Get Ready for Freddy

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SAM Keyword:Young Superstars

PASSAGE 1: Magazine Article

Get Ready for Freddy

Freddy-mania has taken over the world of soccer.

Is the rest of America ready for Freddy?

It’s a hot day in a little town in Ghana, Africa. Some boys, many of them bare-foot, are playing soccer. One kid gets the ball and dribbles it through a crowd of defenders. Then he rockets it past the goalie. At 6, he’s much younger than the other boys. His name is Freddy Adu.

Fast-forward to 2004. Now 15, Freddy is the biggest star in Major League Soccer. How did he go from playing on a dusty field in Africa to playing in stadiums filled with screaming American fans? Luck played a role. So did his mother’s wise guidance. Mostly, though, it was Freddy’s feet that got him where he is today.

Fancy Footwork

Freddy started playing soccer when he was 2. He played “every day, all day,” he says. Soon, he was the best young player in town.

His parents wanted to live in the United States. They were lucky, and they got a chance to move to the U.S. So the family moved to Maryland. Freddy had trouble making friends. Adjusting to his new life was tough. His family was poor. Things got even worse when his father left, but his mother was a strong person. She took two jobs in order to support the family.

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14 team to victory in Italy. A professional Italian team offered him a $750,000 contract. His mother said no to that offer, and to many others. Her friends couldn’t believe it. “He’s just a little boy,” she would say. Her plan for Freddy was simple: Education comes first, and soccer comes second.

His mother stuck to that strategy until Freddy graduated from high school at age 14. At that point, he turned professional. He joined a team called D.C. United. Today he is the highest-paid soccer player in America. He is also the most popular.

Playing against men twice his age isn’t easy. Because Freddy’s so good, some players are very rough with him. He handles that by being a very physical player himself. Other players question whether he’s really 15. They haven’t seen him at home, where he acts like a typical teenage boy. He plays video games, watches science-fiction movies, and pesters his mom to cook his favorite dishes.

Will Freddy make professional soccer more popular in America? Maybe, but that’s not something that concerns him. He just wants to have fun playing, and to help his mom. He appreciates everything she has done, and still does, for him— like driving him wherever he needs to go. Freddy may be the only superstar in sports whose mom still drives him to practice!

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Wie at the Tee

This incredible golfer can drive the ball farther than

most of the competition. Driving a car,

however, is still a few years off.

When this golfer tees off, or hits the first shot at each hole, people watch in wonder. They watch because she has one of the strongest swings in the game. They watch because people are calling her the next Tiger Woods. Mostly, though, they watch because they can’t believe that a 14-year-old girl can hit a ball so well, and so far.

Michelle Wie (WEE) regularly hits the ball 300 yards. She’s already hitting farther than the best women. She hits harder than some of the top men. Male and female pros play in separate tournaments, and by different rules. Michelle, however, wants to compete against women and men.

One of Michelle’s goals is to be the first woman to play in the Masters. That’s the biggest men’s tournament. Another goal is to go to college. For the moment, though, she’d be happy just to ace her upcoming geometry test.

The Big Wiesy

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swing is so big. It’s so smooth that it looks easy. One pro calls her “the Big Wiesy.” Another famous golfer described her swing as “the scariest thing you’ve ever seen.” That golfer, by the way, was a man.

Michelle has already started to test herself against the guys. In 2003, she played in a men’s tournament. Golf fans gazed at Michelle in awe as she beat 46 of the best male golfers. One player put it this way: “A lot of guys got kicked around by a 13-year-old girl.” She may not have won. She certainly made a big impression, though.

In many ways, Michelle is a typical teenager. She loves hanging out with her friends and going shopping. She’s happy her braces finally came off. Still, her life isn’t exactly normal. These days, people recognize her wherever she goes. The most obvious difference between Michelle and other kids, though, is her dedication to golf. Her practice routine keeps her on the golf course for 30 hours a week. Michelle’s willing to put in the time. That’s what it takes to become a great golfer.

She won a big championship last year. Here’s how she described her feelings afterward: “I’m happy out of my mind. I like beating a lot of people.” In the future, many of the people she beats may be men. So watch out, Tiger. Here comes the Big Wiesy.

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Most Valuable Miguel

Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada went from

shining shoes to hitting homers.

Every summer, baseball’s hardest hitters compete in the Home Run Derby. In 2004, the surprise winner was Miguel Tejada (mee-GELL tay-HAH-duh). Miguel beat top sluggers like Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa. “Miggy, you’re not going to win,” he said to himself as he watched them hit.

Not only did he win, but he broke a record. His 27 home runs were the most ever. “Oh my gosh, I’m winning the Home Run Derby,” he thought, as he swatted one home run after another. “I usually watch it on TV!” Afterward, he couldn’t believe he had beaten some of baseball’s biggest stars. His teammates weren’t surprised, though. Miggy just keeps getting better and better.

Miguel is the Baltimore Orioles’ shortstop. He’s one of the most intense players in baseball. “You can see it in his eyes,” says one player. “He’ll do anything to beat you.” Miguel keeps pushing himself to improve. It’s his passion for the game, though, that makes the fans love him. “Every time I come to the field, I play happy,” he says. “I have everything.” Those are amazing words from a person who once had nothing.

From Rags to Riches

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dropped out of school to work in a factory. His mother died when he was 13. His father had to go look for work in another town. Miguel spent months living in the streets. He was afraid that he might spend the rest of his life there.

There was one place where he never felt glum: the baseball field. He played every afternoon. He used a mitt he’d made out of milk cartons. Miguel soon became a strong hitter and an excellent fielder.

He wore his baseball uniform all the time because he had no other clothes. Like many boys in his country, he dreamed of playing in the big leagues. In 1993, a baseball scout saw him play. He offered Miguel $2,000 to play for the Oakland Athletics’ minor-league team. It seemed like a fortune to the 17-year-old. He jumped at the chance to play in the U.S.

Miguel’s success in the minor leagues impressed his coaches. Within a few years, he was the Athletics’ All-Star shortstop. He dazzled fans. In 2002, they voted him the American League’s Most Valuable Player. Two years later, he joined the Orioles.

Baseball has made Tejada a rich man. He never forgets where he came from, though. He often buys equipment for young players in the Dominican Republic. He’s also helping to bring electricity to his old hometown.

That’s what he brings to baseball, too—electricity. Tejada’s winning smile and spectacular play light up any ballpark he plays in.

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