In Men's basketball a lot of freshmen are playing just one year of college basketball before going professional. In the 2008 NBA draft, about 8 freshmen were selected in the first ten picks. While a majority of the rookies went on to have good seasons, a few struggled with injuries and their overall game. For instance, though he was drafted on 2007, Greg Olden was considered a rookie in 2008-2009 because of an injury that sidelined him for his whole first season. In 2008-2009, Derrick Rose had one of the best playoff performances for a rookie that we have seen in decades. He averaged over thirty points a game against the defending champs, the Boston Celtics, but after the season he was a situation regarding his grades with his alma mater, the University of Memphis, arose. The rumor is that the school boosted his SAT score so that he could be accepted into the University. Though the case was dropped due to lost information and paperwork, this gives college basketball a black eye because it makes us question whether other players are getting into college through fake grades. This also makes the term "scholar athlete" meaningless if students are just worried about playing sports knowing that they can just get fake grades.
I think that before going into the NBA players have to mature and at least earn an undergraduate degree. Athlete's have to start taking school seriously, because you never know what life can bring as far as injuries and major changes.
2 comments:
Darien,
What a great piece! Professional sports leagues have little incentive to encourage student athletes to finish college -- they begin to earn money from these players only after they are drafted. And, as you said in your opinion piece, even colleges and universities seem to place very little value on athletes' scholastic achievements -- they're even willing to lie about or overlook poor grades just so they can entice a player to come to their schools.
I think basketball and football are kind of exceptions to the rule, though. Most sports have very low age limits on professional competition (for example, the tennis minimum pro age is 14). They don't require some form of academic education to go to the next level. Instead, they offer amateur/intermediate leagues to groom young athletes into more skilled players (think baseball). Is college for athletes about academic preparation, or is it really about skills development and physical preparation? If it's not about academics, should they be required to go?
What do you think?
Ms. Naomi
I couldn't agree more with your conclusion that even gifted athletes should take school seriously because they don't know how their athletic careers will work out. Believe me, Darien, the world is full of people who were tremendously gifted athletes in high school and college who for one reason or another didn't succeed as professionals. Sometimes they were injured and never quite recovered and sometimes they just weren't good enough. When it comes to athletics, whether baseball, football, basketball or any other sport, the odds are tremendously against a person making it as a professional. The competition is just too intense and there are too many things that can go wrong. As you point out, it is important to use your time wisely and get a good education.
I also think that education has its own rewards beyond its importance in preparing a person to earn a living. After all, who wants to go through life being ignorant and uneducated? There's no particular advantage in that. And people respect an educated person.
Being a great athlete is a gift, but athletics should be seen as just one part of a well-rounded and accomplished person. And no one, no matter, how talented an athlete, should ever assume that they'll be able to earn a living from those skills. The odds are just too great against it happening. As you pointed out, education is a must for success as well as happiness in life.
Best wishes,
Bob
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