Bruce's Bytes
A three-time NBA Champion and eight-time NBA All-Defensive Team honoree, San Antonio Spurs forward Bruce Bowen is also founder of The Bruce Bowen Foundation, which is committed to supporting and enhancing the lives of youth in underserved communities. He and his wife, Yardley, also own several businesses in San Antonio. Learn more about Bruce.
Kids Skipping College to go Pro......
By Bruce Bowen
What a wonderful place we live, when teens can decide to work for a living at age 16! I remember listening to people ask would they like fries with that, or would you like our new ey crispy? Those were some of the things that use to go on at Kentucky Fried Chicken. One of my 1st REAL JOBS, and you noticed we didn't super size things then either, that came along a few years later.
I remember working because I wanted to save money for college, I was able to go to college on an athletic scholarship. I was happy because I knew that with an education, the sky was the limit for me! I also had a big brother who continued to say things like, "what if you tear your knee up and can't play sports anymore? You need something to fall back on".
When I hear of kids skipping college to jump to professional ranks, it bothers me deeply. Not because I don't want to see them succeed, it's because I feel they're missing so much to what life is all about in college. That's where I learned that if you don't pay your light bills, your lights will get cut off! That's where I learned to budget my money, or should I say make $20 last for 2 weeks. I also learned not to use the line "Hi I'm Bruce, I play basketball here", the ladies gave me a quick crash course in what and what not to do concerning them.
With all the things I did learn in college, still didn't prepare me for the "REAL WORLD". If these kids break a leg or rupture a tendon in their knee, what will they fall back on? The reality is that they end up going back to where they came from, minus an education, social skills, and other things that are necessary in the "REAL WORLD". We hear so much about Kobe, Kevin Garnett, or Moses Malone who were exceptions to the rule. We don't hear too much about Corleon Young, or Marcus Cotton. Those were guys who didn't make it to the NBA after High School, and where are they now?
I also hear this argument, why shouldn't others have the opportunity such as golf and tennis? You're right, but those sports don't involve teamwork.
They're individual sports that requires a coach, who pretty much teaches and guides the athlete in the right direction concerning their sport. I'm not saying this type of athlete doesn't have obstacles, but you hear more problems with basketball players in social enviornments than golf and tennis.
Education is more necessary now than ever before.
Thank you for posting.
It is great to see a professional athlete write about education being necessary. Of course, I know that just because individuals decide to attend college and get a degree does not mean they are educated. But his points are noteworthy and I agree with everything he wrote. Thank you, Bruce.
bb!
Let's see now.... The lure of playing ball and overnight riche$$$ vs. 4 years of playing ball and homework, exams, etc.. but I appreciate BB's point of view which unfortunately will be lost on most youngsters preparing to make the jump to the pros.
Good take, Bruce, and thanks Duncan228 for the post, as always.
since he's from Wichita, I will point out that the editor should have caught that it is KORLEONE young. he's not a member of vito's family.
damn Bruce would be a terrific coach
Great take. I hope pro sports takes more notice and increases the age limit to enter but most likely wont jeopardize the bottom line. Money talks!
No one will argue the benefits a college degree can bring to a student athlete, but for an elite athlete forced student for a year? One year in college means english, U.S. government, history, a science class, speech, and a remedial math. That first year of college seemed like a waste of time to me. I'll be attending law school next year.
When an 18 year old bypasses attending college to play professional baseball, he's living the dream. When another 18 year does the same to follow his basketball dream, it's a foolhardy adventure which will only end in tragedy.
"College" for most is an extended childhood, only this time with plenty of liquor and rote memorization. We pretend actual learning occurs in those ins utions, at least here in the US. If someone takes a stab at his dream and finds a way to make good money (in some cases, real good money) at it, what's the problem? They can always find an ins ution to go to in order to get the full, inflated collegiate experience if they want to, later.
I think the main problem is that in the US, we are disturbed, and somewhat jealous, when someone does not follow conventional wisdom and follows their dream instead of following the rest of us into the mine....er, school.
