To Go or Not To Go? Why is that The Question?

Well, its that time of year again. Its the beginning of Spring which means for all you college basketball fans out there, the banter about which superstar (and sometimes perennial superstar) is entering, staying or leaving college. I happen to be one of those passionate die hard fans and media junkies who feasts upon the heavily syndicated lives of all star athletes. Its one of the reasons why I'm torn on whether college basketball or professional football is my favorite sport. The amount of passion, pride, competition, and parity that exists in college sports is unbelievable. That's why I favor college sports over professional leagues. For most players, and I'm writing exclusively for Division I, over ten thousand student athletes get only four years to compete for individual accolades, stock for the next level, division and national titles. It is because of that brevity, that most student athletes invest so much emotion into there respective sports; which makes college sports that much more beautiful. I think the nature of college sports is what hoists it above the professional leagues. And since I attend an institution whose athletic program ranks among the nation's elite, my interest in the sport has entered a new realm. So this is my turn to posit what I think about the dynamics of college sports.

Coming In
Ahhhh, the steadfast, persistent, predator-like intricacy of recruiting. I find it amazing that these athletic programs track some of these kids by the time they're in the sixth grade. If thats not going on the hunt, I don't know what it is. I'd encourage all potential student athletes to take all four years of high school to delineate which academic institution/athletic program they'd like to be a part of. I was reading our (UNC) briefing room on ESPN.com's website for Men's Basketball and it stated that we already have 4 underclassmen who have committed to our program. Now, of course I'm a partisan of the Heel's and its great to see that we're getting the best of the best while they're still being groomed, but I think its problematic to commit to a school so fast. What I do understand is that for some or most of these players, is that the schools they commit to as freshman and sophomores in high school are schools that they've dreamed of attending for most of their lives. I'd still encourage them to take the length of their high school careers to think about the decision and to weigh there options. Even if they verbally commit to a program, they still have some clout because they could recant and hold off for a while just to give their futures some more thought. I hope all potential student athletes exercise that opportunity to have a thorough, meaningful, and ongoing discussion about where it would be best for the student athlete to attend for them and the family.


Staying
It would definitely be ideal if these players would stay in college all four years so that they could obtain a full education and acquire college degrees. We all know about the potential for an athlete to get hurt, so having that degree is a great back-up plan. However, there are more issues present that should or could compel one to stay in school. The percentage of student athletes who make it to the professional league's is very small. Moreover, those who are drafted in later rounds, for example the 7th and 8th rounds will probably not make that much money. And there is also a very good chance that the player's career in the professional league would be very precarious. Thats why having that degree is like having an alternate insurance policy: Just in case things don't work out as planned.
The other part to deciding whether to stay in college is developing or polishing fundamental or other skills so that upon entering drafts, you are a versatile player. Having molded those skills to a greater degree than your sport peers will make you a more attractive candidate in the eyes of scouts and will probably land you a solid and stable position in the professional leagues.
Too often we've seen athletes, especially in college basketball, who go 1 and done in college to chase the money in the professional leagues. A lot of the number 1 overall draft picks actually do not become what they were expected to be in a certain amount of time. Most turn out not to be that good amid the immense competition in the professional leagues and their careers go to the waste side.
However, on the flip side, if you enter the draft that young you obviously have more time to develop because you will probably spend more time in the league. But I'd posit this is only true for basketball as opposed to football where players retire in their mid-30's more often than not. So, for the All-American Superstar with the above-the-rim, lightening speed, bruising strength, vertically limitless and precise throwing arm: Your talent is just your talent. It's wonderful to be gifted, but its better to be a well-rounded and polished athlete. Hey, His Airness (Michael Jordan) spent three years at North Carolina. Arguably, the greatest player in the history of professional basketball was the product of great molding under the tutor liege of arguably the greatest coach in all of basketball, Dean Smith (is it just me, or does Carolina produce legends? Gotta love those Heels).

