High School Athletes Should Not Be Mandatory

SHOULD EXECPTIONALLY TALENTED YOUNG ATHLETES BE ALLOWED TO PLAY PROFESSIONAL SPORTS WHEN THEY ARE STILL IN THEIR EARLY TEENS EVEN IF THEY HAVE TO MOVE AWAY FROM HOME AND LEAVE SCHOOL?

Every year, thousands of student athletes across the world sign the NCAA’s 08-3A Form, also called the “Student-Athlete” form, which waives their right to receive money for the use of their name and image. Like many of us in this class, these college athletes devote their time to their academics while spending additional hours with training and practices throughout the day and receive no stipend in return. This 08-3A form defines college athletes as amateurs, who cannot receive payment for playing their desired sport. While their schools and coaches may make millions of dollars in salaries and endorsement deals and are the highest-paid public employees in many states due to their performances in their desired sport, these “amateurs” can never

         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.

The price for college is a huge sacrifice that many families end up taking for their child. For athletes, many receive scholarships or are granted money to attend college, but the sacrifice they have to deal with is much larger than money itself. However, many of these athletes’ superiors argue that it's their choice to sacrifice their bodies, and that they’re just student athletes they don’t deserve to be paid. The people who end up stating these claims are the people who end up making millions off of them and who pay their coaches millions in return. Of course they’re college athletes, but college sports have never fell from the public eye and are just as popular as professional sports, and just as profitable. The problem with college sports

Lebron James and Freddy Adu are both young athletes and with millions in their pockets with a countless number of endorsement contracts. Whether it is high school athletes skipping college and discontinuing the development of their education for millions of dollars, or teenagers signing contracts with businesses for massive amounts of money, youth sports programs are changing rapidly. However, American high school athletes are not financially, physically, or mentally prepared to tackle and endure the pressures of professional sports.

The ugly truth behind the money machine that is college sports is that, every year, college athletes are deceived by the institutions the compete for into making them millions of dollars, with relatively little in return. Athletes are said to be given a chance to attend college and to attain a free college degree. However, research has shown that this is not completely true for two reasons. For one, the student athlete will spend most of their time in preparation for competition. Secondly, what education the student athlete does receive hardly serves them outside of maintaining eligibility just so

The overarching reason for this ongoing debate for college athletes all relates to money. At 18 and 19 years old, most athletes do not have access to the amount of money they could potentially make in the NBA. Not only money, but also any sort of benefits that can be provided to them such housing, transportation or significant revenue that can improve the lives of not only themselves but their families. An article reviewing the NCAA business model and the paying of student athletes explains that:

Abstract:  Collegiate athletes participating in the two revenue sports (football, men's basketball) sacrifice their time, education, and risk physical harm for their respected programs. The players are controlled by a governing body (NCAA) that dictates when they can show up to work, and when they cannot show up for work. They are restricted from making any substantial financial gains outside of their sports arena. These athletes receive no compensation for their efforts, while others prosper from their abilities. The athletes participating in the two revenue sports of college athletics, football and men's basketball should be compensated for their time, dedication, and work put forth in their respected sports.

Now this doesn't mean that they should not get to go to college for free because schools put aside a certain amount of money to pay for these kids who are very good and they want them to come. In my experience with college athletes they have said “ Most freshman who are going to the NBA or NFL dont care about classes or college because they are gonna make money.” I think this could change if college athletes got paid because then they would know that if they don't do well then they could lose money because as of now they have almost nothing to lose and if I had nothing to lose and play for then I do not know if I would be trying my hardest and putting in 100%. I mean I would still put in like 50% because i would want to be drafted but it wouldn't matter as much. These players will be in the NFL or NBA etc. and when most of us are old they will be retired and we will think about how good some of these players are and watching them while we grow

