Was listening to some talk about this on the radio yesterday.... or.. maybe it was Tuesday... in any case, I cannot understand how so many people seem to get sucked into this idea that an athlete has some kind of "right" to a career as an athlete. They don't. They have a right, I suppose, to pursue such a career - but that's quite a different discussion, in my view. The professional leagues, in my view, are certainly allowed to set minimum requirements for employment. If the NFL says "All applicants must be 3 years out of high school" so fucking be it. A kid who is good at basketball doesn't get to be an NBA player simply because he thinks he's entitled to it. And, I suppose that's part of what bother me about this generation of athlete - entitlement.
Then there's the whole "Well, it's the players labors which are making millions for their institutions (usually conflated with the NCAA)" bullshit. When I was in school, I had a job making a meager pay while the corporate big wigs of my employer(s) were yachting it up in the Caribbean. So FUCKING WHAT. Other people making money on our labors? BIG FUCKING SURPRISE! Grow the fuck up, eat your free meal, enjoy state of the art facilities and your opportunity for a free education - with a chance to hit a fucking jackpot job that most people can never even come close to - and shut your goddamned mouths.