Quote:
Originally Posted by WilliamTheIrish
I don't think it's the race card you're playing. I agree with you. Those players should be getting paid. Straight out. There will be those that tell you a "They get a schollie and the perks..." which is only so much horseshit. What good does a Communications/General Studies degree do a player who isn't NBA talent? None.
It's why the NBA shouldn't hold 18 year olds to an age requirement. The best players don't want to be there and if they weren't playing x-sport, they wouldn't be anywhere near a university.
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I just finished the book
Backboards and Blackboards, I suggest everyone read it. An interesting note to add for any MU alum or fans, the coach of the college program studied in the book, Toledo, was the coach and is the mentor of MU's current basketball coach.
Anyway, the book basically spells out how these college basketball recruits are ****ed over by the schools their entire life. They play 3 roles, student, social, and athlete, with the latter being the one that they MUST perform best at or else they lose the student role (and basically the social role as well since they won't be BMOC anymore).
They have little to no choice in their courses and what they will actually major in. They were passed through middle and high schools without ever really being taught so that they could spend more time playing basketball and making people money than studying or learning to read beyond a 4th grade level.
A lot of these kids have little choice in the matter since private schools will pay their tuition to go to their 'great' school and waive any fees necessary, as well as help the parents make ends meet sometimes (also true for some public schools as well).
In the end these kids are nothing more than a product for schools to make money off of. They ultimately don't end up making it to the NBA as promised, and are left holding (if lucky) worthless degrees while being unable to read at a satisfactory level.