I don't know what everyone does to their reels, but I have never had a problem with Abu Garcia reels. The only crappie reel I have is a Shimano, just sayin...That break looks to be from extreme force, not just from reeling it. The plastic look is casting, not plastic.
I'm a NAVSEA NDT LEVEL III EXAMINER, I specialize in examining metal, not just blowing smoke.
Harmon