Remora
04-Apr-2012, 18:04
I wonder how it is in Europe and elsewhere with regards physically gifted talented teenagers turning pro. Are there any restrictions as to what age you have to be before being allowed to turn pro? I know in tennis that there aren't any (or at least I don't think there is).
I bring this up because there's an article in the New York Times lamenting the state of US college basketball which is invariably depleted of its best talents as the rules allow any player to turn pro after only one year of college. The argument is that the system does a disservice to young impressionable men (young black men mostly) who would be better off with college educations under their belts as success in the pro ranks is variable except for the most talented of the talented.
Still, one could argue that high profile college athletic programs are by and large money making machines for the university, and that whatever education a talented athlete will typically acquire will consist of courses along the lines of History of Baseball or Evolution of Rock 'N Roll.
I bring this up because there's an article in the New York Times lamenting the state of US college basketball which is invariably depleted of its best talents as the rules allow any player to turn pro after only one year of college. The argument is that the system does a disservice to young impressionable men (young black men mostly) who would be better off with college educations under their belts as success in the pro ranks is variable except for the most talented of the talented.
Still, one could argue that high profile college athletic programs are by and large money making machines for the university, and that whatever education a talented athlete will typically acquire will consist of courses along the lines of History of Baseball or Evolution of Rock 'N Roll.