Sometimes I wonder why I even bother to watch ESPN. No, I'm not talking about their obsession with the NY Yankees, Boston Res Sox, New England Patriots, or Notre Dame, nor am I speaking of they're brainwashing the world against the Dallas Cowboys. Rather, I'm speaking of the way they berate guys for deciding to say in college.
Last year, they all but crucified all the underclassmen for deciding to stay in school another year, stating that they should go for the money. This year, University of Washington quarterback, Jake Locker, decided to return to school, a decision he just made yesterday.
Today, some guy said that you go to college to get ready for the NFL. I never played college athletics, but last I checked, I thought you went to college for an education...unless you play basketball where its just a stopping off spot for a lot of guys, but that's a whole different can of worms.
It's amazing how they make it sound like playing sports is the most important thing in the world. Of course, this is a sports network, so they get a little bit of a pass on that, but there is still no excuse for this. Just because you get drafted by a team doesn't mean you'll get to play, let alone become a superstar. Don't forget the injury factor. One freak play in a game or even in practice, and your career could be over.
I really wonder what goes through these guys' heads when they say things like this!
Launch party
5 years ago
6 comments:
I'd love to say that's a surprise, but it's just not. Folks who work at places like ESPN view colleges as training grounds for the NFL and little more.
I'm reminded of an editorial cartoon I saw as a kid. There were two fellows sitting in Razorbacks Stadium at the University of Arkansas and one of them said, "You know, I think there's a school or something over there."
Can you honestly say that you would try to talk one of your students out of signing a $10 million signing bonus to play in some hot jazz band if it meant they had to leave school in order to do it? Okay, maybe if would be different for a high school student, but just keep in mind that the injury possibility can also happen while they are still in school. Their playing value would then go way down--if not gone completely. Take Kevin Faulk as an example. For he decided to stay for his senior year at LSU, got hurt, and wound-up signing for millions under what he would have probably gotten if he had of came out the year before. I know what you mean, but school can always come later for those who have a desire for such. It would be different for someone who is not being touted as a "sure-thing," of course.
Hawg- true, its not a urprise, but ewverytime I hear them say this is just takes me aback that they can, in good conscience, blatantly say that someone should leave school for something that may or may not work out
FishHawk- hmmm...depends on the jazz band. of course, none of my kids practice enough to go pro, so no need to worry about that (gotta love spoiled Catholic school brats who think they can get away with everything...and I do mean everything) I dunno...it may be since I'm in the education profession that I'm a little biased here, but it still seems a bot wrong to go on air and criticize guys for staying in school. Besides, for every 2 or3 that become big stars after leaving early, there are more that do ebtter for staying the full time *COUGH* Peyton Manning *COUGH*...this is worse with basketball, thoguh where they are required to go to college for 1 yr...but that's a topic for another day
Yes, I was completely ignoring your main point, which was about it being wrong for the ESPN idiots to say such, which it is. I understand that much of their "stuff" is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but they do take it way too far at times. I am still not over Adam Schefter snarking that he guessed a billion dollars doesn't get you as much of a stadium as it used to when the height of the overhead scoreboard/jumbo-tron at the new Cowboys Stadium was being discussed. It wouldn't have been so bad if the NFL hadn't already approved of it.
The minimum salary for a rookie in the NFL is $285,000. That's the minimum for the bench warmer that may never set foot on the field.
What degree is going to get your semi-pro college player a starting salary in the hundreds of thousands?
Unless these star players are planning on starting the next Google or Facebook or Amazon, what other chance do they have of making the kind of money they can make playing pro ball?
Getting an education is all about making a person a better product, whether that be on the field or in the business world.
My own favorite college joke is from Mad Magazine-Your a genius if you get a doctoral degree in Aboriginal Dancing, your an idiot if you think you can make any money with it.
I thought I had better confess my joy over my Razorbacks' quarterback deciding to stay in school instead of going pro since I took the position of it not being disastrous for some athletes to quite school early to turn pro before. In all fairness, however, he is really not ready yet.
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