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Justin Bruin
English 2010
Professor Alva
2 May 2016
One and Done Rule PEAR Paper
One of the most controversial rules in sports today is the one and done rule. It is
a rule that states high school basketball players must play college basketball for at least
one year. The rule technically only forces the athletes to be nineteen years old, and wait at
least a year after high school, but theyre forced to play college basketball in order to
have the best chance of being drafted into the NBA. The rule only forces them to stay for
one year, so many talented college basketball players leave after that time as a result. My
initial position was that the rule needed to be changed. I had no specific reform ideas, but
I wanted something different than the current rule. I wanted it changed simply because it
was frustrating as a fan to see such talented players leaving with three years of eligibility
left. In addition, I felt that it gave an unfair recruiting advantage to schools with a solid
reputation for prepping one and done players. I was curious about the actual statistics
behind this rule. As a result, I chose to thoroughly research this topic in order to form a
more educated opinion on the rule.
One of the sources that swayed my opinion towards keeping the rule as it is was
the story of Taj Mcdavid. The NBA has always tried telling everyone that the rule was for
the benefit of the players, but I never bought it. However, this story made me wonder if
the NBA was actually right. There are so many success stories of NBA players who came
straight from high school, but it is rare to hear stories of failure with players attempting to

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make the jump straight to the NBA from high school. Taj Mcdavid is one of those failure
stories. He was just like any other high school player. He saw a future of making millions
of dollars for playing the game he loves, but it didnt work out that way. According to
ESPNs Myron Medcalf, Mcdavid declared for the NBA draft in 1996, but was not picked
in the draft. He had chosen to declare after graduating from high school, so a high school
diploma was the extent of this now unemployed adults education. According to Medcalf,
Mcdavid still lives with his mother over twenty years, although his mother declined to
elaborate on what has occurred regarding him in the past twenty years. Despite her
preferred silence, it seems to imply that he has not lived a happy twenty years. This story
made me wonder if eighteen year olds really should be allowed to make such a risky
decision. As someone who graduated from high school a year ago, I can certainly relate
to an eighteen year old unwisely trying to skip college and make millions of dollars
almost immediately.
An article that helped convince me of my original feeling was NCAA against
one and done rule by ESPNs writing staff. The clear purpose of the article is to discredit
the rule, and it does a great job of accomplishing just that. One of the biggest groups
affected by this rule is the NCAA itself. After all, the players are essentially forced to
play college basketball for a year. If anything, it seems like the NCAA would benefit
from getting these players for at least a year, rather than missing out on them completely
as the players jump straight from high school to the NBA. Yet, NCAA President Mark
Emmert commented on the controversial topic by saying, My position is that a young
man or woman shouldnt have to come to college to become a professional athlete, if they
want to come to college to be a better athlete and get a degree, then come on. He seems

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to have the standpoint that it is pointless to come to college without planning on finishing
and getting a degree. This seems like a fair assessment, as the one and done players
only come to college because it gives them the best opportunity to improve their chances
of being drafted during their one year wait. Emmert continues by saying, But to force
someone to go to college that has no interest in being in college makes a travesty of the
whole notion of being a college athlete. I would love to work with anybody in the pro
leagues to provide a system that works. The fact that the NCAA president himself is in
clear opposition is quite convincing. However, Emmert is not the only notable person in
vocal disagreement. Kentucky is a school that has embraced the tradition of having
players come there for one year as a preparation for the NBA. They are essentially the
factory of one and done players. However, Kentucky coach John Calipari is also
opposed to the rule. He says, Every player that Ive recruited, and theyll tell you, I say
the same thing: Dont plan on coming to school for one year. You make a huge mistake,
but if after one year, and you have options, that will be up to you and your family. I
found it rather interesting that someone who has one and done players is opposed to the
rule. Clearly, the people involved with the NCAA dislike the rule, but then I wondered,
what do people in the NBA think of the rule?
Another article that swayed me towards keeping the current rule was NBAs one
and done rule isnt perfect, but it may be the best way by Ted Lewis. This article has a
unique view that acknowledges the flaws of the rule, but also states that there isnt a
better solution. It also claims that people will find flaws in any rule, as there is no such
thing as a perfect rule. This is a valid claim, as I have witnessed people critique the flaws
of every single rule in sports. I certainly agree that there is no such a thing as a perfect

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rule. Maybe this rule is the best we have. It seems like most of the one and done players
end up being pretty successful. Perhaps there just isnt a better alternative at this time.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is even opposed to the rule himself, according
to CBS Sports. He says, We believe the additional year of maturity would be
meaningful. And increasingly, I've been told by many NBA coaches that one of the issues
with the younger guys coming into the league is they've never had an opportunity to lead.
By having come directly out of their first year of college, those are the moments in their
lives wherethey were put in positions as upper classmen, where they first learned how
to lead teammates. He has openly stated in the past that he wants to raise the age
minimum to twenty, and this quote explains why. At this point, it seems like everyone
involved dislikes the rule. I feel pretty confident that this rule needs to be reformed. The
problem is that nobody can agree on how exactly to reform it. The NBA commissioner
wants to raise the age minimum to twenty, but the NCAA president wants to let them go
straight out of high school.
Another article that swayed me towards keeping the rule was NBAs one and
done rule gives athletes a head start by Trev Mcdiffett. The article works as a nice add
on to the NBAs one and done rule isnt perfect, but it may be the best way. Mcdiffett
also brings up that the rule has flaws, but rather than just saying no rule is perfect, he
brings up the possible positives of the current rule. He brings up that it works as a nice
head start for players wanting to begin their basketball careers. In addition, he also brings
up a point that swayed me earlier in the research process. He says, it was simply unfair
to push millions of dollars in front of a young man, and say, take this or go to college.
It is only natural for a high schooler to want to make millions of dollars quickly. This can