The one year college rule is a joke. It violates the rights of the individual. It is a boon to coaches looking to make a name for themselves. Recruit a Beasley or Rose and your on your way to the final four and a mega-raise. Brandon Jennings was smart enough to realize he wasn't smart enough for college. He hated the idea of going to class so he could practice at 4. I can imagine the college coaches who are cursing the fact that the 'one year' college rule wasn't in effect when Lebron James came out of HS. One year with him & one national championship! It always leads to falsifying grades or having some take your SAT's. I do have first hand knowledge since I taught Walter Berry for 2 years. When I learned he was a student at ST. John's I was stunned. Walter was a nice, polite kid but not a college student. No way! WHEN THEY START PAYING COLLEGE COACHES BASED ON THE % OF SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS THEY GRADUATE THE SYSTEM WILL CHANGE? I'm not holding my breath. Bruce is absolutely correct about the value of education for most student athletes. The problem is that there is too much money in the pipeline for coaches, parents, special high schools and agents to effect meaningful change. Hoping that Bruce comes home and finishes his career as Spur!
Four years of college doesn't just give you an academic education. Just like Bruce said, you learn to live life on a budget, be self-sufficient, and time management is a must.
Many great athletes, though, don't really have what it takes to be in college. Going for one year is a farce, because if you know you'll only be there for one year, there's no incentive to actually study or learn anything. There should be a true minor league for basketball and football, so that the universities can concentrate on education and have true student-athletes instead of these mercenaries for hire.
Nice take by #12.
How many broke retired athletes went to college? LOTS.
Those with a clue, like Bruce, probably learned proper budgeting and financial habits growing up. For so many professional athletes, who have poor role models growing up, college isn't going to teach them financial discipline. They go on an all-expense paid ride and get money under the table so there's no need to learn it.
I respect Bruce's opinion but he is an atypical pro.
Four (or five or six or...) years of college does not provide an "academic education," as in one which really requires you to think and which acquaints you with the development of human thought and knowledge over the course of several millennia. It's training of some sort with a passing glance at a watered down version of how we got here. That we expect college attendance to instill that which was missed during one's first eighteen years of existence says enough. You can certainly learn how "to live life on a budget, be self-sufficient, and time management" while working.
That depends on where you went to school, how much you learned before high school graduation, and who you are. I learned 10000 times more in four years of college than I did in four years of high school, but that's just me.
And I didn't say that college was the only place to learn crucial life skills, just that it provides a way to do so. I know that I would have done much worse going straight into the workforce after high school.
I actually think that college isn't for everybody, and initiatives presented by activist groups and the government to get everyone to go to college aren't the right way to go. You need to find the people that would benefit from college, and give them the opportunity (financial, usually) to do so.
Either a kid can be paid well while getting drunk and fornicating or he can go to college, be paid little while getting drunk and fornicating while his "tutors" learn for him. I'm not sure why it's somehow noble that colleges make money off young players' talents without paying them the true value of their services. That's the true problem here, but naturally we give "college" the benefit of the doubt. Collegiate education today is the biggest sham ever contemplated by man, when you look at the value received for what is paid, anyways. College athletics is an ever bigger farce, created to deprive young athletes of the true value of their talents.
woo hoo law school!!!!
unless you are going to a tier 1 and are in the top of your class (which i hope you are and wish you the best) its a pretty over glorified position, go ahead and flame me, i know a lot of people are, im a lame accountant
For the legality, I don't see how it is any different for any other job that requires a degree, certification, or whatever else.
And by making them play at a higher level for a year, it protects the NBA from making as many mistakes in drafting, they have a year to scout the kid outside of high school.
You could say the same about high school, lol.
Go pro.
Save money for college.
Go to college when the pro career is over.
I don't completely disagree with you, but it's not really apples and apples.
18 year olds drafted in baseball will still spend a few years toiling in the minors, playing in smaller cities on smaller stipends, still going through things that will force them to develop as people (relatively speaking only). Only a couple see big money straight out of the gate.
High school basketball players that were drafted are thrown immediately into the circus.
Once again, not saying that you're wrong - only that it's not the best comparison.
Some of those 18 year old batsmen are paid a pretty penny these days. Further, they avoid heading to precious college, just like the boys from the hood, which is allegedly the big problem.
A few reasons I'm still going to disagree a bit:
1) American baseball players tend to come from cultural (NOT RACIAL) backgrounds where their families are not impoverished. While they may get handed a big signing bonus, they've had enough advantages in life that they're not going to blow it all on themselves, family, and friends right off the bat. (WITH EXCEPTIONS)
2) High school baseball draft picks have to deal with very little fame issues. There's probably 5 people on this board that can name even a handful of high school picks over the past few years. Fewer than that could pick these kids out of a line-up.
3) It's freaking hard to get to the big leagues. First round NBA picks almost always make the roster and have too many free nights, even during the season. Minor league baseball players play every night and those kids have to work their tails off if they're going to progress through the system. There's just not as much opportunity to find trouble. (WITH EXCEPTIONS)
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