Last week, I explored the intricacies of the race for the 2016 Olympics, choosing to focus on the substantial influence of new President-elect Barack Obama. Now that the afterglow of the historic election has begun to wear off, however, I decided to examine a very important story appropriate to the current sports world. As the college basketball season kicked off last week, one player that figured to be very prominent in national discussion for NCAA Player of the Year was notably absent. Brandon Jennings, last year’s number one recruit in the nation, did not take the court with the Arizona Wildcats, where he previously committed to play; rather, he was practicing with his new team, Lottomatica Roma, an ocean away in the heart of Italy. There, Jennings will try to improve his skills in order to raise his draft stock for next year while living in a grand apartment provided by the team and earning millions of dollars from his team contract and his endorsement deal with Under Armour. He is the first player to play professionally overseas rather than attend college for the mandatory year since NBA Commissioner David Stern constructed the age restriction two years ago. As a result, Jennings (pictured left) initiated a media firestorm, and has paved the way for what many believe to be the new, popular way for NBA hopefuls to make money out of high school while still adhering to the league’s age rule. In order to investigate this story in greater detail, I chose to search the blogosphere in an attempt to uncover further opinions on the subject. In doing so, I encountered and commented on two dynamic and well-regarded blogs. First, I discovered former ESPN Radio reporter and Cleveland Metro Network’s Sports Director Jeff Sack’s Le Basketbawl blog. In his entry, “Stern says Jennings playing in Europe is ‘a pretty cool thing,’” Sack nicely identifies the future implications of the Jennings’ decision for the NBA and the NCAA by focusing on the reactions of Commissioner Stern and NCAA President Myles Brand. Next, I unearthed the highly renowned New York Times College Sports Blog, The Quad, to which former ESPN journalist Pete Thamel regularly contributes. Thamel’s post, “At 19, plotting new path to N.B.A., via Europe,” provided a more detailed description of Jennings, from his daily life in Rome to an explanation of the process that led him there, and the resulting influence on future players. In addition to publishing my comments directly on the authors’ respective blogs, I have also posted these comments below.
“Stern says Jennings playing in Europe is ‘a pretty cool thing’"
Thank you for your thoughtful and intriguing post regarding the widespread impact of Brandon Jennings’ resolution to forego college in favor of playing professionally in Europe. Clearly, his success will be heavily scrutinized and will probably determine whether or not similar choices by high school stars will become the norm or will fade off the radar. With that said, I particularly liked that you expanded your analysis to include the ramifications for all parties involved, from the NBA, to the NCAA, to future high school graduates. To be perfectly honest, I agree wholeheartedly with your “cynical side,” (as I do in most cases involving any sport in which profit is involved) that NCAA President Brand is almost certainly more worried by a potential loss of revenue than he is with the loss of one year of education. Realistically, a player similar to Jennings (whose SAT scores were on the verge of preventing him from playing anyway) is already thinking about the NBA, and would only attend college to market himself in a way that will make him more money in the future, not as a lawyer or a doctor, but as an NBA star. A single year at Arizona would not grant him a degree, nor would he be likely to make much of an attempt at studying anything besides basketball.
In terms of the NBA, I found myself somewhat surprised by Commissioner Stern’s complete approval of the Jennings situation. As you note, he was “the driving force” behind forcing high school graduates to wait at least a year before entering the NBA. If this rule was not intended to force players to attend college for a year in the hopes of preparing them for life in the NBA, I do not understand why it was designed. As I recall, Stern emphasized the maturity factor for instituting the “one and done” statute. In that case, how is an eighteen-year-old mature enough to adapt to life a foreign country, play alongside many others that do not speak his language, and negotiate endorsement deals as well as his contract, but not developed enough to adjust to life in the NBA? Ultimately, I believe that Jennings acted in the best interest of both him and his family. I find it difficult to fault someone for taking advantage of the system to make millions of dollars while honing his game for next year’s draft. I wonder, however, if you share my concern that his success will create false hope for those that will inevitably follow in his footsteps, that will hope to ride what you refer to as the “wave of the future.”
“At 19, plotting new path to N.B.A., via Europe”
Thank you for your comprehensive post pertaining to the announcement by Brandon Jennings to play professionally overseas prior to entering the NBA rather than attending a university for a year. You addressed a wide variety of important aspects of this decision, most notably the consequential impact on the NCAA. Initially, I concluded that the future could be disastrous for President Brand (pictured right) if he begins to lose all the top-tiered talent to European professional teams. I would imagine, for example, that the wildly profitable “March Madness” tournament would have suffered in recent years without one-year-wonders such as Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, and Michael Beasley. Yet, you astutely point out that the “one and done” rule was established only two years ago, and that college basketball flourished even as a generation of superstars (Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James) journeyed directly to the NBA from high school.
Overall, I believe that Jennings did what will be most beneficial to his future career; however, I have a few qualms about the overall message of his choice. As you mention, Jennings is an “admittedly apathetic student,” referred to college as “the easy road,” and even considered taking the entire year off to work out and train rather than attend the University of Arizona. Already, he is thriving, in position to earn more than one million dollars this year, and by most accounts is quite happy living in Rome. Yet, what does this say to others who might also consider foregoing college to play in Europe? Above all, it demonstrates that Jennings’ attitude towards college education is acceptable, which certainly should not be. NBA careers last, on average, 4.82 seasons, according to TIME Magazine. While many are likely to play longer than that, nothing is guaranteed. Inevitably, players will imitate Jennings, go to Europe, and will feel uncomfortable and lost, play poorly and their draft status will plummet. What then? They will have no college education and will be poorly equipped to pursue a fulfilling career after basketball. Again, it is much too early to proclaim Jennings’ achievements as good or bad for the NBA, NCAA, or the players themselves. Indeed, the twelve elite high school players that are reportedly interested in following his path may enjoy similar stardom; nevertheless, they must realize that not everyone will end up like Brandon Jennings.