strong sense that this kid is going to flame out and hard.
There was a book I read about a decade ago that was about hockey parents and it's amazing how stupid demands and parental influence can absolutely destroy a promising athletes career. There was one story in the book of a kid who as a seven-year old broke Wayne Gretzky's record at that age level. Not just beat it, like destroyed it in half as many games. The media started to take note (he turned down paid appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show and late night shows) as did the hockey equipment companies who started giving him loads of free stuff. There was the expectation that this kid would be drafted first into the NHL by the time he was 18.
By the time he was 17 he was no longer playing. A combination of things had undone his career (injuries, media spotlight, no longer being the biggest fish in a small pond). But it was also mentioned that there were factors closer to home that had a significant impact. Friendships ended; grown adults, who were jealous of his talent, were verbally threatening him; some even going so far to tell their kids to take him out. Rifts even started in his own family. His parents were arguably too involved, resulting in him playing and practising far too much. He wasn't really able to be a normal kid and once he started playing against a better calibre of player, he was no longer able to dominate due to the injuries he was carrying.
When he was interviewed for the book at age 19, he was working in a sporting goods shop trying to earn enough money to pay college tuition. He'd play recreational stuff with his friends and co-workers, but once he scored a hat-trick, he'd just sit back and recede into the background. I think a lot of parents of really talented kids assume it's an upward trajectory, rather than taking into account in the myriad of other factors that can disrupt a kid's ability to make it as a professional.
