As does hockey and soccer. Both Strictly birth year. There is no gaming the system. Hopefully lax gets its act together and institutes a purely age based 12/31 cutoff to level the playing field no matter what state one hails from. I'm against the whining as well, but to defend the advantage that kids a year or two older than the majority of the peers and classmates have is ludicrous. It is a tangible advantage until about when the kids are freshman in college--then it levels out. And, not only an advantage, but flat out potentially dangerous from grades 5-9. And, youth football IS strictly age based. The age grade disparity occurs as they enter high school with the hold back year or through PG/red shirt years. All this being said, if the system allows the hold backs, which it does, then it is not cheating. Fools Gold perhaps in the long run, but not cheating. So keep pounding your chest Dad as your big year older boy runs over around and through everyone, the playing field will level eventually and your kings ego will take a big hit as he becomes one of the pawns...
