NCAA regulations

By DRAKE DELPH and RHETT WILLIAMS

Sheridan High School Students

What has the league of collegiate athletics come to? College athletes in varying sports are given a choice to either stay in college and play or go to the professional stage as they make their way through the college athletic experience. The rules to go pro are different in every sport and most athletes will take advantage depending on the sports league they are pursuing. In the NBA, athletes are required to take one year of college post high school before they can officially declare for the draft. Most players elect to go to college and sometimes these athletes will go overseas to play.

For the NFL, players are required to play three years at the college level. A player may then declare for the draft after he has used up his college eligibility. Major League Baseball has two different sets of requirements for players depending on the route the athlete chooses. The first option is he may enter straight into the league after high school, before he has attended a college or junior college. If he doesn’t choose that route, he must play collegiate baseball for at least three years, and after that, then he is eligible for the draft. The inconsistency of the rules in these sports can be very confusing to fans. The NCAA needs to come up with one set of guidelines for athletes wanting to continue their careers.

Every year in college basketball, more and more freshman are leaving college and taking their talents to the NBA. This is known to everyone around the college basketball world as “one and done”. The one and done rule for the NBA came into effect in 2005. Many very talented players take advantage of this rule and start their NBA careers early, including players such as: Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Derrick Rose, Anthony Davis, Karl Anthony-Towns and many, many more. Between 2011 and 2016 there have been 53 freshman selected in the first round of the NBA draft. That is a very high rate and it doesn’t seem like it will stop anytime soon with there being such dominant freshmen all across college basketball.

In 2004, the NFL decided to throw down the rule on college athletes that they must stay for at least three years. The NCAA and NFL both came to agreements when they thought it was in the athlete’s best interest to mature before entering such a physical league. Many people wonder why three years when basketball is only one? College athletes are concerned with the idea of staying too long and potentially getting injured and jeopardizing their professional careers. South Carolina running-back Marcus Lattimore ran into this very fear. In 2012, his junior season, Lattimore dislocated his knee and tore every ligament plus suffered severe nerve damage. This injury ultimately ruined a prime athlete’s career that was full of potential. There have been many attempts in the NFL and NCAA to change this rule, but the league sees no change coming in the near future.

Major League Baseball has come up with a set of guidelines that gives the players the best option to further pursue their careers. Players have an option to declare for the draft straight after high school. From there they may enter straight to the league and begin playing wherever they are sent. If they choose to decline the option to declare for the draft directly after high school they can go to college or junior college. Once they enroll, they have to continue their collegiate careers for at least three years before they may be drafted. This option gives them a higher level of competition post high school before being thrown straight into the big leagues. The NFL and NBA should adopt the same rule and the NCAA guidelines would be consistent throughout every sport. Depending on the skill level coming out of high school, athletes are given an option that would be fair for all.