NBA age limit is not racism

In response to NBA commissioner David Stern requesting a 20 year old age limit for the NBA draft, Jermaine O'Neal of the Indiana Pacers has suggested that his request is racist. O'Neal has said:

"In the last two or three years, the rookie of the year has a been a high school player ... As a black guy, you kind of think that's the reason why it's coming up. You don't hear about it in baseball or hockey. To say you have to be 20, 21 to get in the league, it's unconstitutional. If I can go to the U.S. army and fight the war at 18, why can't you play basketball for 48 minutes?"

All I can say to that statement is "wow." Where does Jermaine come up with this stuff? Do you think he'd let me get a hit from the weed he's smoking?

First and foremost, the age limit is constitutional. It is lawful under the US constitution and the NBA's own bylaws. The NBA is a private corporation. It is therefore entitled to set its own rules as long as it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, creed, religion, or age. Although it can not discriminate on the basis of age, enacting an age limit on the NBA is not discriminatory. The reason the NBA wants an age limit is because the NBA believes an age limit will be of benefit to the league and to society.

There are age limits everywhere in society and the majority of them are for the sake of society. In most states, a person can not obtain a driver's license until they reach the age of 16. This is not to say that a 15 year old is incapable of driving. But laws are not created for individuals (unless you're the Republican congress trying to legislate morality by passing Terry's Law). Instead, laws are passed for the benefit of society as a whole. It has been determined that 16 year olds pose less of a risk than 15 year olds behind the wheel.

Millions of kids grow up wanting to become professional basketball players. Many spend their youth preparing to enter the NBA while neglecting their collegiate and high school educations. The problem is that only a very small percentage of aspiring basketball players are given the chance to play in the NBA.

30 teams * 15 members = 450 players

So there are 450 professional basketball players in the NBA whereas millions of students graduate high school each year in the US. So its safe to say its more important for high school students to focus on their education than to neglect it in hopes of being drafted by the NBA. Thats all the NBA wants to do, they want to ensure that high school students with aspirations of being in the NBA at least finish high school and go to college.

Now, the NBA isn't asking for this simply for society's benefit, they believe it will also help their organization. By requiring players to go to college first, they increase they maturity and intelligence levels of their players. Secondly, it allows them to grow and develop mentally in a college environment before making the giant step to the pros. An 18 year old kid with a multi-million dollar contract living on his own for the very first time is destined to get into trouble.

With regards to racism, O'Neal's comments are ridiculous. An age limit affects all races equally. Just because the past two Rookie of the Year awards went to the black players drafted out of high school, does not denote racism because the vast majority of the league is black. If you want to argue this, come back with better evidence.

There is nothing wrong an organization that wants to implement an age restriction because it believes it will benefit society and its organization. Perhaps if this age restriction had been in place before you were drafted, you would have went to college. At college, you could have gained an education and more specifically you could have learned how to control yourself. Perhaps, this self growth and knowledge would have kept you from embarassing yourself, your team, and your city during an NBA game where you engaged in mob behavior and violently attacked fans. Think about that Jermaine.