Early Entry into the NBA Causes a Negative Impact on Professional Sport

     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Abstract:   Basketball players who enter the NBA early are not ready for the NBA. Early entry into the NBA by high school and college basketball players has had a negative affect on the college basketball program, the NBA, and the players themselves. Each year the number of early entries in the NBA rises more and more. In 1997, 47 basketball players entered the NBA draft early, and the number has risen since then. The college basketball program is drained of talent due to players leaving early. The high school players that go directly into the NBA are hurting the college program because they never contribute to the college program at all. The NBA now has to deal with a higher level of immaturity and disrespect by young players. College basketball players obtain a certain amount of respect and maturity in college. The players suffer by not grasping the concept of learning due to lack of education. Many analysts say that entering the NBA before finishing a fo ur-year program is entering too early. The NBA commissioner, David Stern, has begun to work on ways to encourage players to go to and stay in college. High school and college basketball players have started to enter the NBA earlier and earlier as the year's progress. In general, this is resulting in a negative effect to the college programs, the NBA, and the players themselves. Before 1994 there were usually only eight to ten early entries into the NBA. The number grew to 18 in 1995, and an astonishing 40 players in 1996, and 47 in 1997. The number of early entries in the NBA grows to the point where it is a problem that needs to be dealt with by the NBA players association. College basketball is in serious trouble. Of course, any sport would be when it's marquee s... ...arper, 1994. Curtis, Jake. "The Young and the Restless." San Francisco Chronicle 8 May 1996: E1 Clarkston, Michael. "From Boys to Men." The Toronto Star 28 May 1997: B6 Feldman, Robert. Understanding Psychology. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2000. Henderson, John. "Skippin' School." The Denver Post 11 March 1999: D1 Livingston, Bill. "Young NBA Players Learn on the Job." The Plain Dealer 17 December 1997: D1 May, Peter. "Exorbitant Salaries." The Boston Globe 11 July 1999: E2 McCallum, Jack. "Going, Going, Gone." Sports Illustrated 20 July 1996: C4 Pensa, Patty. "Early Departures." The Columbus Dispatch 4 July 1999: E2 Wann, Daniel. "Team Identification." Journal of Sports Behavior 7 June 2000: 23 Wilbon, Michael. "Draft Pool." The Washington Post 3 May 2001: D1 Wolff, Alexander. "Impossible Dream." Sports Illustrated 2 July 1997: C4