During the past two years, nearly everyone keen to the wild world of sports has heard probably at least heard a smidget about prep-to-pros phenomenon LeBron James. Just to recap, while only eighteen he somehow managed to exceed immensely high expectations by posting a rookie season nearly comparable to that of basketball legends such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson. This year, he’s already exceeded his rookie season, ranking third in the NBA in scoring and sixth in assists, an excellent season by all standards and especially impressive for someone who turned twenty in December.

However, even the most diehard of basketball fans will typically have trouble recognizing the names of Korleone Young, Leon Smith and Ousman Cisse. Among their short-lived respective NBA careers, they have scored a grand total of 46 points. Additionally, none of them play in the NBA anymore.

What do these four individuals have in common? Each one decided to make the jump from high school to big leagues, skipping a higher education to give themselves an opportunity to lucrative advertisement contracts and some big bucks. All entered the draft with rave scouting reports and expectations to turn into the superstars of their generation. As for the results, well, you can probably quite evidently see that only LeBron James has made it. Prospects of a multi-million dollar career seem much dimmer for the other three now, as they must toil in the developmental leagues having forfeited their eligibility

All around professional sports, with the exception of the NFL, similar situations occur. In the NHL, a seldom few teenagers such as Rick Nash of the Columbus Blue Jackets make the jump to the pros and excel. Meanwhile, literally hundreds of youths toil in minor leagues for just a shot at a major league team. Baseball’s minor league starts offering salaries at a measly maximum of only $850 per month[1] in the first contract season; and minor leagues, like the majors, do not play throughout the entirety of the year. Many minor league players earn more than that, yet many more earn rather small salaries. While some of these players enjoy the benefit of luxurious salaries, hundreds of others earn significantly less.

In the NFL, a rule found in no other professional sport appears which prevents teams from drafting a player until at least three years after that player graduates from high school. That basically means that most football players have the opportunity to advance to at least their junior year in college before receiving eligibility to enter professional football; sufficient time to not only tailor their skills as a collegiate athlete, but to also advance well down the path of earning a degree. Therefore, for those players who may not receive the riches of professional sports, they still can receive an education on which they can fall back upon. After all, as NFL cornerback prospect Antrel Rolle said, “I won’t lie, these are tough times to be a student, knowing the great financial situation that is sitting just a couple months away. But at the same time, I’m smart enough to know that football isn’t forever and finishing my degree is the best way for me to prepare for the outside world.”[2]

Obviously, no one can challenge the success of some players making the jump from high school to the professional leagues. However for every LeBron James, you have others just like Korleone Young, or Leon Smith, or Ousman Cisse. Yet professional sports teams still thirst for young talent and often put those athletes in a worse position in the end if their careers do not pan out as expected. Adopting a policy similar to that of the National Football League, while depriving teams from snatching up prospects earlier, would give the players the opportunity to further develop their skills in college and receive an education, setting themselves up for life regardless of how well their professional careers end up.

Early last year, a court ruled in the favor of exceptionally talented running back Maurice Clarett, a freshman at Ohio State University, who challenged the NFL’s rule and made the case for the reasons that young players should receive the opportunity to join the professional leagues earlier. Preventing established players from entering professional sports at a time when they have already displayed their capability deprives them of years in which they could set themselves up for higher salaries in the future and earn money from endorsements. In addition, in the case that such an athlete suffers a severe injury while playing in the collegiate level before receiving eligibility, that player would possibly lose his chance altogether. However, a subsequent appeal successfully overturned this ruling and reaffirmed the NFL’s right to uphold their rule preventing players not three years removed from college from entering the professional stage.

Once again, no one can really challenge the ability of some athletes to make that jump and succeed. Yet no one can look into the future and see how well an individual will perform at the professional level. Either all players must receive eligibility, or none. While depriving some athletes from their opportunity to enter the professional stage, a compulsory rule forcing athletes to have three years after high school to spend on an education would benefit many more of those athletes who might otherwise just rush on to the pros.