NBAPA Lawyer: Double standard exists regarding age limit for black basketball players and white athletes in other sports

[TyCobb]

Of course you will get the standard ignorant white guy response that it has nothing to do with race. When you're white, it's a lot easier to not see race. But this is clearly a racist policy- one that disproportionately affects black athletes and lines the NCAA's pockets.

Yeah, who wants a free education?

To be fair, a year of the rookie scale contract in the NBA gets a player anywhere between $911,000 and $4.6 Million for first round picks. That salary is much, much more valuable than that $20k-50k year of college. Its not like these players can't go back to college after their playing careers with that extra money

Exactly. It's a privilege to be in the NBA.

If you're after money out of high school, go overseas until you're eligible for the NBA.

[philly5]

This rule has nothing to do with race, and that's all there is to it. Go peddle your Sharpton BS elsewhere.

[Zenith]

If they score high enough on tests and have a good GPA. There are also many grants available. Colleges are first and foremost a place for higher learning.

Please, tell that to Devry University, the University of Phoenix, ITT Technical Institute and all the other for profit universities out there. The US college system sold out along time ago, and the US government subsidizes all of it with the student loan system. It's just reality at this point.

[TyCobb]

If they score high enough on tests and have a good GPA. There are also many grants available. Colleges are first and foremost a place for higher learning.

Please, tell that to Devry University, the University of Phoenix, ITT Technical Institute and all the other for profit universities out there. The US college system sold out along time ago, and the US government subsidizes all of it with the student loan system. It's just reality at this point.

I'm not a fan of student loans either, but I'm also not going to be ignorant of the benefits of a college degree.

[Blame Rasho]

If they score high enough on tests and have a good GPA. There are also many grants available. Colleges are first and foremost a place for higher learning.

Please, tell that to Devry University, the University of Phoenix, ITT Technical Institute and all the other for profit universities out there. The US college system sold out along time ago, and the US government subsidizes all of it with the student loan system. It's just reality at this point.

Those aren't real places to get an education...

[mateo82]

This rule has nothing to do with race, and that's all there is to it. Go peddle your Sharpton BS elsewhere.

That's true. It's really about reducing the risk for teams. It's hilarious to me how whenever there is an owners vs players dispute how quickly fans jump on the side of owners despite the fact that the owners are in the position of power and do things like conspire to keep wages down.

[Zenith]

I'm not a fan of student loans either, but I'm also not going be ignorant of the benefits of a college degree.

Those aren't real places to get an education...

I'm not saying an education isn't important, it is, I certainly value it (I'm working on my 2nd masters) but if you attempt to marginalize student athletes because "they aren't smart enough to be in college anyways" than you also have to hold all the other students accountable for the manner in which they attend university while understanding how the same system is being used against them, and that is not being done when comments are being made like "those guys belong in junior college," its rude, stupid, and ignorant to circumstance.

[ALL HAIL]

It's funny, because, for many, race should never, ever be mentioned ... for anything--like ever.

It's so bad these days that just the mere mention of race has been minimized to a poker game--"playing the race card".

Discrimination through various forms of pigeon-holing exists my friends, whether you want to admit it or not. It's very, very real.

And for the record, as a fan of the game who wants the product to be at its best, I'm in favor of the age limit. Hell, I'd want it to be three years out of high school if it were up to me, but, if I were a player, I COMPLETELY understand the notion that an age limit is un-American and freedom wrenching.

Also though, in an age of veterans being undervalued and ushered out of the league at younger and younger ages, why does the NBAPA concern themselves with eighteen year olds? Why don't they focus their efforts more on protecting veterans and their right to play profitably into their thirties in favor of their teenage counterparts?

The more teenagers are allowed to enter this league, the less jobs will be available for seasoned veterans.

[TyCobb]

I'm not a fan of student loans either, but I'm also not going be ignorant of the benefits of a college degree.

Those aren't real places to get an education...

I'm not saying an education isn't important, it is, I certainly value it (I'm working on my 2nd masters) but if you attempt to marginalize student athletes because "they aren't smart enough to be in college anyways" than you also have to hold all the other students accountable for the manner in which they attend university while understanding how the same system is being used against them, and that is not being done when comments are being made like "those guys belong in junior college," its rude, stupid, and ignorant to circumstance.

They have academic probation for all students.

[Blame Rasho]

I'm not a fan of student loans either, but I'm also not going be ignorant of the benefits of a college degree.

Those aren't real places to get an education...

I'm not saying an education isn't important, it is, I certainly value it (I'm working on my 2nd masters) but if you attempt to marginalize student athletes because "they aren't smart enough to be in college anyways" than you also have to hold all the other students accountable for the manner in which they attend university while understanding how the same system is being used against them, and that is not being done when comments are being made like "those guys belong in junior college," its rude, stupid, and ignorant to circumstance.

I am not sure what point you are trying to make. I said don't marginalize the value of a college education.

You bring up the crap sandwich of the educational world(aka... for profit schools) to make a point that really isn't there to be made.

