Age Eligibility Rule is Exploitive

Unlike the seniors of the past, kids today will no longer have the opportunity to jump straight from high school to the NBA. They have to spend one more year after graduating high school before they can step inside the gates of the NBA. This is unfair. It is Unfair to students, and unfair to the players who are obviously being exploited by the hypocrisy of the collegiate basketball system and David Stern.

Unfair to the Players

It is odd to think that it is only in the NBA where the ‘one year after high school’ rule applies. Other sports leagues like the NFL, MLB and other professional leagues allow for players to come straight from high school. And because of this oddity the players suffer.

It is unfair for the league to impose this type of age eligibility and stop a player from earning money. Money that the player could have been used to help take care of themselves and their families; money that could have been in their pockets a year earlier. Money today is more valuable than money in the future.

Business Decision for David Stern

For the college coaches, it is understandable that they want the players to go through them before they go pro. It keeps them relevant. But for David Stern, it is a business decision, even if he masks it behind the guise of ‘social responsibility.’

For Stern, one year in college allows these players to get more airtime, which in turn allows them to get more fans. This also allows for hype to build up and for excitement to increase. This then leads to more people following these boys into the NBA, keeping track of their progress. This is something that cannot be achieved if players were to jump straight from high school. And so, the rule, as far as the NBA is concerned, is good for business.

Unfair to the Students

This rule is also unfair to the regular college student who will have to share the same campus with players who do not have the slightest interest in getting an education. It is unfair to put them in a situation where they see their peers simply doing their time, cruising along, and not taking college seriously. The students are forced to share resources with these players who in a year, will be gone; resources that could have been put to better use for students who actually want to go to college but cant.

It is not a question of education (if it was then the rule would have been to finish college before entering the NBA) but a question of profits. The NBA needs this rule to make their fan base grow. The colleges need this to make their basketball programs relevant, and thus, increase ratings on games. It is a matter of profits, profits that students and players will now have to pay for, whether they like it or not. GP