NBA Draft Eligibility

Damaging NCAA Basketball Since 2005 The National Basketball Association passed a new rule in the 2005 Collective Bargaining Agreement changing the eligibility requirements for a player to enter the NBA draft. The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is the contract between the NBA and the Players Association that dictates player contracts, trades, draft rules and many other aspects of the game of basketball. The CBA expires every couple of years and must be renegotiated when this occurs. In 2005, a new rule was passed into the CBA that demands two new requirements. First, all drafted players must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft. To determine whether a player is eligible for a given year's draft, subtract 19 from the year of the draft. If the player was born during or before that year, he is eligible. Second, any player who is not an "international player", as defined in the CBA, must be at least one year removed from the graduation of his high school class (Wolverton A40). This new rule has been detrimental to the game of college basketball, the prospective players, and the players peers and it needs to be changed. The NBA and commissioner David Stern implemented this rule in order to protect the welfare of the athlete. They believe that athletes under the age of 19 and straight out of high school are not prepared for the difficulties that are found in the NBA season (Beck). It is their understanding that the players arent mature enough to deal with the NBA life and are more disposed to getting in trouble. Commissioner Stern himself has said, If these kids have the ability to get a little more maturity, a little more coaching, a little bit more life experience overall, thats good. (Rossen 174). However, this belief is based on paternalism and not actual proof. The rule that was passed in 2005 does not address these problems, and instead causes several other pressing matters. The NBAs goals are noble but need to achieve these goals in a more fair

and firm manner such as the Major League Baseballs draft rule. The MLBs system solves all of the problems that I have with the NBAs. Most importantly, the integrity of college basketball has been hurt by this new draft rule. College basketball is a great tradition that occurs every year and has a huge, global fan base. These fans love following college basketball because the college players are playing to represent their school; they arent playing for money or other selfish gains. The fans cheer for their favorite school and are proud of their team because the players directly symbolize everything about that university. Players used to choose which college they attend purely on the basis of representing that college. They chose to go through the collegiate process and give four years of their life to that program. The games and season of college basketball were special due to this reason. The players were fully behind their teams and did as much as they could to make their team the best. After 2005, this all changed. Players are now forced to attend college. This drastically takes away from the atmosphere that is college basketball. Even players that normally would have attended college arent as special of players because they didnt choose to deny the money and glamour of the NBA. They are required to attend college no matter what their personal beliefs. The players that only go to college for the required year and then enter the draft are coined with the name one-anddone. These one-and-done players are making a mockery of the college basketball season. It is impossible to build tradition and rivalries within the sport when each school has a different team every year. ESPN analyst Dick Vitale states, Basketball is a game of familiarity and rhythm. If you don't believe me, make a call to Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and Kansas State coach Frank Martin. Their teams were Nos. 2 and 3 in the preseason poll. They have struggled because of players transferring, suspensions and a lack of continuity. It is no longer relevant whether a school has a good coach or a strong program.

The old way of playing college ball is gone. The important thing now is, who can recruit the better freshman class? The NBA doesnt recognize the detriment of college basketball as a problem of their new rule. They state that it is up to the NCAA to keep student athletes attending college for all four years (Beck). This is a selfish stance that sheds responsibility for the problem from the perpetrator, the NBA, to an innocent victim, the NCAA. Commissioner David Stern has offered that the colleges should have some sort of contract or agreement that players sign which forces them to stay for as long as the schools wish (Beck). However, this would devastate the college system even more than what has already been done. Fewer players would attend college due to their lack of freedom. They would likely follow Brandon Jennings and join the European League for a year instead of stay shackled at a university. Jennings recently played in the European League instead of play for a college as a way to get around this rule. However, that option counts as a loss for all involved. The NBA and NCAA dont get their players and the player doesnt make as much money as he could in the NBA. I am disappointed with the NBAs selfish stance on their effect to the NCAA. They could care less what happens to college basketball, as long as it doesnt affect the NBA season. Another big problem is that individual students and student athletes have suffered after the draft rule was put into effect. Most of the basketball players are only attending college because the rule says they must, and then they bolt to the NBA as soon as they can. If the goal of this rule is to better the learning and knowledge of the players in the NBA, how much is one year of college general education classes accomplishing? According to NCAA rules, only the grades of the fall semester have an impact on the eligibility of the basketball season. The student athletes dont even have to go to their spring semester classes. Distinguished college basketball coach Bob Knight argues that the new NBA draft rule is

the worst thing thats happened to college basketball since Ive been coaching. He believes it has a tremendous effect on the integrity of college sports because now you can have a kid come to school for one year and play basketball, and he doesnt even have to go to class. Only six of the thirty picks in the first round of the 2007 draft were college seniors. That means that only those six players have a college degree and received the full educational experience of college. The rule that is supposed to help the player does nothing to further their learning. In fact, it even harms the other students that attend these universities. Each college only has so much money that can be given as scholarship to the student body. The one-and-done players get a full ride to play at these schools with no intention of actually doing anything with the little education they receive. Other players and students who do not plan on playing professional sports but on using their college degree to find another profession dont receive as much aid as they should. The scholarship money is wasted on the one-and-dones. There is nothing the college can do about this issue either. If they dont give the money to the players, then their basketball program cant compete with the rest of the nation. The burden that falls on these other students that have to pay more for their education is solely because of the NBA draft rule. Also, this rule has a huge blind spot when it comes to high school players that cannot meet the NCAAs academic requirements. If a high school player cannot keep his grades for one semester of college, he would very likely choose to enter the draft after graduation, but this rule doesnt allow him too. So what are his options? He can either attend a junior college for a year or not play for a team for one year. Its a loss for everyone involved. The NBA doesnt expose the player on TV playing for a big name school. The NCAA doesnt get the player at all. The player himself doesnt mature, get a better education, or develop his basketball skills. Despite this negative outcome, there is nothing that can be done to remedy it. The new rule essentially says tough luck to the players who are in this situation.

