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4949
Posts: 29378
Alba Posts: 0
Joined: 4/25/2006
Member: #1126
USA
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Yes, they get involved in public services, but don't think they do it because they care. They do it, so the Feds don't come down on them and they do it for advertising purposes. It's not to say the all people in the NBA don't care. It's a business and that's the way businesses work. Plus they do it for the main reason and that is to find the next potential star, before they get to college level.
With that said, in this process' in that environment, a lot of young people are left out in the cold. I knew some high school ballers a long time ago, who got all worked up and ready for NBA stardom, and never even made it through the first door. Some of those guys drop right out of school, because they didnt' get the prize. The prize they were (are) led to believe that might be there's one day.
It's not all about the money. There's a certain social development, maturity that has to be developed as a foundation, before you can turn someone lose on that pile of cash. Otherwise, the majority of people who get that kind of influence, they end up on the wayside somewhere, after the system spits them out and they find that they been used. And their lucky if they have much, or anything left over to show for it. Not my idea of a long life of quality.
I don't believe in drafting high schoolers, for those very reasons. I don't even follow a player, not unless he's in college and when I see a player pushing for the pros after just a year or two in college, I have questions about that also. It weighs on my mind a little about Derrick Rose. I think he can be great, because of his maturity, but if something happens to him, then what next? It's happened many times before. If each and every potential basketball player, any athlete for that matter, anywhere in the world can get a well rounded education and secondly' the possibility of playing professional ball, then that's the way to go. Because if for whatever reason it all ends before it even gets started, then that person will at least have something to fall back on, like a college degree. Even a few years in college would be good. Something!
In the present system of the NBA, there are lots of cracks for those who don't make it, to fall through. And don't ever count on the NBA to act as a Government, that's going to take care of the welfare of those individuals. They are first and foremost a business and are not held accountable, at least not yet anyway. And it's a fact, that most athlete's choose the degree over even trying to become a professional athlete, because there is no guarantee of security. Sure' maybe some to plenty of fame, but they have to make a choice and they usually make the best choices 'while in college'. Not like some high schooler, who's got this dream.
Now as a college graduate, sure' give it a shot! Why not, if you have the potential? At least they'll have something to fall back on. But a high schooler? That's a lot of responsibility.
It's always a nice story when one of them makes it. But what about all the rest of the people who don't? This goes for the European leagues also.
I'll never trust this' team again.
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