Leaving
Well, I'd say that most of us know that most athletes who leave for the big leagues early are chasing hummers, fancy cars, and houses with 23 bathrooms (even though you only have one butt). I think a lot of these guys get a ridiculous amount of pressure from their families to leave college and declare for the draft so that Uncle Ray can get that Benz he thought he'd never have after working 35 under years in the steel mill. Hey, I understand that for most of these players who don't come from families with a good amount of resources (black athletes) need the money. But I hope that these families, especially parents, are not manipulating their children through some colluded plan just to get the money.
Thats unfair to the life and career of the student athlete. They should be able to make these decisions for themselves. These student athletes probably have so many people in their ears that they could never think for themselves and thats a shame. They're the ones with the gifts, talent and potential. And of course they have certain obligations to help their families. But it is/was their hard work and effort that afforded them the opportunity to go to the next level and therefore they should be granted complete autonomy when making that decision. They are adults right? I'm not saying that family and friends should completely abstain from advising the student athlete, but to make sure that the given advice is out of sincere care and is in the best interest of the student athlete.
I'd say the chances that most student athletes make these decisions on there own is dubious. There are so many shallow people that exist in this world. And some become more shallow once they find out that their son/daughter, nephew/niece, or friend can jump, shoot, throw, or run at unprecedented levels. The greed is definitely palpable.

NCAA
This is where the controversy stirs up. There has been a lot talk about whether the NCAA should pay players while they're in college. I don't know where I stand on this issue yet. I don't even know whether I will take an agnostic position. Though, I do understand both sides of the issue. From what I've gotten thus far, the NCAA will always vie for not paying student athletes because they are receiving scholarships and thats completely understandable. Also, to begin paying student athletes would be unfair to the rest of the student body who would be paying full fledged tuition in some way, shape, or form without financial allocations. In addition, if student athletes do start to receive salaries, the NCAA would become more of a League (which it kind of already is) and individual athletic programs would become more like franchises (which they kind of already are). Student athletes negotiating contracts to attend universities and play for their respective programs doesn't seem feasible because of the aforementioned issues. Who would these high school graduates negotiate with? What about the possibility of being manipulated by agents or university officials? Would the parity in college sports diminish?

The other side presents a compelling argument as well. People have spoken out against the NCAA because the restrictions that stipulate how student athletes have to conduct themselves are extremely rigid; sort of like a job (hence the irony). For example, many student athletes have been reprimanded for receiving tickets to certain venues or just receiving money. Those regulations are somewhat unfair. Oj Mayo, a basketball player at the University of Southern California was disciplined for receiving tickets to a basketball game at Denver's Pepsi Center from All Star NBA player and current Denver Nugget, Carmelo Anthony. That definitely seems questionable. Also, the conditions under which student athletes work are very similar to how athletes work in the professional leagues. The training, conditioning, and actual playing are similar. The one disparity is that professional players get paid. Should the NCAA be allowed to regulate the lives of student athletes on campuses with other students who have unregulated lives? Are scholarships enough? What happens to student athletes who incur career threatening injuries?

Look, the big thing is, the NCAA makes tons of money off of these players and some of the pundits think that its unfair to the student athletes. I'd agree with that. I definitely don't think its a coincidence that the top athletic programs happen to be an entity within the best academic universities in the country. The athletic program is a big part of how much money they make and the resources they are afforded. UNC is a great example. North Carolina's athletic program has gotten the school billions of dollars and raised the endowment to incomparable levels just like other top programs. Thats why the Duke's, UCLA's and Michigan's of the world stay atop the college hierarchy. The athletic programs are in integral part of their ascension and that allows them to polarize themselves, in all aspects of the university, from other colleges in the country. Although this issue has gotten a lot of publicity, its definitely something to think about.

Parting Thoughts:
He Got Game......brilliant film.
I swear North Carolina is the only place where there is no clouds and the sun is just on your back.
I need an iPod badly.
Could you imagine a world without mirrors?
Financial Aid sucks.

Oh Yeah,
"It might feel good, it might sound a lil' somethin', but damn the game if it don't mean nothin'. What is game? Who got game? Where's the game in life, behind the game behind the game? I got Game. She got Game. We got Game. They got Game. He got Game. It might feel good, it might sound a lil' somethin', but fu*k the game if it ain't sayin nothin'! -PE