It is widely known and accepted that today a majority of people must go to college in order to be successful. Athletes seem to have found a way to sneak around this, though. Many athletes go from high school athletics straight into the pros without getting a college education. They view college as a burden rather than a blessing, and such a mindset needs to change. A college education is becoming necessary to function in the real world and there should not be a way to skip this. Athletes should have to get a college education before going into the pros. To begin, athletes should have to go to college because it teaches financial maturity. It shows students the importance of money in a way other aspects of life cannot. The term “broke college student” makes sense but they come out knowing how to handle their finances much better. “Go from rags to riches too quickly and these athletes may not know what to do with their money” (Clary). Without having college as a middle ground, these athletes will have no grasp on why they should be financially stable and will instead go on a spending spree.
Instead of putting it in the bank and letting it collect interest, they begin buying houses in every popular travel destination in the United States. There is a level of maturity with money that college teaches that athletes should be exposed to. “For so many of them, the lack of experience with money is their Achilles’ heel… The knowledge and experience are the keys to their expertise in money management” (Jabbar). Athletes do not know what they are giving up by not going through college. The financial education many need in life is taught beginning in college and without the basis of said knowledge, they are set up for failure. “For the average athlete, there is no way that their life experience can help them handle their money” (Jabbar). For any young adult, it is hard to picture some financial situations one will be stuck in later in life. Giving a 19 year old massive amounts of money when they are fresh out of high school to play pro sports will have significant consequences later in life. The money feels endless in the moment but in actuality it will disappear fairly quickly if people are spending irresponsibly. College can help in the way that it will show athletes the value of money and how they should handle it regardless of the amount in their bank account.
Furthermore, college should be a requirement for pro athletes so they have something to fall back on if their career does not go as planned. Many athletes do not make it all the way to the pros so there should be another option in case they are in the vast majority not playing professionally. According to the NCAA, out of all 1,093,234 high school football players 6.5% will play football in college but only 1.6% of college players will actually get drafted by the NFL (ncaa.org). In the end, if roughly 1,100 football players are left to make it to the pros, there are many others that need to do something else. The ones that are not playing professionally after college are going to need some sort of degree to get a respectable job. A college player may expect to get drafted but then get injured in a car accident or something of that nature and need to be able to make a living. “It is unquestionable that a degree will benefit college athletes because college teaches students to do the job of citizens” (Vogel). The average American wakes up and goes to work every day to a job that they got hired for because of the degree they received in college. There are very few athletes able to make it all the way to professional sports, so one must be prepared to be a citizen just like everyone else and earn a living.
Though some would argue that college poses a risk to athletes because they have to wait longer to make money to support themselves, it must be recognized that most of these incredible college athletes have some sort of incentive for going to their said university. A basketball player is not going to go play for Duke without some sort of financial support from the school. Many athletes do not need to support themselves because of the money colleges put in to support them I have seen firsthand the support colleges give their athletes financially. I have a friend who will be playing baseball at a private university next year. It is widely known that private colleges do not give out scholarships, but instead financial package. This college offered my friend a full ride through a financial package so he would come play baseball for them. It is hard to say college athletes need to support themselves when they have so much support from external factors.
All in all, athletes should have to go to college before playing professional sports because it teaches the importance of financial stability and gives a backup plan in case they do not make it to the pros. It needs to be recognized that by adults not making rules that say athletes need to go through college they are neglecting them. An 18 year old is not going to focus on their future but instead their love of the game, so they need guidance even if they do not believe it is what is right for them. To give them equal opportunity in the end, they will need a college education for the rest of their lives.
