can and does score. He plays wing or striker, depending on where the coach needs him.

In baseball he is currently playing mostly infield and he is a pretty good pitcher, at least at this level. The bigger issue with the infield is that he is a lefty. It's ok now because he is a good fielder with quick reflexes but it won't always be that way. If he continues with baseball, he is going to have to rely on his speed and his arm to be an outfielder. I'm pretty sure he isn't going to be tall enough to play first base.

He loves sports and is good at them but I worry when all the kids hit puberty. We think he is also going to be a late bloomer in that area, so its going to be tough.

Your kid is only 9, so just wait and see what happens.

On the plus side of being smaller when younger, is that we saw so many players where their only attribute was that they're big. And they never really learned how to do anything properly. It eventually gets to a point where those players can't keep up with the rest of the players and can't really do anything else.

At the middle school level, I was happy to see smaller players we knew make their teams. I think those players were deserving due to their high skill and iq level. I was kind of worried that they wouldn't get a fair opportunity due to their size but they all made it that year.

There was one player at sixth grade, who was on the smaller side but when we saw him the following year, he had a growth spurt and I hardly recognized him anymore.

So just wait and see what happens.

btw to answer OP's question, I would think in baseball size is less of a factor and knew some really good small players at the youth level. I forget which MLB player said baseball is a sport where size doesn't matter. And in basketball, I see smaller players wreck havoc on the court by being quick, aggressive and having a high basketball iq. Always getting steals, always killing other teams with smart plays, etc.

This is the OP of that post. I hope you are right. My son is adopted so we don’t know his genetics. His birth mother is 5’0”, but so am I so any child I have would have small genetics. We don’t know anything else.

NP here. I feel compelled to respond to your post as a short adult adoptee who is also a parent to an adoptee as well as a baseball player (2 different kids)!

Your son has a lot going for him as a lefty pitcher! Coaches will love that. I also see a good number of 1B who are either average height or surprisingly actually on the short side. I'm talking about high school and travel ball, btw- clearly not the MLB!

PS- you never know about your son's height- genetics are funny like that!

Just to add..Georgetown Prep's best player from 2025 is a lefty pitcher who played on the USA Baseball 18U national team and will likely get drafted into the MLB. He is over 6'0"...but not one of these 6'8" pitchers...I would say his like 6'1".

He is also adopted!

Good for him, but contrary to popular belief 6’+ is actually quite tall. Only around 15% of American men are 6’ or taller…

[Anonymous]

No, it really depends on your perspective. Statements like "bigger always" better, are patently false. You need to think about it like a distribution. I'm thinking you're likely average or less in size, so it appears that bigger is always better in sports, but when you get into the extremes 99th percentile in height, there are only certain sports where it's an advantage.

I think what is confusing is that often time shorter athletes think they are fast, but if you look at track and field in the Olympics, even the sprinters tend towards the 6'0" to 6'2" range. So many sports, field sports that is going to be an optimum.

So, what shorter athletes tend to excel at are agility and reflexes. Even reflexes can be sort of a mixed blessing for example really tall people can dominate ping pong or baseball, because they don't have to move their feet. But say video games or something, it can actually be an issue.

At the extremes tall athletes tend towards skilled throwing sports, QB's, Goalies, Pitchers, Basketball players.

So, agility X-sports type things, gymnastics, skateboarding, trick cycling, trick skiing, martial arts, etc.

Swimming height is an advantage up to about 6'4" where skin drag dominates other forms of drag.

[Anonymous]

Think of it like this. It is how a former college baseball coach explained it to me.

Pretend everyone on the team is a rain catcher and the coach's inputs are rain. The bigger, taller, faster kids will catch more rain because of their size and strength.

The 6'3 225 lbs genetic freak and 5'9 150 lbs average kid will hear the same thing from the coaching staff but the bigger athlete can do more with it from his natural advantages.

And the better the player performs, the more games are won, and the paycheck for coaching keeps coming.

So that is why size matters.

Anyone who has ever seen MLB players up close knows they are huge and muscular in real life.

[Anonymous]

Again, look at professional athlete average heights and that will tell you how college and high school coaches are biased.

According to Google, the sports below are essentially the only pro sports where the average height for men and women is less than 5'10" and 5'8", respectively:

Marathoners
Gymnasts (many argue that the sport itself is partially responsible for keeping gymnasts small and that many would have grown taller if they had not started the sport so young)
Ski Jumpers
Lightweight to lower bands of Middle Weight for basically any sport specifically built around weight: boxing, UFC, wrestling, et al (i.e., people are mentioning wrestling here, but you won't find many short wrestlers at heaviest weight classes)
Female ice skaters...average for men is 5'10"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Again, look at professional athlete average heights and that will tell you how college and high school coaches are biased.

According to Google, the sports below are essentially the only pro sports where the average height for men and women is less than 5'10" and 5'8", respectively:

Marathoners
Gymnasts (many argue that the sport itself is partially responsible for keeping gymnasts small and that many would have grown taller if they had not started the sport so young)
Ski Jumpers
Lightweight to lower bands of Middle Weight for basically any sport specifically built around weight: boxing, UFC, wrestling, et al (i.e., people are mentioning wrestling here, but you won't find many short wrestlers at heaviest weight classes)
Female ice skaters...average for men is 5'10"

Sorry, horse racing jockeys as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Soccer, lacrosse, hockey, football, basketball, baseball - do they all favor the biggest kids? As long as they have decent mechanics/skill will the edge always go to the larger kid?

YES, if you attend enough tryouts (multiple sports but especially basketball) you will observe the shorter kids pulled off to the side or eliminated early before they even have a chance to show off their superior skills. Our youngest in middle school falls into this trap while our older, taller sons were given more opportunities to be fairly evaluated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Soccer, lacrosse, hockey, football, basketball, baseball - do they all favor the biggest kids? As long as they have decent mechanics/skill will the edge always go to the larger kid?

YES, if you attend enough tryouts (multiple sports but especially basketball) you will observe the shorter kids pulled off to the side or eliminated early before they even have a chance to show off their superior skills. Our youngest in middle school falls into this trap while our older, taller sons were given more opportunities to be fairly evaluated.

I know what you mean, but when it comes to basketball, they have tried numerous times over the years to skew the game towards shorter players. So, many rules in the NBA. Three seconds in the lane, three-point shots, defensive five seconds.

Tall players succeed in spite of those. I mean for some people it's not their sport, but I don't really think it's a matter of fairness, especially considering they do everything they can do to make it accessible to shorter players. "Here, here's the ball, go ahead and bounce it, see if you can score". Like they never set out to make a game that was biased towards tall players. In fact in terms of contact sports, it's one of the most approachable for smaller players. Which is part of the problem, small players really like the sport. Even compared to soccer, they aren't going to get knocked into next tuesday. It was the basic premise of the sport. Make it safe to play indoors. It just so happens that indoors where you don't have to run very far, ball throwing sports are perfect for tall people <-that isn't unfair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So only team sport is baseball.

As the father of a small baseball player, I'll say it is coach dependent. If you have some meathead infantry dad coaching, the will overlook your son. If you have an intelligent analytical dad who recognizes that your 5 ft 7, 135 pound junior stole twice the bases anyone lese did, and can legit switch hit, his value will be recognized.

Sadly too many men are just too stupid to focus on skill and results over size.

Woodson had a 6 ft4 left handed first basemen maybe 8 years ago who couldn't catch a volleyball if it was soft tossed to him by his grandpa. But he looked the part, so there he was put.

And every single that year was a double or a triple.