Soccer phenom, 13, signs deal with Nike, turns pro
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}What did you do as a 13-year-old?
Soccer phenom Olivia Moultrie signed a multiyear endorsement deal with Nike and is turning pro, the New York Times reported.
When she was 11, the California native accepted a scholarship from the University of North Carolina to play college soccer -- but that plan has been ripped up.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Moultrie will “officially forgo her college athletic eligibility” as a pro and Nike athlete, The Times reported. The 13-year-old, who is homeschooled, was the youngest female soccer player to accept an academic scholarship.
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The terms of the Nike deal were not immediately disclosed, but Moultrie's agent, Spencer Wadsworth, told The Times “it was worth more financially than a four-year scholarship at a top university.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"For literally almost every kid in girls’ soccer, you should go to college; there’s not a million dollars at the end of the rainbow,” her father, K.C. Moultrie, told the New York Times, in a story published Monday. “I think if you’re truly, truly elite, if your goal is to be a world-class player and a pro and, in Olivia’s case, to be the best player in the world, there’s no way it’s better to play college than it is to play full time.”
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It was not immediately clear what Moultrie’s next step will be. The Oregonian reported she will move from California to Portland to be a developmental player for the Thorns of National Women’s Soccer League -- but players in that league need to be at least 18 years old in order to compete.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Moultrie has already appeared in a few Nike ads, including one that aired during Sunday’s Academy Awards.