Well people will never accuse me of striking while the iron is hot, but it's time to discuss this topic.  The idea of University of South Carolina defensive lineman, Jadeveon Clowney sitting out a year to prepare for the NFL Draft was proposed by a writer for Sports Illustrated.  The idea is that he would avoid injury that would be possible by playing his junior year at USC.  This, unexpectedly, sparked a debate that has more holes in it than a doughnut store.

To start with, barring any unforeseen changes, Clowney has already stated that he fully intends to play next year.  Having said that, the argument that he should not play is just ridiculous.  It goes against almost anything we argue about in sports, yet there were several people who argued that it might not be a bad idea and that someone in the future will eventually go through with the idea.  Their argument is that these kids have a right to protect themselves and their potential earnings and some even argued that the NFL three year out of high school rule is unjust.

To me, the NFL's rule is perfect and should be followed by more sports.  The NBA would be a perfect example, but that's an argument for another day.  Most people have conceded the point that nobody is ready for the NFL out of high school or even after one year of college football.  That point has been made mostly on a physical level.  I would argue that the three year rule is good also on a mental level.  There is no perfect age, but nobody can convince me that they or anyone else would be able to handle the pressures of professional sports in America and the money and exposure that comes along with it at age 18.  ESPN analysts were saying that kids should have a right to protect their future earnings and if he's injured he won't earn anything.  I argue that if he doesn't spend time in college learning about life, then he could be awarded a huge contract and end up no different than the other stories of pro athletes that go broke.

While there is no pattern for why those athletes lost their money, lack of financial awareness is one of the more prevalent reasons.  Even the most mature 18 or 19 year old is unlikely to not spend untold riches if just handed money like it grows on trees.  I consider myself thrifty and intelligent when it comes to spending, but even I wish I had some of the money back that I wasted during those years.  Then, to compound their foolish argument, they go further to say that people with the talent should be allowed to enter the workforce whenever they choose.

Why?  Why do we treat talent in sports so different than other professions.  Outside of perhaps singers, athletics is probably the only profession where the majority of the workforce did not have to go to school, learn their craft and hone it while not being compensated.  I find it rather interesting that the very people making the argument fit into my example.  Most any sports writer or journalist was an intern at one point.  Very few, if any, places pay interns any more.  Yet, those people went through the process because it was what they wanted to do.  Why can athletes not do the same?  I know just in my own experience -- people who know me know I'm not boastful or brag -- that I am a better broadcaster than several people who have jobs.  Yet, I'm still trying to get my break while they get paid and have less talent.  Sometimes, that's just how life is.  Why are athletes different?

Some will say it is because they have a far smaller window of opportunity to use that talent as a profession.  I will concede that.  However, the risk of injury is there in training the same as it is during a game.  Even professional athletes get hurt in practice.  The odds are greater during a physical contest, yes, but you can just as easily drop a weight on your foot or hyper-extend a knee while running or pull a muscle as you can get injured during competition.  Those are the risks associated with athletics.  Similar to the risks we take when we seek out a profession.  We do not know if we will succeed or not.  If we fail, we have to find something else to do with our lives.  Athletes are too often given a pass because they have a talent that entertains us.

While I'll be the first to admit that I want my teams, especially collegiate, to win I often wonder why we give so much leniency to athletes.  Not even just in college but in many high schools.  Why does the star quarterback not have to do homework?  Why does the 6'4 basketball player with a great shot and slick dribbling skills not have to study for the test?   Because our society has coddled them and taught them that it's ok to be nothing more than a ball player.  How do we know that Jadeveon Clowney doesn't aspire to be more than a football player?  And should we not encourage him to be more.  Perhaps not.

An example of it not being ok to be more would be Myron Rolle.  Instead of going directly into the NFL Draft, he accepted a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.  Even people who aren't very academic have usually heard of those and know they are hard to achieve.  Yet, Rolle was criticized by some within football for taking any time away from the game.  Eventually he was drafted in the sixth round when he returned to the US to try his hand at pro football.  Many suggested he would have gone higher if he did not take time away from the game.  Yet they blow that argument out of the water by suggesting that Clowney should take a year off the game to protect himself from injury.

Why does it make sense to those people to not play for a year to avoid injury, but not playing while studying at prestigious universities abroad is a bad idea?  Also, even we as fans often wonder if time off is good for our players/teams.  Many wonder if getting a bye week is bad because you lose momentum.  People who are injured never come back at the exact same level because of their time away from game situations.  So why would it make sense for Clowney to take a full year away from competitive football and then expect to be the player he was right out of the gate?  A year of weights and sprints is going to prepare him better than a year playing in the SEC?  You've got to be kidding.  Also, what of the teammates?

I speak not only of the college teammates a player making such a decision would abandon, but their potential future NFL teammates.  If someone could so easily leave their teammates in college for a potential payday, if they could so easily leave a chance for a divisional, conference or even national title because they feared injury then why would NFL players trust them?  How can one tell their brothers in the locker room that they are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to win the Lombardi trophy when they made no sacrifice to stand with their brothers in college?  Perhaps I'm being naive.  I just hope that athletic spirit and competitiveness never die just for a chance at money.  I hope that Clowney will not be the last to laugh such suggestions off and keep playing.  Only time will tell.

QUICK THOUGHTS

- LeBron is not/nor ever will be MJ.  When I thought about it, Jordan was often compared to Dr. J and much like LeBron just shrugged it off and played his game.  So, most of the difference would be media driven since we live in such a 24/7 news cycle now.  Saying that, I want to like LeBron because he is talented and does seem pretty humble.  However, he is not Jordan and won't be.  I would compare him more to Magic quite frankly with his ability to play multiple positions and facilitate others' offense.

- When are the Blackhawks going to lose for goodness sake?  They're a heck of a team, and as a Blues fan it pains me to say that, but c'mon.  Crawford and Emery aren't what most people envisioned as Stanley Cup goalies, but so far they're looking like it.  Guess we'll see...and hopefully St. Louis ends their streak on Thursday haha.

- In the category of this is why they play the games, see the AC Milan vs. Barcelona match.  Everything leading up to the first leg of the UEFA Champions League contest said that Milan was overmatched and unlikely to even manage must of a fight against such a superteam as Barca.  Milan proceeded to win 2-0.  While Barca is talented enough to win 3-0 or 4-1 in the second leg, it puts enormous pressure on them and proves even the mightiest can be slain with good game-planning and execution.

- Headshots in hockey need to go the way of highsticking and hits to the helmet in football.  I think it has gotten to the point now, and Chris Kerber of the St. Louis Blues' announce team agreed, that it needs to be a penalty whether intentional or not.  If we really care about the safety of players then it should not matter whether there was intent, which to think any one can judge is laughable.  I could spend another entire blog on that and perhaps I will at another point, but I'll leave you with that.

- On a similar point, what's going on with the lack of respect in hockey?  We're to the point where top line players are taking cheap shots at third and fourth line guys (see Taylor Hall's blatant check to the knee of Cal Clutterbuck).  It's a sad state and all because we have tried to legislate out physical play and fighting instead of letting players police themselves.  I do not wish for the days when the saying "I went so a fight and a hockey game broke out" was literally true, but there was a time when sticks did not hit players above the waist intentionally and a price was to be paid if you crossed a line.  Sadly that is not the case now.

That'll about do it for this blog.  Pretty sad that it's been over a year since I've done one.  Just have to find the time and mental willingness to get to it.  Make sure to check out my YouTube videos as well.  I'm going to try to do both much more often.  Leave me some feedback too.  I like sports discussions with intelligent folk.  Ciao for now and remember, it's just my opinion...but I'm right.