AAU Basketball

Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world. Obviously the NBA and college basketball are the most known, but there are many other paths. International basketball is spreading more and more. AAU is an organization that gives exposure to high schoolers to try to receive a college scholarship. In addition, streetball is another way for hopeful hoppers playing their dream. The game of basketball has lots of levels overseas, AAU, and streetball are a few of them.

Most African American that want to make it to the National Football League (NFL) or the National basketball League (NBA), do not realize there is a slim chance to none of actually going into a professional sport. Gates writes “African American youngster has about as much of becoming a professional athlete as he or she does of winning the lottery” (1). Not many African American youngsters know that there are “12 times more black lawyers than black athletes” or there are only 1200 blacks who play in a professional sport (1). There are 12 times more black professionals that are in the communities accommodating to the needs of those who need the assistance with either legal or health issues. The youth can achieve greatness in today’s society by getting a degree and forming a foundation to make enough to be financially stable.

The topic of race in sport, particularly African Americans in sport, has long been a controversial yet, widely discussed matter. Human and social issues are never easy subjects to discuss or debate, and racial differences tend to provoke very strong reactions. To begin, we will explore those whom claim that black athletes excel in sports as a result of their biological make up. Of all players in the NBA, more than 75% of them are black; of all players in the WNBA, more than 70% of them are black; of all players in the NFL, more than 65% of them are black (Hoenig, 2014). Evidently, black athletes make up a vast majority of these sports in the United States. Athletes must be of elite caliber to have the ability to play at this level, so this

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

“The Chronicle of Higher Education recently estimated that college athletics is a $10-billion marketplace” (Suggs). With huge sums of revenue generated from college sports teams, players for the successful teams appear to be very marketable. “The National Collegiate Athletic Association, the largest collegiate sports organization in the United States, oversees much of the business of American college sports. For 2011-12, the NCAA reported $871.6 million in revenue-- 81 percent of which came from a broadcast rights agreement with Turner/CBS Sports. Another 11 percent came from sponsoring championships, such as the annual March Madness basketball tournament. No college sport generates more money every year than football. In 2012, Business Insider reported that the University of Texas ' football program generated more than $95 million the previous season, the most of any college in the United States. These revenues come largely from broadcast rights, ticket sales and merchandising” (Morgan). With all the grand amounts of money dealt and discussed through college athletics, student athletes being to wonder if they should be paid or not.

This shows these athletes would do better off with the professional help of the NBA. A major part of my action plan is to provide these athletes with the option to either attend a college or university for one year and then enter into the NBA draft or become drafted straight out of high school with the understanding that they will have to play for that specific teams developmental league for one year before joining the actually team itself. Ultimately, this plan would allow athletes to receive the financial benefits needed in the short term while still developing and preparing themselves for years in the NBA.

         Underclassmen are leaving the NCAA early to pursue fame and fortune in the NBA. They want fame, money, and glamour that comes with life in the NBA. When you break down college athletics, everyone gets paid but the players. Mike Lupica writes, ÒCollege basketball has been using these kids for years,

It is important for the athletic directors and other authoritative figures in men’s basketball to strive for a common goal and establish a better sense balance among those in the basketball environment by changing the contradicting expectations and policies of the NCAA. Some say basketball players have been taken advantage of for far too long and ask “how much longer are universities willing to wait [the] before students see them as a threat and an aid to the issue rather than a source of education and athletic support”? Neglecting the issue has only postponed its significance to emerge as more relevant. By helping address this issue with urgency will allow the players to feel acknowledged and help create a solution for everyone’s benefit to the issue at

Over the past decade, NCAA Men’s Basketball has gained an immense following; as a matter of fact, NCAA has reported record ratings in 5 of the past 10 Final Fours. College Basketball has gained what sports analyst over at ESPN, Stephen A. Smith has described as a “Cult Following”. Every year you see high school Phenom’s like: Ben Simmons (76ers - Pro), Jaylen Hands (UCLA – Collegiate), Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers - Pro), and Jahlil Okafor (76ers – Pro) attend these institutions; play a season of college basketball and then go straight to the Pro’s. So, why are these athletes attending college? Why spend 9 months at an institution playing for a team, all while not receiving compensation for your services; Risking injuries, and negative

Before 2006, NBA players did not have to go to college to be drafted into NBA. Notable players such as Lebron James, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, and Kobe Bryant were drafted directly out of high school. Their careers have been nothing short of outstanding, so many people have questioned why the NBA increased the age limit in the first place. In 2005, the NBA decided that every player entering the draft must be at least one year removed from high school. Most players elect to spend that year, and only that year, playing at the collegiate level, creating what is known as the “one-and-done”. This is because most players decide that they do not want to risk injury playing another year or two in college, and would rather go into the NBA to receive the paycheck that entering the league promises. Since most players only spend one year in college, they come to the NBA still pretty raw in terms of skill. As a result, they play very few minutes, preventing them from developing their talent. In response to this problem, the NBA is thinking about increasing the minimum age limit to twenty. This would force players to stay in college for another year. NBA National Columnist Howard Beck wrote an article, “New Commissioner Adam Silver Argues Minimum Age of 20 Better for NBA, NCAA Games”, reporting on the possible rule change. The NBA should increase the minimum age to twenty because it allows players to develop and it also increases the quality of college basketball.

There a many stereotypes that are explored in the film Hoop Dreams. Both William Gates and Arthur Agee fit into the stereotype of great basketball players who aren’t very successful academically. Over time as they advanced in High School this stereotype manifested to where they were unable to play at the professional level they all dreamed about when they were kids. As most parents would want to believe about their children, they want them to be successful academically and athletically. This stereotype was exploded as the documentary progressed.

Another issue resulting in endorsement deals for players would be that large schools will receive a greater edge in recruiting top high school players to their teams. The gap between the skill of powerhouse universities and their counterparts could increase, causing competition to decrease, with the same few teams winning championships every year. However, Gary Parrish doesn't believe that college basketball recruiting will change at all, saying, ¨All that would mean is that the most powerful schools with the strongest fan bases and biggest budgets would have recruiting advantages over the less-powerful schools with weaker fan bases and smaller budgets, which is EXACTLY THE WAY COLLEGE BASKETBALL IS RIGHT NOW¨

On the other hand though, playing professional sports is all African-American kids can dream of. Most of them live in low poverty places and most of their parents are not around and they didn’t go to college and finish high school. So when they feel they have a talent, most of them try to use that talent or special skill they think they have as a quicker way to upgrade their lifestyle instead of the long tedious process

Lately in the NBA you might have noticed a lot more players from Europe playing for different teams in the league.

In 1995 Scotty Thurman was on top of the world. Thurman led the Arkansas Razorbacks to a NCAA basketball championship with one great performance after another. After this miracle season, Thurman made a decision that would change his fortunes. Rather than come back for his senior year and get his degree, he elected to make himself eligible for the NBA draft. With a NCAA championship under his belt, Thurman was confident he was ready for the NBA, but NBA scouts had different ideas. Thurman could only sit and watch the draft from start to finish. Today Thurman finds himself without a college education and still chasing his NBA dream in the Continental Basketball Association. With nothing left to turn back on, basketball is all Thurman has