I don’t like the idea that pro athletes in some sports are required to attend college for a certain number of years to compete in a professional sports league. I started thinking about this recently because the McDonald’s All American game is coming up soon, and there is lots of controversy over agents recruiting high school kids even though they have to go to college for a year before entering the NBA. The requirement that pro athletes attend college before participating in a professional sport is silly and paternalistic.

The argument generally made in favor of this requirement is pro sports leagues have to protect the pro athletes from themselves in case their sports career doesn’t pan out. I don’t buy it. First, these “kids” are 18 when they graduate high school (or will be soon). Hence, they are adults, and they deserve respect, so we should treat them like adults. If they want to bet it all on a sports career: so be it. That’s no different from a high-school graduate trying to become an entrepreneur: we don’t require a college education before starting a business, even though starting a business is inherently riskier than playing in the NBA for a year because if you fail, you’re generally going to be in big-time debt.

Secondly, although many future pro athletes enjoy going to college, there are some that just go because it is a prerequisite to playing in the pro leagues. Those athletes get little out of the classroom experience, and merely go through the motions so they can graduate. Why subject them to this? If a future pro athlete doesn’t care about college, why force him to sit in study halls and go to classes he doesn’t want to go to so he can receive a diploma that he doesn’t care about? Why not let someone who genuinely wants to go to college take his place, and let the future pro athlete do what he wants?

I don’t think my suggestion will result in the destruction of college sports programs. Many future pro athletes really do want to go to college, and voluntarily stay four or five years. I understand the value of college sports programs, and how they bring much needed revenue to many schools, and I don’t think that will change with my suggestion.

I think we should recommend that everyone try to attend college, but to have sports leagues that require future pro athletes do it is just paternalistic and unfair. It’s treating future pro athletes like babies, and it’s keeping people who could take their place who want to get a college education out of the classroom.

athletes, basketball, college, football, nba, ncaa, nfl, pro athletes, professional, Sports