Congressman to NBA: Rescind Age Minimum
Tennessee representative Steve Cohen has written a letter to the NBA and the player’s union, asking the League to scrap the 19-year-old age minimum requirement in the next CBA. The letter, sent to the Commish David Stern and player’s association Director Billy Hunter, argues the age minimum has contributed to the recent bevy of college recruiting scandals and is a detriment to many young player’s careers.
“I am writing to express my deep concern over the policy of the National Basketball Association (NBA) to bar athletes from playing in the league on the basis of their age.
The “19 plus 1” policy, which requires American players to be at least 19 years of age and one year removed from their high school graduating class, is an unfair restriction on the rights of these young men to pursue their intended career. I also believe that it has played an important role in several recent scandals involving college students who were prevented from entering the NBA upon high school graduation.
I ask that this policy be repealed when the NBA completes its new collective bargaining agreement with the NBA Player’s Association.”
To read Cohen’s full letter, click here. In a follow-up interview, Cohen went so far as to call the rule a “vestige of slavery” and “restraint on a person’s freedoms and liberties.”
Stern has taken a opposite stance, however, saying he would support an increase in the minimum to 20 years of age. For every Garnett, Bryant, James, Stoudemire and Howard, said the commissioner, are five others who tried to make the jump early and never made it.
There are currently three options for players with pro aspirations after high school: 1) College, 2) D-League and 3) Europe/other foreign professional league. Stern feels like the D-League and Europe are more than viable options for young players who cannot (or choose not to) play in college.
Stern is wrong in many respects. The D-League’s competition and salaries are nothing compared to even those in Europe, making it a terrible option for the prodigiously talented 18 year olds. In Europe players can get paid (if they’re lucky) and possibly sign small endorsement deals. Is the culture shock and inconsistent roles on these foreign rosters giving players a chance to best showcase their talent? Not in Brandon Jennings’ case.
Imagine if Derrick Rose or O.J. Mayo went straight to the League out of high school. Sure, they may have fallen out of the 2007 Lottery, but would all this mess have been necessary? C’mon, commish. Develop the D-League into a viable minor league or listen to the Congressman.
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This has nothing to do with vet players, or NBA owners.
If not, I’m going to have wonder at your hypocrisy.
Its *potentially* unconstitutionall because it discriminates against people based on age, for one. But one cannot ignore that the peopleeffected by this “rule” are 99.9% percent African American. Meanwhile other sports, (and ironically “whiter” sports) Gymnastics, Baseball, Swimming, Tennis (even pro basketball across the globe) allow for elite yuoung athelets to ply their trade as soon as it is commercially viable for them. To me, its sort of a “pursuit of happiness” issue as well.
It defintely IS cheating the competition who doesn’t receive cash and gifts, and who’s parents don’t get cushy atheletic department jobs. The task of being a legitimate student athelete is extremely difficult, and those who do it by the book have a much harder time than those who are catered to in every situation and are eseentially semi-pro players being used by universities while being dressed up as “Student Atheletes”.
And if the legaue cared as much about these young mens’ futures, as it professes to, why don’t they institute a policy similar to the MLB? Where teams can agree to pay for college IF the player’s pro career doesn’t work out. I’m pretty sure the Yankees are currently paying for Xavier Henry’s brother to go to school after he was drafted by them but didn’t pan out.
Bottom line, the age minimum is about money and marketing for the NCAA and the NBA.
Hockey league has a minimum age too…
Melo waited a year and went to NBA ,what’s the problem with that… So for the benefit of handful of players would could be successful out of highschool ,we will allow young impressionable young men to destroy their future? It is bad enough that we have NBA or NFL who’s career were cut short by injuries end up broke and without an education to fall back on.
That’s what is shameful.
Please stop using racism when there is none you make it harder for a lot of people when they are victim of real racism.
my point is: i like basketball, and i’m glad i got to write about something that i know about rather than some b.s. classic literatures that has nothing to do with me.
Robert Swift was white and he came out of high school. Just to be accurate.
However, just because rule applies to everyone, doesn’t mean its not unconstitutional. If a rule applies to “everyone” but discriminates more heavily against a certain group, that group can win a lawsuit.
Second, if David Stern is truly concerned about the maturity and image of these boys, letting them spend a year or so being king of the campus at a D-I school will certainly not do that for them. Take a look at Mike Beasley, Mario Charmers, and Darrell Arthur at last year’s rookie camp for proof of that.
If he really wants to guide these kids, he should be forcing owners to provide counselors and advisors for every player on their teams. Then make sessions with them mandatory. I never understood how a corporation could invest tens of millions of dollars in an individual and then not make sure the smartest and most disciplined people are around to help them as much as possible.
Finally, this last point will make me very unpopular, but I feel strongly about it. The D-League has the potential to become a viable minor league, but it can never be looked upon as the second-best option to the NBA when European teams are paying much bigger salaries for players to play in much better places than Tulsa or Idaho. You think a young black athlete going to Rome is culture shock, but going to Idaho isn’t?
There is a way to fund the D-League to be competitive with the Euro leagues. There is a certain organization that hemorrhages money like crazy every year and annually needs a $6-8 million infusion from the NBA just to stay upright. It was an admirable attempt at being socially conscientious, but it’s time to admit there is no market for this product and use the costs of maintaining it go to improving a product that works.
It is time to can the WNBA and pour that money into developing the D-League.
Fortune 500 companies are subject to anti-trust laws.
None of the professional sports leagues deal with the same scrutiny. If professional sports leagues want to be seen as regular corporations, they need to be subject to the same regulations as those companies. If they want to have special treatment, then people can hold them to a different standard.
It’s a simple fix.
For those claiming “racism” and all upset by this rule.I just wish all of you were as angry about the state of education in the black community,the drop-out rate etc…
So, you’re assuming that folks who are upset about the age minimum can’t be upset about all those other things?
Way to make a helluva an assumption Captain.
Oh yeah, where the hell did you get that “association” point from? What does the work “association” have to do with discrimination?
The NBA is a business. The players are employees. The NBA has established an arbitrary age limit on the employees it hires. That’s within its rights as a company. But let’s not pretend that means it’s not discriminatory.
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