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cause rash decisions, leading to more failed NBA careers. The one and done rule can
work as a nice opportunity to maximize successful NBA careers, while allowing the
players to mature a bit. It still has flaws, but one could argue that it is the most beneficial
age eligibility rule. Forcing players to go to school for three or four years will certainly
increase the amount of graduating players, and also increase the maturity of players.
However, it will still deprive players of two to three more years in their NBA career, and
it also leads to a higher risk of injury in college, which could put their entire NBA career
in danger. It seems like forcing players to go to college for longer will only keep things
exactly the way they are, if not make them worse. But Im not convinced that there isnt a
better alternative to these options. I wish there was a happy medium of some kind
because neither of these options seem very beneficial.
This thought process brought me to research other possible alternatives. This is
when I found that according to the official MLB website, the MLB allows players to
declare for the draft straight out of high school, but has a stipulation where those who
dont declare after high school have to wait three more years. Essentially, you have to
choose between the MLB or getting a full education. I immediately took a liking to this
rule. It seems completely logical to allow the players to make a simple decision between
school and the MLB. This puts the choice in the players hands. The NBA forces the
players to go to school even when they are fully capable of succeeding in the NBA out of
high school. That seems pointless and beneficial to nobody. The NFLs eligibility rules
are similar to the NBA, as they do not allow the players to declare for the draft straight
out of high school. However, the NFL requires the players to be out of high school for at
least three years rather the NBAs one year. I liked how the NFL encouraged the players

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to get an education by making them stay three years rather than just one. At that point,
they most likely have some kind of degree, and they are likely only a year away from
finishing college completely. I still feel like it is morally wrong to deprive the players of
their own choice by forcing them to wait three years, but at least it encourages them to
actually do something while theyre in school. It seems like the MLBs rule is the only
one that gives the players a fair opportunity. It doesnt force them into one decision. They
have multiple options, but this rule makes sure that they profit from that decision,
whether it be through getting a full education or making money immediately. It seems
like this rule would also work in the NBA. That is why I am convinced that the MLBs
current eligibility rule needs to be implemented, as it the best choice morally and
logically.
I felt at the start of my research that the NBAs eligibility rule needed to be
changed because it just felt wrong. I wasnt sure how it was wrong, or how to change it,
but it felt wrong. Now, I feel even more strongly that this rule is absurd, and needs to be
abolished. The amount of evidence that shows the ridiculousness of this rule is appalling,
especially after viewing other viewpoints and comparing it to other sports eligibility
rules. I now feel that this rule is wrong not just because it feels wrong, but because it
makes no logical or moral sense. It makes no logical sense to keep a rule that forces
players to waste a year of their life at a place they never wanted to be. It makes no moral
sense to deprive these players a choice for their own future. Some of the people most
affected by this rule disapprove of it, including the NCAA President, NBA
Commissioner, and the coach of a school known for its one and done players. I feel that
the best form of replacement for this rule is to adapt to the MLBs eligibility rule. It

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makes the most logical sense as it allows the players to decide between baseball and
school before they have to waste a year of their lives. It makes the most moral sense as it
gives the choice to the players, who are the ones directly affected by it. That is why I feel
even stronger now that the NBAs one and done rule needs to be replaced with the
MLBs rule.

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Works Cited
Associated Press. "NCAA Officials, John Calipari of Kentucky Wildcats Oppose Oneand-done Rule." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 7 Apr. 2014. Web. 02 May 2016.
Lewis, Ted. "Lewis: NBA's One-and-done Rule Isn't Perfect, but It May Be the Best
Way." The Advocate. The Advocate, 29 Mar. 2015. Web. 02 May 2016.
Mcdiffett, Trevor. "POINT: NBA one-and-done Rule Gives Athletes a Head Start."
Daily Nebraskan. Daily Nebraskan, 21 Jan. 2016. Web. 02 May 2016.
Medcalf, Myron. "Roots of NBA Draft's One-and-done Rule Run Deep." ESPN. ESPN
Internet Ventures, 26 June 2012. Web. 2 May 2016.
MLB. "First-Year Player Draft Rules." Major League Baseball. Major League Baseball,
n.d. Web. 02 May 2016.
Patterson, Chip. "NBA Commish Wants to Raise Age Limit, Calls One-and-done a
Disaster" CBS Sports. Columba Broadcasting Company, 14 Feb. 2014. Web. 2
May 2016.