Imagine getting up at 6 a.m. for a morning working, going to class from about 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., having practice from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., and then going to study tables for about two hours after practice. This is just a typical day in the life of a college athlete. During the seasons they are putting in upwards of 12 hours a day into their school work and sport, and have only a reduced tuition and the pride of representing their university to show for it. College athletes are working full time jobs and providing universities with billions of dollars, its time that these athletes should have the opportunities they deserve. Whether that is to either go directly in professional sports, or be paid by the NCAA. This topic is often brought up in the world of college sports and is continuing to pick up steam as college athletics gain popularity. While these athletes do sign letters of intents stating that they are still amateur athletes and must remain amateurs throughout their years of competing in college, that it goes against our American belief that allows everybody a chance to pursue their dreams. The system in place now requires these young athlete to sacrifice a year of their professional careers to go to college and without any intentions of graduating with a degree.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal written in March 2014 discusses why underclassmen were suddenly leaving in droves for the NFL draft. A picture on the front depicts Johnny Manziel—who decided to leave Texas A&M after his redshirt sophomore season. The article states, “Throughout the offices and film rooms of NFL teams, the whispers are building: This may be the deepest NFL draft ever. It also may be the one that ruins college football” (Clark, 2014). A modification in the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement with its players, which was signed in 2011, is being accused for a shift so dramatic, some within the game worry that the talent and recruiting of college football could possibly never be the same. The point Clark (2014) is trying to get across is that players are rushing to drop out of college early to start their professional careers.

Recently in the news, there was a report on the five University of Kentucky basketball players that decided to enter the NBA draft after only their freshmen season. Sure, they were told of the millions of dollars they could make in professional sports, but were they given the odds of them even reaching that big payday? From picks 5-10 in the draft, the success rate of the player becoming a league average starter is about 30%, then for the rest of the first round, picks 11-30 have around a 10% chance (Thread:15 year Basketball Analysis). But even after given the odds, most of the players will choose to enter the draft because if they continue to play and attend college, they could hurt themselves and lose out on all the money. But what happens when the athlete doesn’t make it? Then he becomes just another person in his early 20s without a college degree, looking for a job. But what if colleges were to offer the players an added incentive to stay, promise a type of salary so the athlete could make some extra money to help with his tuition cost, maintain a social life, and stay in school to finish his degree? Because even on a full scholarship, it does not cover the entire cost, the IRS taxes the scholarship leaving the player about $3,200-$3,500 short a year. This is why paying college athletes makes sense, because it will help keep young adults in school to finish their degrees and help them financially to achieve a better future. College athletes deserve to be paid

According to Cornell ‘“One of the things that is crazy about the system as it is, is that players are risking injury and hoping to get through college unscathed to get these huge contracts,’” (“At Risk”). This is in part due to the NCAA being a training ground for the National Football League (NFL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) due their specific age limitations. Football players cannot enter the NFL draft until after being out of high school for three years and NBA draft requires players to play one year of college basketball (Entman). This requires athletes to play at the collegiate level for a specific period of time with a greater potential of injury. If an athlete does sustain an injury, they run the risk of losing their scholarship as four-year athletic scholarships do not exist and are renewed annually (Deutsch). A college athlete can contribute to a team’s performance for years, generating revenue for the university and athletic department, sustain an injury causing him to lose his scholarship, and not be able to afford to finish his education.

If you were an athlete going to play professional sports, academics wouldn’t be as foremost as hitting the weights. A college is an academic place for higher learning and it should not be a prerequisite place to play professional sports. However, if an athlete is to be severely injured, the injury may ruin their opportunity to play and make a career in sports. Then all they will have left will be their education. While some athletes are attending college, they only care about playing the sport.

Sports differ in many ways even the things that should be the same can be complete opposites. I have played football, basketball, soccer, track, and cross country and I never payed attention to running in any of those sports except for in track and cross country. I did not notice the amount of running I did in all those sport until I had to only focus on the running aspect. To this day I can say I have learned lessons in all of my sports, but running sports have taught me the most. Running is mandatory in so many sports, yet it has presented some of the largest obstacles for a me to overcome mentally.