For whatever reason, there was a recent stoking of the flames on the subject of the NBA’s age limit. For those that don’t know, the NBA doesn’t allow teams to daft players under the age of 19, which means that players generally end up going to college for a year, at least, before they head to the pros. Some players circumvent this rule by going to play in Europe professionally for a year.
Let me get this out of the way. I prefer the college game, so I love the rule (as it makes the college game better, with better talent), but I want to defend this rule from the perspective of the NBA, both by viewing “Professional basketball player” as a job, and then by viewing “professional basketball as a business”.
As a job, the NBA is treating it like any other employer. They want to see you prove what you can do in school. For me, as a meteorologist, people wanted to see that I could handle the coursework and comprehended the material that would turn into my career. In the NBA, teams want to ensure players will continue to develop at a high level, and can handle the spotlight of college and the first taste of freedom after moving out of mom’s house.
As for the business, the NBA thrives on marketing. This isn’t unlike any other business. It’s easier to market a new product if you know a little something about it. Businesses go out of their way to add brand names all the time, and having players perform at the college level for a year, they create their brand on their own. New players on NBA teams come with some weight already. Fans can be excited about a player, because they had seen him dominate already. Not only that, but the draft carries a little more weight as a televised event, since fans actually know all the players involved.
All in all, I understand the complaints, but only from the player perspective, and even then, I am unconvinced. The NBA age requirement is a business savvy move by a multimillion dollar business.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
