Most employers only require a degree because that piece of paper shows them that they can trust you to do the job. Take any job you like....if there is some whiz kid that can show that he is in the top 5% of folks in the world in whatever skills that job requires, then companies will hire him. The comparison is not the same.
The NFL age requirement is collectively bargained and there is physical issues in the NFL that doesn't exist in the transition to the NBA. Those are obviously two big issues, but other than that I feel similar. Presidential requirements? Meh. There is certainly a much much stronger interest in requiring a certain maturity level in the country chief executive vs. the interest in requiring mature professional basketball players. Just because it's okay or legal to discriminate based on age in some jobs doesn't mean it's okay in all circumstances.
If he really wants a college education, what school can he not afford to go to with what he made in the league?
I don't really like the NFL rule either. Let the market decide (teams that draft or don't draft) for a 19 year old. If I guy can inlist in the Army, vote and/or receive the death penalty for his crimes--why can't he exactly play professional BB or FB? Like I said these rules benefit the NCAA tremendously, the NFL/NBA some, and the veteran players quite a bit. The great young player whose earnings are delayed and who have to take unprotectable risks to stay viable as a draftee later (playing major college ball and being prohibited from taking an insurance policy or endorsement deal on their own)--not so much. Let us also remember how much the NCAA makes of these two mens sports. A big star like Vince Young or Adrian Peterson or Kevin Durant or Michael Beasley increases their coffers tremendously relative to the pay out in scholarship and board and such. Why doesn't the NCAA press for the same rules for soccer, swimming, gymnastics, baseball, etc? Of yeah, they don't make profit from those. (and they do lose baseball players early--so one can't just say it is because BB and FB are the only sports they are losing people to the pros)
One thing nobody seems to point out. The NBA is NOT a competitive industry. It is a monopoly. It is competitive only against other sports. Teams don't compete with each other in business terms. They are franchises of the SAME "company." This is the key. Since they are not in competition against each other, they are not forced to make sound basketball decisions in order to make profits from their business. You can be the own of a crappy team and still make millions of dollars. Look at Sterning. This is why teams are paying big bucks to idiots like Isiah Thomas as the top executive of an organization without any bad business consequences. That's why while most industries can weed out stupidity by competition alone and the NBA has to set up regulations to help the franchises not screw themselves basketball-wise.
What school could he get in to? Most of your star athletes aren't the sharpest tools in the shed - they couldn't get into a Duke, UNC, Texas, UCLA on their own. Sure they could afford college - community college.
Then again it's not like most of these athletes utilize their time in these prestigious educational settings. Sure you have the exceptions, like Shane Battier, but how many of them stay four years and maximize these schools educational facilities and not just their athletic facilities?
If an ex-NBA player can't get into one of those schools after his career because of academic deficiencies, why should he be there out of high school?
I recognize the NBA (and MLB, NFL, NCAA) is a monopoly or near one. In other industries when this happens government splits it up, or regulates heavily. These leagues have protected legal status and in fact receive substantial public dollars (stadiums and such). Because of this, I have no problem in the government (we the people) getting involved in their affairs. Same with the NCAA, NFL etc. These groups do have in effect monopolies and nearly unconditional beneficiaries of the corporate welfare system, thus we (gov/people) have more responsibility for ensuring their fairness than an another industry where an employee could just find a close to equivalent job somewhere else.
If he isn't qualified enough to be in the school in the first place (outside of the athletic program making $$$ off of him), then what are the chances of him actually graduating or having a worthwhile major? If your argument is that he can't get himself into a school that he can pay for then there goes the argument about the rule benefitting the kids, right? Oh, and I think a multi-millionaire would do just fine with community college, or no college...as long as they know not to blow their money. $2M at 4% per year (simple money market account) is $80K per year. Didn't G.Green make like $1.2 or $1.6M this season alone? As I always say whenever this topic comes up, put $3M in my hands today and you can have both of my degrees........
