The One-And-Done Rule

Young athlete’s main goal to attain is to become a professional athlete. Many want to become a professional athlete due to the money, others for the love of the particular sport that they are interested in. There is a downside in becoming a professional athlete, that many young players are not aware of. This downside is that professional athletes’ go broke faster than they are drafted into the leagues. Many professional athletes such as NBA and NFL players go broke due to career duration, overspending, family issues, and lack of financial knowledge.

College sports can determine a person’s lifestyle. Determines whether or not they can go pro or get a job. Paying athletes can give them a better sense of money. They can learn how to save their money up, learn how to spend it correctly, and a great sense of financial awareness. The problem is that many

Jarrod Uthoff, a Cedar Rapids native, left a legacy at the University of Iowa. He scored 30 points in one half at one of the most hostile arenas, Iowa State. He has made history by now being one of the Big Tens most dominate players. He was named Mr.Basketball in 2011 and also Gatorade Player of the Year. They put in around half of their time practicing their sport and that is without school work involved, according to Peter Jacobs author of an article from college student athletes. Yet after all that time they are not getting paid. As of right now the student-athletes do not get a wage, but they do get a scholarship, which is why this is such an important topic because the college players are a huge part of this issue. Many people

“It tarnishes what we’re trying to do as coaches; it tarnishes the idea that kids are here to get an education.” Tad Boyle, Colorado men’s basketball head coach from USAtoday.com. With AAU tournaments and Prep Schools getting them ready for the next level, there is much young basketball talent that is considered “NBA ready” within their first year of college. College basketball players should be required to stay in college for at least three years. With all the hype surrounding them to become young superstars, some athletes and members of NBA front offices don’t realize how important two or three more years of college could be to them. The NCAA has a rule like this set on college football players, so the rule for basketball shouldn’t be any different. These extra three years could give these players more time to develop their skills, physique, and get an education,

         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 are many high school basketball phenoms that are scouted by pro teams even when they are in high school. A select few in the past have gone straight to the NBA out of high school and had a lot of success, while some players go to college all four years to develop their skills at the next level. However, there are athletes that will waste one year at the college level just so they could get to the NBA. Why would you waste one year of your life when you could have already been in the NBA a year earlier? Basketball players should either go to college all four years and enhance their skills and get a solid education. If not, skip college and go straight to the NBA, rather than wasting a year of your life, and possibly a classroom seat for a person who wanted to get an education.

“Here’s Why We Shouldn’t Pay College Athletes” written by John R. Thelin, illustrates how collegiate players should be prohibited from earning any funds from universities or private agents because they already receive a great amount of grants and scholarships based on their ability in a certain field. The author touches on the scholarship model vs the salary model, he leans slightly towards the scholarship model by using the example of how taxes play into the situation if a player captures a salary. Also Thelin states that student athletes should have something to look forward to in the professional leagues, a large income does just the trick. Furthermore, the reaction I had when I read John Thelin’s statements included that he is one hundred percent spot on with his perception that participants in college activities are already getting their schooling for free. As well as the idea that these

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:

One other pro is that it would bring financial awareness to students. An example is “The ESPN documentary Broke gave an inside view of the financial woes of many professional athletes, noting that around 60% of NBA players are broke within five years of retirement”(Patterson, 2015). Teaching students financial responsibility now will better prepare them for when they have even more money in the future. The overall truth too is that the NCCA can afford to pa student athletes. In fact it was said “To pay the players would simply require a reallocation of resources, the economists said”(Patterson, 2015). The NCAA has plenty of money to pay student athletes for their participation in college sports. Paying student athletes seems to not be much of a problem except for people who just disagree with the morals of paying athletes.

The NBA is a billion dollar business and known as one of the largest and most prestigious organization within American sports today. It is also home to one of the most controversial rules in all of sports, which is known as "the one and done rule." The one and done rule restricts high school basketball players from entering the NBA draft out of high school and going to straight to the NBA. According to Article X, Section 1 of the NBA's 2005 collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the policy for player eligibility states:

Although some think the decision to go to the National Basketball Association should be solely in the hands of the players and although current efforts ensure that basketball players are in college for at least one year, the one-and-done rule needs to be revised because it destabilizes the college basketball system, leaves players without a backup plan, and causes players to lack the wisdom to make wise financial and life decisions.

The NBA’s “One and done rule” has changed the way college is being treated and has also stopped basketball players with great talent from entering the NBA draft right after high school. The rule does not allow a player to enter the NBA draft until after one year has passed since that individual’s class has graduated; which forces players to attended one year of college and then entering the NBA draft. The rule got the name one and done because since the rule was started many talented player go to college just to play one year of elite college basketball and then move on to the NBA right after. This rule can go both ways; by forcing the player to sit out a year makes the player attend college or does it make it a waste for those players with actual NBA talent.

Some people might say there's no guarantee that good players such as Karl Anthony Towns will stay in college. While there is no guarantee that all good players will stay, but paying them gives them a good reason to stay and get an education. According to five reasons college athletes should be paid, paying the athletes could get most of the players to stay longer. They could say you know what I’m getting paid, I’ll leave when I’m ready. The culture has become if you don’t want to stay here go. Instead of it’s good for you to be here. If the public really thinks it’s good to for kids to stay in school, why don’t we give them reasons to

The one-and-done rule concerns high school and college basketball players, but it hurts more than just the players involved: it hurts the college basketball system. Lonzo Ball, one of the most exciting players in college basketball, will leave college and take his talents to the NBA after his freshman season. Because some of the best college basketball players are leaving after their freshmen years, the excitement they bring to college basketball also leaves early. Electric players like Lonzo Ball are not the only things being lost; college basketball also loses stability. The best high school players usually go to the best college basketball programs, so only the top few teams in the country receive the top high school recruits, and those schools have an advantage for success. Schools like Kentucky and Duke lose more players each year because they control the top recruits, who are more likely to be one-and-done players. Because they lose more players each year, they have

Something positive can be taken from the precedents Thurman and Fizer; both at least started a college education and made positive contributions to the game. Each year the number of high school athletes that go directly to the NBA increases. In recent years Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett have become household names with huge contracts. Both of them have risen to stardom after making the jump directly from high school. With all of the hype surrounding these success stories, little is mentioned about those not so fortunate. Like Garnett, Ronnie Fields attended Farragut Academy. In 1997 Fields attempted to follow Garnetts path to the NBA rather than accept a scholarship from a major university. Fields was not drafted and is not currently involved with any organized basketball (NBA.com). High school athletes need to realize that the fame of Bryant and Garnett are rare