Benefits Of Leaving College Early

         The NBA has seen many different players come and go throughout its 50 years of existence. In the last 15 years, there has been a boom of underclassmen leaving college early to enter the NBA draft. The last NBA draft in June, the top ten picks alone were underclassmen(Sports Illustrated, 264). Many more underclassmen are entering the NBA this year. The typical college career for the basketball players is playing until your junior year, then going pro. The NBA and the NCAA must do something in order to keep these young players in college.

There would be no rush to graduate because the student-athlete is receiving free education, housing and meals as well as making money. College sports should be played for the love of the game, not for the love of money.

One of the benefits of attending college later in life is having the life experience to know myself better than someone just graduating high school. At this point in my life I already know my skill level, strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the learning process for education and career planning.

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

There are many good athletes in professional sports today. There are many good athletes in college sports today also. Some of the biggest names in sports are Mark McGwire, Steve Young, Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, and so on. Now, imagine if all of those players never made it to the pros. What would happen to professional sports? Why are they in the pros now? To make it into professional sports you need more than just talent. You need opportunity. College scholarships not only give athletes the opportunity to reach the professional ranks, but also give the chance for many players to earn a degree in higher education.

I often question myself, how and why did I join Richmond Early College High School (REaCH). REaCH is a program for high school students, which is located at at Richmond Community College (RCC). I am one of few teenagers that has the privilege to be accepted in this program. Many people have their own reasons for joining but I'm going to tell you a few of my own reasons for joining. I am here at RCC for the education, the availability of the campus, and the attitude of student.

In professional basketball and football, it is very fun to see young, flashy, and new star athletes to seemingly come out of nowhere. Athletes such as Kobe Bryant and Lebron James jumped straight from high school, went to play professional basketball, and did very well. This seems like a great idea, but also considering the athlete as a person is important. What happens if he does not perform well? He could lose out on a lot of money and could be in big trouble if he did not go to college. Athletes want to become professionals as soon as possible, but they also could consider getting a degree. The issue of making college a requirement for professional football and basketball athletes is one that makes many people wonder if athletes should actually

All the expenses that they have to acquire overwhelm many students that attend college. When this occurs, they tend to dropout, or struggle with taking on college courses and working. What is so amazing is that high school athletes think that is they attend college for a year or two, they can go on and make a career on a professional level. They do not understand that if they do go professional, it will not always last. They will eventually have to go to college anyway. So, why not go ahead, get a good education, and have a successful career.

It tarnishes what we're trying to do as coaches; it tarnishes the idea that kids are here to get an education," Colorado coach Tad Boyle says. "It just does. People know it. That's why there are so many people it upsets, and people don't like it. I don't know of any person I've ever talked to who says, 'I like the one-and-done.” Many top college basketball programs get top recruits every year and expect big things out of the players. The best recruits in the country are already being scouted by the NBA. This makes players all around the country leave college after their freshman years. These young men are making a big decision to leave school to go pro. Many players leave early because they came from poverty and they want a better life for

Sadly, this is not the case; “about five thousand NCAA scholarship football players leave college annually. About three hundred land jobs in the NFL…” (book). This means only 6% of the players in college football will make it the NFL, and those who make it rarely last long. On average, an “NFL ‘career’ is 3.7 years” (book). So the guys who make it to the NFL rarely stick around long enough for a “major” contract and will never reap the rewards of their hard

Being able to go to college is an accomplishment and funding it is a problem for the students or for the parents.

There are many methods you can use when it comes to paying for your college cost. You can use financial aid, federal grants, private student loans, college work study, and you can also even try to make a good score on your ACT so that you can have many colleges to choose from that will give you a scholarship. All of these ways will either pay some or may even pay all of your college cost. Most family’s first choice is financial aid because it is a major source for college financing.

Transitioning to college certainly causes stress and anxiety for most incoming students. As an athlete, these students face additional hurdles with rigorous schedules lasting all day, full course loads and being away from friends and family. Until they settle into university life, life can be rather trying for any student--much less a student athlete.

Reading your comments brought back some memories for me like you after high school going to college was not in the cards for me so I joined the military and this lead to adventures in life such as marriage. Now going back to college can be challenging for the new normal known as non-traditional students, but we know what this degree means to us in getting a better position where we currently work at or it will open doors to unlimited possibilities.

So of the 100,000 student athletes who graduate per year, about 2.5% precede to play in the professional leagues (“Should”). Student athletes are going to need an education in order to get a job after they graduate. In the mean time, student athletes are fortunate enough to continue playing the sports they love before having to find a job.