When a professional athlete is thought of, their college education is not usually the first thing to come up. It might seem like school is not something they need because they can make a living off of their profession. While this is the case for some, other athletes think that this is possible for them as well and miss out on getting an education that could help them down the road. The NBA is one of these professions where some people get the chance to go pro without getting a full college education. So, is it ok for a student athlete to go into the NBA without finishing college? Not too long ago student athletes were able to leave high school and go into the NBA. Athletes like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant were picked up right out of highschool. …show more content…
Many people make the argument that it is making the athletes go to college against their will. While this does have some truth to it, they are not making the students go their against their will. They can drop out anytime, but it will rid them of their chance of going into the NBA. Others think that it will just delay them their money and force them to play a year out of NBA and risk injury. This argument is more true. Nerlens Noel, a student athlete that attended Kentucky, was thought of as being the number 1 pick in the 2013 draft. Unfortunately during his one year at college Noel suffered a torn ACL, which prevented him from being drafted. If he was able to go straight into the NBA after high school who knows how well he could have done. This is just one instance of how this rule has affected athletes negatively. On the flip side of this, students are getting a full year of college education. This gives them the chance to adjust out of high school and into college. Which will make the adjustment into the NBA a lot more smooth for the athletes. They will also be able to work on their game by playing more skilled teams, as well as working with new teammates. These arguments show that there are pros and cons to the new rule as well. There will always be pros and cons because not all athletes will be ready for the NBA at the same time. So, whatever rule they come up with will not work for everyone. This reason is why some people are trying to break out of the college to NBA mindset.
In the last ten years many young and talented high school basketball players have chosen to enter the NBA draft. These 17 and 18 year olds decide to skip college, and instead they choose to take a big risk and enter the NBA, hoping to become stars and earn millions of dollars. In many cases, these youngsters’ careers are a failure because they don’t turn out as talented as they thought to be. They end up spending only a few seasons in the NBA because they are not good enough to compete at that level. Many of them have to move on to doing other things, such as playing basketball overseas, doing everyday jobs, or going back to college to earn a degree.
College athletes have a goal that they pursue. The jump to the professional sports leagues is an accomplishment that most college athletes wanted to achieve. But most college athletes go to college and forego completing their senior year and don’t get a degree. In basketball most athletes are one and done. This means they go to college for only one year then enter the NBA draft. For the NFL players have to be out of high school for three years and necessarily don’t have to go to college.
The game of basketball along with football and soccer is one of the most prominent sports in the United States and the World. It’s played at every level from 5 & under to the professional athletes in the NBA and overseas. Every team is made up of virtually the same elements; the guards, big men and coaches. Basketball is not a sport where you can focus solely on yourself, but the focus should be on the team. The sport is very public and easy to see, however there are many things that occur behind closed doors when no one is looking.
In the collegiate world of sports, basketball has become an increasingly recognized sport among African Americans, predominantly males. The hope of any young basketball player is that one day a scout will come and recruit them into stardom The question that presents itself as a problem to the lucky few who are chosen to go professional, is whether or not an education is more important than a million dollar shoe deal, “The NCAA's (1998) annual six-year study reported that only 33% of Black male basketball players graduated, (Chronicle of Higher Education, 1999). Individually, basketball reported the lowest graduation rate in all divisions,” (Robinson, 2004:1). Basketball players have become so idolized in the eyes of young Black male basketball athletes, that the value of education appear to be less important in the development of these young men, “According to Sailes (1997), there is an over-representation of Black males in particular sports and an under-representation in other segments of American society. He provides the example of percentages of Black males competing in the NBA (77%), NFL (65%), MLB (15%), and MLS (16%) in comparison to the fact that fewer than 2% of doctors, lawyers, architects, college professors, or business executives are Black males.”, (Robinson, 2004:1). The idea of the attainment of a professional basketball player’s salary in the NBA, without even having to go to school for the time it takes to earn a degree is very appealing to some players. Those with a wealthy, or even upper-middle class upbringing may not view material assets as a priority. In the Black community, we have theorized that money and success play a more important role than education in most households. Although these two seem to go together, one resulting from the other, this does not apply in the sports world. Our research will examine the role that the family value system plays in influencing Black vs. White male athletes to turn professional, as opposed to obtaining a college degree before turning professional.
Small, tall, big, or strong, everyone loves basketball and the excitement that it has brought to people over this long period of time. NBA League originated on August 3, 1949. In 2006, one rule was established and high school basketball players had to sit out a year or attend different colleges or universities to be in shape for the next year to enter the draft. Many amazing and even best players such as Dwight Howard, Lebron James, and even Kobe Bryant. This leads us to a question, if we really need one and done rule when obviously we can see that high school basketball players have the skill to compete on that level.
