The NFL Needs a Retirement Rule and the NBA Needs a Draft Rule to Get Rid of “1 and Done”
I am amazed at how easy it would be to get rid of Pro Sports Problems like Brett Favre’s retirement non-retirement in the NFL and problems caused by the NBA’s moronic “one and done” rules as exemplified by OJ Mayo’s current off the court accusations. In fairness to the NFL and NBA as well as Major League Hockey and Major League Baseball, any changes in rules need to be negotiated with Player’s Unions and that isn’t such a quick and easy process, even if it results in a win-win for both sides.
The NBA draft rule basically not allowing anyone under 19 to be drafted by a pro basketball team, commonly referred to as “one and done”, is one of the most idiotic rules in terms of its consequence on pro teams, college teams and players under 19 who want to play pro basketball right away.
Until 2005, anyone whose high school class graduated that year was eligible to apply for the NBA draft. That changed because the owners rightfully realized that as a result of having players with no college basketball experience, the quality of NBA play decreased which affects NBA attendance. Also a lot of these players seemed to get themselves in various scrapes and said the wrong things publicly, which resulted in bad publicity for the NBA. Most of these players with no college experience needed several years to develop in the NBA as opposed to the more ready college players, and not many performed that well initially for their teams. So in an effort to save teams from themselves the NBA banned anyone under 19 from playing pro basketball as of 2006.
All the new NBA draft rule accomplished was:
1. Denying employment for a year to players good enough to make millions.
2. Having player participate in College for a year which is a total sham as it eventually screws up most teams basketball programs, denies another player of a scholarship and leads to players deciding to go to a college for marketing purposes of the city.
3. Denying a team the opportunity to draft a player it would have liked to draft because the player is now ineligible.
The NBA could have accomplished limiting more inexperienced players from being drafted in a way that would have been more beneficial to everyone by letting anyone 18 enter the draft but limiting the teams signing right to the players under 19 for 3 years instead of 4. It takes several years to develop a player and by limiting the number of years you have to develop a player, gives a potential drafting team pause for thought. The player would now be eligible to play at 18 and could become a free agent a year earlier than other drafted players, which rewards them as well. Colleges won’t be getting these 1 year and out players. To me, win-win for everyone.
In the case of eyed off season retirements of pro athletes who then change their minds several months later and screw up their teams personnel moves. The easiest way to stop this across the board is to make players, once they sign actual retirement papers, not eligible to play for a year. This way players wouldn’t take the concept of retirement so casually like Brett Favre apparently has done.
Anyway, my solutions are easy and simple but of course will never be implemented!
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