In the greater point, is that if a scholarship player wants to get a quality education while playing a game, they can... while not being buried in student debt. There are millions of higher education students that aren't as fortunate. It is a hell of a deal. There isn't this massively oppressed set of players who are being punished by being forced to play in a college.

[JF5]

Also, you can't play the race card here because African Americans are essentially the sport. Even if an Owner or Owners are racist when money/notoriety is on the line they'll do business with anybody. That's usually how business is done...

[Zenith]

I'm not a fan of student loans either, but I'm also not going be ignorant of the benefits of a college degree.

Those aren't real places to get an education...

I'm not saying an education isn't important, it is, I certainly value it (I'm working on my 2nd masters) but if you attempt to marginalize student athletes because "they aren't smart enough to be in college anyways" than you also have to hold all the other students accountable for the manner in which they attend university while understanding how the same system is being used against them, and that is not being done when comments are being made like "those guys belong in junior college," its rude, stupid, and ignorant to circumstance.

They have academic probation for all students.

Perfect, then why don't they let their student athletes screw up and fail out, here's a hint....$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Johnlac1]

An attorney for the union representing NBA players strongly indicated Thursday that the association will want players to again have the age limit for go pro lowered in the next round of collective bargaining.

National Basketball Players Association general counsel Gary Kohlman said ''quite likely the union will be taking a radically different position'' than the NBA on the age issue, which will almost certainly be a contentious point between the sides when they sit down in the future.

''If they were white and hockey players they would be out there playing. If they were white and baseball players they would be out there playing,'' Kohlman said. ''Because most of them are actually African-American and are in a sport and precluded from doing it, they have to go into this absurd world of playing for one year.

''That's just total complete hypocrisy.''

Kohlman added that union head Michele Roberts ''believes in capitalism,'' and he essentially asked why talented young athletes and talented young entertainers aren't both able to maximize their financial potential.

''Capitalism means that if you're 17, 18 years old and you're a geek and you want to drop out of college and invent Apple or something else, you can do it,'' Kohlman said. ''In this country you can do that. And there's nothing stopping you from doing it. If you're an unbelievable blues singer at 17, 18, 19 years old, you can go out and make a fortune.''

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nbpa-attorney-union-anticipates-clash-age-limit-203001995--nba.html

I agree with Mr. Kohlman. The NBA age limit is inherently racist. You can even point to other sports like tennis and golf where there are teenagers playing on the professional tour and nobody bats an eye. But when talented black athletes want to turn pro after graduating from high school in basketball, everybody goes nuts. The age limit is completely ludicrous.

Nothing racist about it. I happen to agree that anybody should be able to work for whatever org. they want after a certain age. But the NBA can set whatever age limits it wants. It's a business. If they say they don't want anybody younger than 20 years old or older than 29 that's their right. If those teen phenoms want to play in Europe or Asia, nobody is stopping them.

[TyCobb]

Perfect, then why don't they let their student athletes screw up and fail out, here's a hint....$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

You're right, they do give their student-athletes more rope.

[stephanieg]

The appeal to capitalism is funny. The NBA is a monopolistic cartel.

[Zenith]

I am not sure what point you are trying to make. I said don't marginalize the value of a college education.

My point was that all schools have marginalized their own values....and that you can't separate student athletes from the general populous because "they play sports."

[Zenith]

Perfect, then why don't they let their student athletes screw up and fail out, here's a hint....$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

You're right, they do give their student-athletes more rope.

With a name like TyCobb I should have expected that.

[TyCobb]

Perfect, then why don't they let their student athletes screw up and fail out, here's a hint....$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

You're right, they do give their student-athletes more rope.

With a name like TyCobb I should have expected that.

Waiting for someone to point out the irony of my screen name.

[Johnlac1]

Of course you will get the standard ignorant white guy response that it has nothing to do with race. When you're white, it's a lot easier to not see race. But this is clearly a racist policy- one that disproportionately affects black athletes and lines the NCAA's pockets.

"Standard ignorant white guy response"
Gee whiz, that sounds pretty racist to me.

[Kevin Johnson]

Of course you will get the standard ignorant white guy response that it has nothing to do with race. When you're white, it's a lot easier to not see race. But this is clearly a racist policy- one that disproportionately affects black athletes and lines the NCAA's pockets.

Yeah, who wants a free education?

Not Kobe. Not Lebron. Not Kevin Garnett. Not a lot of young players. You are denying them the right to earn fair market value for their skills instead forcing them to work for fraction of their value while the NCAA and the Universities line up their pockets with money earned on the backs of the athletes.

You don't tell prodigies, gifted young entertainers in other fields, talented entrepreneurs - instead of earning millions, go to work for free for a University for a few years, earn them millions but you'll get a free education that is a fraction of what you could earn.

And race has everything to do with it. If the majority of NBA players were white - people would not be making the argument that the players weren't "mature" enough and needed an educational foundation to fall back on. It's only because the majority are black athletes that the argument that the kids are irresponsible and immature is sold.