Readers weigh the pros and cons of including teens on American Ninja Warrior

The American Ninja Warrior audience seems to lean in favor of allowing younger competitors to become a regular edition... We think.

Recently, we asked the readers to weigh in with thoughts around the fact that a handful of teens ages 15-18 will take part in season 13. Specifically, we asked if this should be a regular thing. Should the American Ninja Warrior age limit be officially lowered to 15?

Similar to when we asked for readers’ opinions on the Safety Pass, we found ourselves with a hot topic on our hands.

While the poll currently has 64% of votes leaning in favor of the younger competitors joining the show, the comments were less convincing.

A ton of feedback was left on our article and our social media. Those who are for including the younger athletes and those against it both made convincing arguments. Here’s a breakdown of the common themes we heard.

Those that say no have said...

• The adults should have their own, dedicated time to shine.
• American Ninja Warrior Junior should accept athletes up to age 17. American Ninja Warrior should take athletes ages 18 and up.
• Have three different shows: Ninja Warrior kids, teens, and adults.
• Younger competitors might not be mentally ready to handle being on the show.
• Younger competitors have an unfair advantage over the adults as they tend to weigh less.

Those that say yes have said...

• The young athletes are capable of handling the course well.
• Adults and kids already compete in ESports together, indicating they can handle the pressure of competing with adults.
• These age ranges are already starting to combine in local Ninja competitions.
• Sasuke has shown that having younger competitors can be a success.
• The kids who aged out of American Ninja Warrior Junior shouldn’t have to wait five years to have a national stage again.

So once again, we’re left with a bit of a swamp. Both sides make great points. Season 13 will debut on Monday, May 31 at 8 pm on NBC. That will be our first chance to see how the teens fair in the big competition. Once the season wraps up, we wonder if there will be more of a consensus around the age limits of the show.