A must read

[Lynco Cards]

I stopped watching the NBA a long time ago as its just filled with THUGS. I saw the replay of Ron Artest and what ever his new name is throw a elbow and that just reminded me again why i will never follow a league of thugs. I say let them play at 15 if they want i do not care. The majority will be broke or in jail shortly after their career ends. The NBA is a joke.

[Star_Cards]

I stopped watching the NBA a long time ago as its just filled with THUGS. I saw the replay of Ron Artest and what ever his new name is throw a elbow and that just reminded me again why i will never follow a league of thugs. I say let them play at 15 if they want i do not care. The majority will be broke or in jail shortly after their career ends. The NBA is a joke.

The majority of NBA players will be in jail or broke? I find that hard to believe. Sure they have issues with players just like football. Of course there are more football players, but of the big stories that I can remember, the big arrests have come from football as of late. Of course there are some players that have troubles with the law, but to classify them all as thugs just isn't factual.

[Star_Cards]

The article is written in a way that seems to endorse the sociocultural foundations of what the author calls "authentic blackness." Kind of a fatalistic basis for arguing that basketball is a necessary outlet for these kids. However, to an extent I believe that latter idea to be true, at least with how black urban subcultures have become so institutionalized (and isolated - there's a theory for this but I forget the name) in a sense. And the lack of socioeconomic progress for inner-city people has stagnated in part because of the romanticization of that subculture by others (i.e. it's "cool" to be ghetto.)

And basketball is part of that. It's a career track. The sort of "quick, easy way out" mentality is exacerbated by the unsuccessful, if misguided, efforts to address socioeconomic deficiencies in these areas.

Until those things are addressed in a more methodological way, basketball will continue to be a pervasive outlet for that mentality - which has energized the push-back against the age rule as such.

let's not forget that we are talking about a very small number of individuals that this rule effects. How many kids are able to enter the NBA draft after high school or even after one year of college? maybe 10-20 a year if that?

[themanishere]

let's not forget that we are talking about a very small number of individuals that this rule effects. How many kids are able to enter the NBA draft after high school or even after one year of college? maybe 10-20 a year if that?

I would wholeheartedly disagree that it only affects a small number in the big picture - one cannot simply look superficially at the kids who make it to consideration for the draft.

The social implications are much more engrained. I'm speaking more toward the mentality to which many black, urban populations subscribe in terms of how they perceive their futures. The opposition to age rules speaks to how these populations often embrace professional sports, no matter the probability of "making it," as a primary career choice. Putting a restriction on how these kids pursue basketball is like slighting their whole subculture precisely because the sport is so important. Only a few kids may make it, but that doesn't mean basketball as a life path is any less salient for future populations of these kids precisely because it is so pervasive in the subculture.

I'm not endorsing or justifying the mentality, per se, I'm just trying to explain why I feel there is opposition as such.

[theonedru]

So it is ok for a white teenage tennis player, singer or movie star to make a living in their chosen profession and everyone is so proud of them but if a teenaged black male who has the talent wants to play in the nba then everyone has a problem with it? I smell hyprocricy.

Isn't trying to make everything a racial issue racist in itself? And why point out just the black basketball players could that not also be construed as racist also? Here are 2 types of people who have it way worse today in the world than blacks

1. Anyone looking or sounds Arabic
2. Anyone gay

[duwal]

So it is ok for a white teenage tennis player, singer or movie star to make a living in their chosen profession and everyone is so proud of them but if a teenaged black male who has the talent wants to play in the nba then everyone has a problem with it? I smell hyprocricy.

they're completely two different things. You list it for a white person but the same thing is ok for a black teenage tennis player, singer or movie star. Also the rule isn't racist in any way because it is structured so that everyone, whether in the U.S., european countries, asian countries, etc. have to follow the provisions no matter what nationalities. It would only be racist if it was applied exclusively to black basketball players and no other ethnicity

[hawk2618]

they're completely two different things. You list it for a white person but the same thing is ok for a black teenage tennis player, singer or movie star. Also the rule isn't racist in any way because it is structured so that everyone, whether in the U.S., european countries, asian countries, etc. have to follow the provisions no matter what nationalities. It would only be racist if it was applied exclusively to black basketball players and no other ethnicity

Some people don't think before they type.Very good point!!

[Star_Cards]

I would wholeheartedly disagree that it only affects a small number in the big picture - one cannot simply look superficially at the kids who make it to consideration for the draft.

The social implications are much more engrained. I'm speaking more toward the mentality to which many black, urban populations subscribe in terms of how they perceive their futures. The opposition to age rules speaks to how these populations often embrace professional sports, no matter the probability of "making it," as a primary career choice. Putting a restriction on how these kids pursue basketball is like slighting their whole subculture precisely because the sport is so important. Only a few kids may make it, but that doesn't mean basketball as a life path is any less salient for future populations of these kids precisely because it is so pervasive in the subculture.

I'm not endorsing or justifying the mentality, per se, I'm just trying to explain why I feel there is opposition as such.

I definitely get your point. I didn't mean to say that it couldn't be considered racially motivated just because it effected only a few people directly. I just don't get how it can be racist if it's effecting all races and nationalities that want to enter the draft early

I will say that I doubt an extra year wait would cause any kid to stop pursuing playing in the NBA. Also, there are other ways to make money with basketball skill besides playing in the NBA.

[Star_Cards]

So it is ok for a white teenage tennis player, singer or movie star to make a living in their chosen profession and everyone is so proud of them but if a teenaged black male who has the talent wants to play in the nba then everyone has a problem with it? I smell hyprocricy.

This argument isn't valid, because any teenager of any race can play tennis at any age. I'm not sure when the Williams sisters started playing tennis but I think it was when they were teenagers. Same goes for golf. Michelle Wie was a teenager when she started.

As far as actors or singer, there are plenty of very young musicians and actors that have worked before they were a certain age. The list is huge. That realm is also a little different than sports that have a governing league that sets rules. The entertainment industry really doesn't have that outside of the actors guild.

[AUTaxMan]

This argument isn't valid, because any teenager of any race can play tennis at any age. I'm not sure when the Williams sisters started playing tennis but I think it was when they were teenagers. Same goes for golf. Michelle Wie was a teenager when she started.

As far as actors or singer, there are plenty of very young musicians and actors that have worked before they were a certain age. The list is huge. That realm is also a little different than sports that have a governing league that sets rules. The entertainment industry really doesn't have that outside of the actors guild.

I think mrv is saying that only black people play in the nba.