Young Track And Football Phenom Bunchie Young Named SI's SportsKid Of The Year


You might be able to see him from a mile away, with his pink- or blue- or platinum-dyed hair. 

He changes it based on how he's feeling. 

But when you get up close and witness the speed and acceleration of 10-year-old Maxwell 'Bunchie' Young, you start to see an athlete who could blossom into a track and field star in a few years. He's also a burgeoning football standout. 

On Wednesday, Sports Illustrated named the Los Angeles native the 2017 SportsKid of the Year. He'll feature on the cover of the December Sports Illustrated Kids edition, which will hit newsstands on December 1. 


He already has a cult following. One of Young's track videos has nearly four million views on YouTube. At least one other video has at least one million views and several others are over 100K. 

A year ago at the USATF Region 15 Track and Field Championships, he won the 9-10 year old division of the 100 meter dash in 12.96 seconds and the 200m in 27.24 seconds. For his football skills, the University of Illinois has already offered him a scholarship! 

Young told SI Kids he wants to one day become the mayor of Los Angeles, play in the NFL and go to the Olympics -- in his hometown -- in 2028. He also wants to write a book -- probably after all that success.  

Young will be honored at Sports Illustrated's 2017 Sportsperson of the Year awards on December 5 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. 

Last year, SI name Tai, Rainn, and Brooke Sheppard as SportsKids of the Year. The trio were also track and field athletes who qualified for the 2016 AAU Junior Olympics.