how young is too young?

[selftitled85]

to play professional sports...

i believe that there should be an age limit for professional sports. 18 for basketball i believe was way too young. i dont care that lebron was a phenom but just think if he played in college for a year or two...he would be much better.

also, for football i think someone needs to be at least 20 or 21 to play. to take that physical beating you need a couple years to prepare for it.

i was just wondering what everyones take on this subject is...

[i am sponge]

I don't think it really matters. Just depends on the level of skill.

[mikeford]

there shouldnt be a limit. its their lives. who is anyone to say that someone cant WORK. because thats what it boils down to. WORKING. if an 18 year old kid wants to WORK in the NBA as a player, and someone is willing to EMPLOY him, how can you justify denying that?

[selftitled85]

I don't think it really matters. Just depends on the level of skill.

no it doesnt. it also depends on the persons ability to take pressure, read defenses, take all the shit the media will give you, be a team player, take constructive criticism, take destructive criticsm, take a hit and be able to get up over and over, and not have an ego the size of the sun.

i really dont think someone who is 18 has all these skills...

[selftitled85]

there shouldnt be a limit. its their lives. who is anyone to say that someone cant WORK. because thats what it boils down to. WORKING. if an 18 year old kid wants to WORK in the NBA as a player, and someone is willing to EMPLOY him, how can you justify denying that?

and when that kid is done playin basketball...or say he gets injured and cant play again...what skills does he have to do any sort of good paying job?

[i am sponge]

a person that age can possess them. but it also depends on the athlete. most people can't just go into pro sports at 18, but how many today actually do it and succeed. its just a risk that those kids are taking.

[Chriz2z]

I wish it was atleast 21, but it is hard to use physicallity to set a bar. If you are able to fight in war at 18, why shouldn't you be able to play hoops, or catch a ball? I think the play in professional sports would be a lot better, but it is also hard to judge how well someone could do in the pros, even if they go to college.

[Shatter590]

comes down to this- if someone plays pro sports for a year then gets dropped and goes to college, then they cant play college sports. i think there should be a limit perse so these kids wont a)lose their chance for college sports and b)maturity level just isnt there yet. they need a dose of the world before they can sign a contract

[FondestMemory]

i think it should be up to the league. the nfl has had their restriction forever. it works for them. it's a rule, and i don't think anybody should be able to break it.

the nba going to an age limit kinda threw me off. basketball is an easier game to adapt to physically. but, it's their league, and they're allowed to make the rules. in about 5 or 6 years, it won't be a big deal cause everybody will be used to it.

it all boils down to the league as far as i'm concerned. every company and business has qualifications needed to be employed by them, pro sports are no different.

[mikeford]

and when that kid is done playin basketball...or say he gets injured and cant play again...what skills does he have to do any sort of good paying job?

thats his choice to go that early. if something bad happens, the player took his future into his own hands and he lives with that.

[mat1419]

another factor is the fact that teams are being forced to draft players young based on their potential, then develop them and see what they become. it definately is driving down the quality of the league (speaking of NBA) and the play reflects it. Young kids can be exciting and great to watch, but for fans paying for a sport, we deserve to get something more polished and professional than that.

[mikeford]

nah, young kids arent whats wearing down the league. too many teams is what is wearing down the NBA.

[FondestMemory]

nah, young kids arent whats wearing down the league. too many teams is what is wearing down the NBA.

agreed. the argument that high school kids are ruining the nba doesn't hold any weight. for every one kid that comes straight from high school and flops, there's 10 that come from college and flop.

i'm interested to see what the new age restriction will do though. there'll be an insane amount of kids coming out after their freshman year. i mean, there already are, but i think it'll get even more insane. i'd almost rather see them make the age limit 20 as opposed to 19. make the kids play two years at least in college. i think that would help out both the college and pro game tremendously.

[mikeford]

yeah i mean. if youre gonna have the NBA age limit, it might as well be the same thing as the NFL's. cuz it really doesnt help the college programs at all to spend this time recruiting dudes, just to have them leave after year 1.

[FondestMemory]

yeah, and i understand the nba doesn't really make their decisions based on how it will benefit the ncaa. but 19 just seems silly to me. i'd much rather see them with two years of college play under their belt before investing a future in them. nfl's is three years removed from high school, which i like. but that may be a bit much for bball. two years would be plenty.

[xearlynovemberx]

yeah i mean. if youre gonna have the NBA age limit, it might as well be the same thing as the NFL's. cuz it really doesnt help the college programs at all to spend this time recruiting dudes, just to have them leave after year 1.

good point

[preppyak]

yeah i mean. if youre gonna have the NBA age limit, it might as well be the same thing as the NFL's. cuz it really doesnt help the college programs at all to spend this time recruiting dudes, just to have them leave after year 1.
yep, it's hard for an NCAA coach to instill all the philosophies of his offense/defense in one year. You'll notice, only 2 teams are highly freshmen based and in the top 25. Memphis, for example, last year was really young and freshmen lead, and now look at them, top 10 in the nation. UNC and Kansas next year will be examples of what two years under a good college coach with a lot of talent can turn a team into, even though they are both solid teams this year.

Excellent point though, imagine Williams on the UNC team now, if he hadn't left early to the NBA, he'd be that solid guard they could use to be a top 5 team, especially if they could have relied on him early in the season

[mikeford]

not even talking about the development from the standpoint of the players, but the PROGRAMS. if you start this high school stud for his freshman year, and then he leaves on you, that fucks your program over.

[BlackSheepWall]

I think their should be an age limit, not saying they have to go to collage but make them be at least 21 for the pros not matter how good they are.

[Broken Parachute]

Anything under 18 is rediculous.

[Caleb Cattivera]

had lebron gone to college, i dont think it would've mattered.

as for what these players do, some of them have insurance policies that guarantee them so much money if they're hurt.

i dont think the nba should have one, if a player wants to go early, and it doesnt work out...its their own fault. theres a handful of great players who didnt go to college.

[El_Jeffe]

I don't think it really matters. Just depends on the level of skill.


yes & no
over here their beginning to put players around
the age of 18 into the All Blacks (national rugby team)
to begin development for the next world cup.

these guys look just as good on the practice fields
but lack the maturity and skill on the real day.

i don't think these guys are even close to being
ready for such high level international rugby
and those extra 2-3 years make such a difference
as players may look physically ready but not mentally

just an opinion...

[Adeniz19]

as long as the kid is out of high school more power too him.

[bigmike]

and when that kid is done playin basketball...or say he gets injured and cant play again...what skills does he have to do any sort of good paying job?
It doesn't matter what skills they have. Jonathan bender busted out of the NBA before making a cool 30 million. I don't think he needs to worry about having stellar "job skills". Assuming, of course, he doesn't go all MC Hammer like and blow through his money in about a month.

[Adeniz19]

It doesn't matter what skills they have. Jonathan bender busted out of the NBA before making a cool 30 million. I don't think he needs to worry about having stellar "job skills". Assuming, of course, he doesn't go all MC Hammer like and blow through his money in about a month.Exactly. these kids would make a couple million a year easy. If they invest wisely and don't blow all their money with huge houses and cars then they should be set.