Certainly, I've always thought the pros insisting that an 18-year old athlete go to college is some sort of trade/labor restriction that if an auto manufacturer or health care institution did it would be testifying in a Congressional hearing followed by federal legislation to stop it.
I know, 18-20 year olds (most, Kobe and LeBron being exceptions) aren't ready for the pros for a number of reasons, mostly IMHO psychological (anyone remember David Clyde David Clyde - Wikipedia ), but also physical.
But the pros, at least in baseball, and increasingly in basketball, have minor leagues to give decent salaries to younguns while they develop into their pro status, if they make it. And instead of going up against men, they are usually playing against their peerage age group.
If I were somehow graced with absolute rule over sports, both pro and college, I'd make it so college athletics would go back to actually being students first and athletes as a side, and that the exceptionally gifted just went right past college to the pros. This would of course result in a lowering of the quality of college competition, but it would be a level playing field and I think the school spirit would still be there. To be a bit sexist, afterall, though not 100,000 butts in the stands like with football, there are thousands of screaming Longhorn fans who fanatically follow softball, women's basketball and other sports with talent that wouldn't match up too well against the starting 22 of the football team.
I know, 18-20 year olds (most, Kobe and LeBron being exceptions) aren't ready for the pros for a number of reasons, mostly IMHO psychological (anyone remember David Clyde David Clyde - Wikipedia ), but also physical.
But the pros, at least in baseball, and increasingly in basketball, have minor leagues to give decent salaries to younguns while they develop into their pro status, if they make it. And instead of going up against men, they are usually playing against their peerage age group.
If I were somehow graced with absolute rule over sports, both pro and college, I'd make it so college athletics would go back to actually being students first and athletes as a side, and that the exceptionally gifted just went right past college to the pros. This would of course result in a lowering of the quality of college competition, but it would be a level playing field and I think the school spirit would still be there. To be a bit sexist, afterall, though not 100,000 butts in the stands like with football, there are thousands of screaming Longhorn fans who fanatically follow softball, women's basketball and other sports with talent that wouldn't match up too well against the starting 22 of the football team.