Did you know that there are roughly 550,000 male high school basketball players, 15,000 are good enough to make it to play college basketball, one third of that or 5,000 play well enough to make it to division I which is the highest in the NCAA basketball league, and only around 348 go on to play one game in the NBA. On the other hand there are rare cases of players having extraordinary talents and making the jump from high school basketball straight to NBA without any college experience. The debate on this topic is two sided, the first being that the jump from high school to the NBA should not be allowed and the second being that they should be able to do what they want.
It is becoming more and more a trend for high school and underclassmen basketball players to forgo their college eligibility to enter the NBA draft. Most professional sports have restrictions to limit mentally and physically immature players from throwing away their college education to be unsuccessful in the professional ranks. In the National Football League, NCAA football players are not allowed to declare for the pro draft unless they have been in the school’s program for at least three years. In professional baseball and hockey, although they do draft players straight from high school, they have a minor league system set up. These minor leagues allow players the time to develop and still play against an excellent level of competition. This helps their growth process so that when they get into the real big leagues, they are somewhat ready to play and be a factor.
Times have changed and so have the rules that used to apply to American basketball. For over a long time until 2007, players that were considered to be truly elite were allowed to go to the NBA immediately without necessarily having to pass through college. However, with time new rules were instituted that are still being used to determine the eligibility of a player to be drafted to the NBA. The most stressed rule is the one on age limit, whereby players need to be 19 years before they can be considered for the NBA. In addition, a year has to be spent in college before any considerations are made. With the ongoing debate on whether or not to make the players wait for a year before going to the NBA, there is a reason to believe that the best
...rity even if they don’t produce right away. Underclassmen will continue to leave early as long as there are NBA teams that want them and as long as college basketball continues to perpetuate the myth of the amateur athlete.
The early age entry rule, has been blamed for taking away the talent that made NCAA basketball popular over the last 40 years (Hughes, 2013). Recently many of the most talented basketball players have entered the NCAA with no intention of playing a second, third, or fourth year. The NBA permits players to be drafted at an age that many have considered is too young to live the lavish lifestyle of a professional player. This has been cause for the big debate of should the NBA change the eligibility to 20 years of age and two years removed from high school.
... middle of paper ... ... Although the rate of graduation for male and female basketball players has slipped in the past several years, a minimal amount can be attributed to the high success rate of the African American Athlete in professional sports such as the NBA or NFL.
Abstract: Basketball players who enter the NBA early are not ready for the NBA. Early entry into the NBA by high school and college basketball players has had a negative affect on the college basketball program, the NBA, and the players themselves. Each year the number of early entries in the NBA rises more and more. In 1997, 47 basketball players entered the NBA draft early, and the number has risen since then. The college basketball program is drained of talent due to players leaving early. The high school players that go directly into the NBA are hurting the college program because they never contribute to the college program at all. The NBA now has to deal with a higher level of immaturity and disrespect by young players. College basketball players obtain a certain amount of respect and maturity in college. The players suffer by not grasping the concept of learning due to lack of education. Many analysts say that entering the NBA before finishing a four-year program is entering too early. The NBA commissioner, David Stern, has begun to work on ways to encourage players to go to and stay in college.
Most players that enter the NBA draft early are 19 or 20 years-old. They are going to end up playing against 25-year-olds that are stronger, faster, and that have had more experience than they have. Along with more experience, they will not be as physically fit because one or two years of college will not do it, and high school will not do it. For example, Lebron James. He is considered one of the best to have played the game, and he went straight out of high school. Imagine if he had gone to college, he would be so much better. So if they leave after the freshman or sophomore year, they will be about five or six years behind and that will make it harder to get a spot on the bench. If they do not make it to the bench, then they will be in the D league for 2 or 3 years to help develop their skills. “The D-League uses a tiered compensation system that's based on experience. Players with ample NBA
The schools and the league are not the only ones hurt, by leaving school early hoping to make the big bucks the players hurt themselves. In the world that we live in today, if you do not have a college degree, opportunities are limited. Look at the statistics, 60 players are drafted each year, and there are only 360 roster spots in the entire NBA. The chances that each player drafted will make the team is almost an impossibility. Some people go back to school and try to finish their degrees, but most do not because once you give up your eligibility, you cannot get it back, which means most of them cannot afford to go back to school.
...ame all crossed paths as college kids. Building on collegiate stars gave pro basketball an identity. It allows players to develop better due to the superior coaching staff in colleges. Staying in college will also let players develop a valuable following, which benefits the NBA.