Get Rid of it

The one-and-done rule, which requires players to have one year of experience between high school and the National Basketball Association (NBA), is one of the most pointless and archaic rules in modern sports.

“If you’re good enough to play, then you should be in the NBA,” Philadelphia 76ers guard J.J. Redick told Business Insider.

With March Madness in full swing and FBI investigation into recruiting scandals simultaneously rocking headlines, the enforcement of the infamous rule is once again in question. While the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), a so-called “non-profit organization”, rakes in over $1 billion in television ad revenue alone, they punish and shame the players responsible for this revenue for taking money under the table they should be receiving above it.

This travesty of the rule may have roots much deeper than basketball or even money; but racism.

Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy ripped the NCAA and alluded to the role racism plays in the implementation of the rule recently to reporters according to ESPN.

“I think a lot of it was racist, quite honestly,” Van Gundy told reporters. “I’ve never heard anybody go up in arms about, ‘Oh my god, they’re letting these kids go out and play minor-league baseball’ or, ‘They’re letting these kids come out and play minor-league hockey.’ They’re not making big money, and they’re white kids primarily, and nobody has a problem.”

“But all of a sudden, you’ve got a black kid who wants to come out of high school and make millions — that’s a bad decision? What the hell is going on?”

It is clear that it is not just black student athletes who are not receiving compensation for their athletic talents. However, it is frustrating for people of color to see themselves dominate the major sports (football and basketball) and not be allowed to supplement their living expenses like other sports are permitted to.

When a multi-billion dollar organization is profiting off the talents of young people who cannot even get a sliver of the pie, there is a large problem.

Let it stay

While my co-Sports Editor believes the “One-and-done” rule of the NBA should be abolished and the NBA should let high school graduating seniors who are talented enough enter the NBA draft, I will tell you it should stay.

The rule was implemented in 2005 by then commissioner David Stern. Since then, a player must be one year removed from high school to be eligible to enter the NBA. Lebron James is the last notable player who skipped college to go straight to the pros, and he was 17. James was a talent unlike any other player seen in basketball since Michael Jordan and should not be considered the norm for high school players jumping straight to the pros. Before the rule was implemented, many players who assumed they were good enough to enter the draft right away, either had average to below-average careers, or had very short lived careers.

These young men entering the draft are not only hurting themselves by not letting their game mature and develop, but it also hurts the schools they are choosing not to attend.

Trev Mcdiffett of the Daily Nebraskan said players not only benefit on the court but off.

With the current rule in place, players are able to adjust to life alone off the court,” MCdiffett said. “In addition, they are given a chance to test their abilities and to see if they truly are ready for the next level.”

The rule is not perfect, and there will never be a perfect rule for the system. But, this is the best way to allow players to mold and shape their abilities for the pro level.