Opposite Argument Paper
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Charles Tate
Professor Collado
English Composition, 11554
Opposite Argument Paper
From High School Straight into the Pros
High school players skipping college to go straight to the NBA had been one of the biggest arguments that have been present in the game of basketball. Many players such as Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and LeB ron James have made that jump straight to the NBA instead of going to college. Many have asked whether it was smart of them to skip a chance to go to college. A few questions regarding this subject state that these kids are not ready mentally and maybe physically to play in the NBA. Others say that they are too young and need time to develop so they might even be better if they were to go to college. What makes this topic so controversial is that even though many see players that have done well making that jump to straight to the league such as Tracy McGrady, there are a hundred more kids that people dont see that decide to make that jump and end up not doing as well as they thought and now cant go back to college to play ball. This is unless they go to a development NBA camp to see how they manage before they make a true decision. Others such as myself believe that if they decide to make a jump this big they should be able to handle everything, if anything, happens. They decided to make a mans decision and should have to handle the consequences that a man would handle. Meaning, if they dont play as well as they thought they were going to play or dont even get drafted, that is a price they are going to have to pay. Hopefully, theyve done well in school at not only on the court.
Those who believe in this point of view anticipate players to develop over a certain period of time and be better off as a player and person before the NBA. Advocates of this decision believe that college will not only improve a players game but at the same time prepare them mentally for life after basketball if they have a life with basketball at all. Other people who agree with this point of view state that if they dont make it to the NBA, what will they do after that and how will their life be affected by the fact that they cant go back to college to play. In my opinion, I believe that these decisions are made by the student. These players have enough time to sit, think, and weigh out all outcomes of their decision. A lot of the players that make this jump come from low- income neighborhoods where their mom or dad, if they had a dad, worked probably more than two jobs to make ends meet. Then comes an agent telling this boy that he doesnt have to go to college because they will pay him a great amount of money to play in the league. Many of these kids will take that opportunity head over heels so that they will help their family. I see this as a great opportunity for a player to get his family out of all the predicaments that they are in, They can move their family from all of the negative aspects of life that they see such as violence and drugs. Life can change in almost an instant for these players and their family.
Supporters of college before the NBA also say that it will help a kids life in the long run instead of just the quick short run benefits of skipping college such as a big check and few endorsements that will be paid for the player to play in the NBA. They expand on this idea by saying that if a player graduates from college they will then be able to have a sufficient amount of knowledge to make money without the likes of basketball if push came to shove. Then, If a player so happen makes it to the NBA, it will only be a plus to the education that they already have gotten. I believe that when a player skips college and goes to the NBA it must mean that they are pretty good at what they do and more than likely will well make. I also see many kids such as LeBron James, one of the best players in the NBA who skipped college, with endorsements deals worth about one hundred million with NIKE. This is only his second year in the NBA. With that money he is also already investing in different venues such as Record Companies and Sports Agencies. This is a perfect example of a player, who has skipped college, and without the higher level of