The NBA incorrectly stands by the idea that the athletes who attend college for a year or more turn into better community citizens than those who enter the draft straight out of high school. Most of the players entering at a young age, such as LeBron James and Kevin Garnett, are known in part for their community involvement. Rossen states, Despite all of the NBAs bad publicity when players get in trouble with the law, studies show that only three players out of the twenty-three who went straight from high school to the NBA between 1975 and 2003 have ever been arrested. So what is the difference between those three players and the rest of the NBA players that have gotten arrested? The NBA is incorrectly blaming the absence of college as the culprit for the leagues bad reputation. The NBA has recently attained the perception of having thugs for players. This is due to all of the media attention focused on the athletes, especially when they make a mistake. The NBA wants to remedy this opinion and have made college basketball the scapegoat. The old way of doing things before the 2005 CBA was working just fine. Because there were no restrictions, the process was a lot like a simple economic market. Supply and demand determined all three partys choices. If the NBA had a high demand for talented players to enter the draft out of high school then the players would do that because it would benefit them most. If the NCAA had a high demand for talented players then players would attend college. It makes for a perfectly competitive market, which allows greatest income for all present parties. In order to fix this crisis, an overhaul of the NBA draft system is required. John Calipari, head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats, offers an alternative that I approve of, I dont agree with the rule now. I think that, one; kids should be able to go directly to the League if thats what they choose to do. And if they go to college, they should stay two years or maybe three. The way it is right now its really hard Coach Calipari couldnt have said it better as my

proposal is very similar. I offer this alternative to the present rule: the Major League Baseballs draft rules. The MLB is a fair system. A player may enter the draft out of high school and once that player is drafted, he then has a choice before he signs a contract. He may either sign and join the professional league or choose to attend college. If he attends college, he must play for three years before he can sign with a professional team. Whichever team drafted him out of high school retains the rights to that player after his three years in college are up. Of course, the player could stay in for all four years if he so wishes, three years is just the minimum (Rossen 175). This system solves the problems with the NBAs system while still accomplishing their goal of preparing athletes more. It doesnt force the player into an undesirable situation. It is the players choice to attend college or play with the professionals, but once committed to college, they must follow through and actually learn and mature while at school. This would preserve the great tradition of competition in the NCAA. It would allow teams to become familiar with each other and develop rhythm, which is lacking as of late in college basketball. The key to my proposed system is having the draft before the player decides. In the MLB, a player might get drafted to a team that isnt very good and will want to wait for a few years and hope they improve. Or, the dollar sign attached to his contract might not be what the player was looking for so he will improve his stock by developing more at a prominent college. These circumstances motivate the player to play college ball but disguises it as their choice. The players dont feel like they are being forced to play in the NCAA. Some players still do go straight to the MLB because their situation is different and it is best for them to do this. The MLB system would solve the current issues with the NBAs rule while still accomplishing the goal of looking out for the players well being.

As of right now, the NBA has a problem on their hands. The new draft rule is hurting their popularity with college fans and prospective athletes. Of course, it benefits the NBA but at what cost? The players that cannot perform academically at a university are hung out to dry for a year, possibly forever if they cannot recover from that year of inefficient competition. College basketball has changed completely since 2005. It is no longer about becoming a great team and making your school proud. It has developed into a system more like the NBA. Players show up and play for themselves. They could care less who they play for because they will be signing a multimillion-dollar contract after their one year of college ball. The player doesnt even mature or develop as a person in their one required year at college. They go to class for one semester and then skip the entire second semester. The other students that attend these colleges also deal with a heavy individual burden. The oneand-done players take a lot of scholarship money that cannot be given to the students who will earn a degree after their four years. Action must be taken to resolve these issues and the MLBs rule should be used as a basis for designing the NBAs new rule. It addresses all of the problems while achieving the NBAs paternalistic goal of looking out for the players. The NBA has committed a great injustice against the NCAA and its prospective players; an injustice that begs to be rectified.

Works Cited Flomenbaum, Adam. John Calipari upset with NBA Draft Eligibility Rules. Dime Magazine. 12 April 2010. Web. 15 October 2012. http://dimemag.com/2010/04/johncalipari-upset-with-nba-draft-eligibility-rules/ Rossen, Jordan Michael. The NBA's Age Minimum and Its Effect on High School Phenoms 8 Va. Sports & Ent. L.J. (2008-2009): 173-179. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 October 2012. Wolverton, Brad. "College-Basketball Experts Divided Over NBA Age Minimum." Chronicle Of Higher Education 53.32 (2007): A40-A41. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. DeCourcy, Mike. "For The Good Of The Game." Sporting News 232.30 (2008): 62. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. Rosenberg, Michael. "Fun And Done." Sports Illustrated 116.10 (2012): 13-14. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. Thamel, Pete. "N.B.A. Is Asked to End Age Limit." New York Times 04 June 2009: 14. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. Drew, Sharp. "NBA should increase age requirement." USA Today n.d.: Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. Dick, Vitale. "One-and-done hurts game." USA Today n.d.: Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. MCALEAVEY, SUSAN. "Spendthrift Trust: An Alternative To The Nba Age Rule." St. John's Law Review 84.1 (2010): 279-304. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. Beck, Howard. "Stern Wants to Preserve An Age Limit for Players." New York Times 05 June 2009: 15. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2012.