Young Athletes in Relationships
Young athletes who are in their 20’s are very popular sometimes in the public eye. Sometimes girls that are in their late teens crush on a athlete who is in their early 20’s. For example Kobe Bryant was 23 when he met his future wife. She was a senior in high school at the time they met. Yes, he made some bad choices, but they are still married to this day. Even with the cheating scandals on Kobe’s part. Reports said it was cheaper for Kobe to stay married with Vanessa.
Mark Sanchez’s Friendship with Eliza
In 2011 Mark Sanchez went to a bar and met a seventeen-year-old high school girl. Her name was Eliza Kruger. Sanchez was a quarterback for the New York Jets at the time and was 25 years-old. The age of consent is 17 in the state of New York. All that happened though was she went to his house for dinner. He lives on a golf course and she took pictures of his bedroom. She bragged about meeting him on Facebook and he wouldn’t date her because she was too young.
What’s the Right Time?
Even though the age of consent is 16 in New York, Mark would still be on the friendship level with Eliza. He just liked her company. Today Mark is 31 and Eliza is 23. If they wanted to be more than friends at this point they could. She’s older and more mature. But back when she was 17 it wasn’t going to be anymore than friendship. Not only the age but the maturity and she probably had a lot going on.
This Goes for the Average Person, Not Just an Athlete
There’s nothing wrong with a young athlete or an young guy liking a younger girl. As long as the girl is at the age of consent. The same principle goes when genders are flopped. But the most important thing about any relationship is respect. If the average guy, say 25, was friends with a 17 year old girl like Mark Sanchez and Eliza and they got along well. As long as he respects her then there’s no problem with it. Like I said nothing more than a friendship at the point because of the gap and maturity but now who knows. But the average person is obviously different from a NFL quarterback or a young athlete, but the point is if they have respect for one another.