That's the first time I have ever seen a sports photographer use a tripod. All of them use monopods with those big lenses.
Hmm... As silly as he looks, he might be on to something there, I'll bet that's a video panhead on that tripod. Low angle shots are the way to go for shooting action, especially the smaller kids in my experience - and, I know i've struggled shooting with a monopod from my knees / from my stool, that might actually work - some support and still allows for some freedom of movement. Dont get me wrong though, i'm not in a hurry to try it.
For fun, I showed this to a colleague of mine who sidelines shooting for AP. He glanced at the picture, and muttered something about another bloody "GWC" ruining the reputation of actual photographers. Had to ask him what GWC meant - Guy With Camera. Tough tough crowd. LOL