Pro Football’s College Tuition Bill
Last weekend the National Football League drafted 256 players from America’s colleges. On May 19, the National Basketball Association will take around 60 more. Then, on June 9 and 10, Major League Baseball will pick another 45 or so. All of these athletes will have one thing in common: The cost of their training wasn’t paid for by the professional leagues that drafted them, but by their colleges.
There are many reasons for the rise of the NFL and NBA over the past half-century, but one of the most important is seldom discussed: They don’t pay for the development of their players. Though MLB does draw some talent from the nation’s top collegiate programs, the major percentage of their players are brought up through an extensive minor-league system.
wsj.com
4/30/09
Magnolia Tribune
