Imagine an eighteen-year-old attempting to defend grown men such as Ezekiel Elliot, NFL running-back, and Kevin Durant, seven-foot NBA superstar. College’s unfixable problem is that the best prospects will, most of the time, turn pro as soon as possible (Norlander). The NBA/NFL’s eligibility rules force rising professional athletes to attend college prior to entering the league. For example, an NBA draftee must be 19 years old or a full calendar year removed from high school (Norlander). Meanwhile, the NFL requires three years off after high school graduation (Moss 6). This debate has sparked controversy within the two leagues for a number of years because many high school prospects think that college is a waste of time and money. In reality, college provides athletes with more opportunities than they would have had otherwise. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) manages intercollegiate …show more content…
That would be the equivalent of lining up five hundred thousand cars and you having one chance to find the car that has the key that will start that car. The average car length is fifteen feet in length. That means if you lined up one car after another, you would have cars from Los Angeles to Dallas, with only one shot to find the car that starts. When you look at it in that perspective, no one in their right mind would want to gamble with their children’s future. (Moss 106)
It is not just the players that are guilty for having tunnel vision. In fact, most parents actually participate in the idea of going pro and fixate their children on that idea. Education provides a safety net for every rising star who fails to accomplish their goal of playing in front of the big crowds (Moss 205). Without this safety net, athletes do not have a backup plan. They will most likely end up where they