Many people would agree that talented high-school basketball players should not be required to attend college or have a waiting period before going to the NBA. However, I can understand both sides of the argument. Those talented high-school basketball players should focus on the tournament so they are able to center their thoughts on the game while playing in the NBA. Health is a major part of an athlete’s career. If an athlete is not eating healthy and not exercising than it can truly disturb how he/she plays during a game. Say an athlete does not have to attend college before playing in the NBA. Not going to college will save him/her from high levels of stress. By not going to college the athlete will not have to worry about writing papers, reading assignments, taking exams. Most of the time when we turn on the Television to watch the NBA, we usually do not see elders playing on the court. In the most recent NBA tournament, the oldest, active NBA players are both forty years old. Most athletes are fairly young. Okay, lets try looking from another point of view. If talented high-school basketball players should not be required to attend college or have a waiting period before going to the NBA, then what about after they retire, or what if they are not successful in their basketball career? According to U.S. News University Directory “Having a degree means that if you don’t turn pro, you still have a valuable skill set to fall back on. (Neuman)” That statement is most definitely true. Many athletes retire in there 20s or 30s, most of them do not have long careers. After an athlete retires or quits, I am sure he/she does not want to go out into the real world uneducated. As stated by Education Priority, “Education – like religion, medicine, economics and law – is one of the cornerstones of organized society. (Carkeet)” Now people should be able to realize how important education is. Many people would probably still agree that talented high-school basketball players should not be required to attend college or have a waiting period before going to the NBA, on the other hand, most would disagree with this statement.
Works cited
Carkeet, John L. “Education Priority”
Orlando Sentinel, 14 November, 1998, 28 Aug, 2013
<http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/keyword/uneducated>
Neuman, Greg Scott. “Listen Up, Athletes – Earning Your College Degree is Important!” U.S. News University Directory, 2012, 28 Aug, 2013
<http://www.usnewsuniversitydirectory.com/articles/athletes-earning-your- college-degree-is-important_12261.aspx#.Uh645BbIYzZ>
Annie Jeong: Writing as a Modern Process 