Imnotfeelingit.com

For a few years now, the NBA has had a rule that says you have to be at least 19 years old to play in the league. That you can go to Iraq or Afghanistan and lose body parts and your LIFE, but not be allowed to run around in some shorts with some other guys in shorts has escaped a lot of people. That the rule is playing games with people’s lives also seems to be forgotten. As yet, there hasn’t been a case of someone losing their life waiting to become old enough to play in the league. But would possibly losing a parent suffice?
 
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a basketball junkie. I will watch, play, and talk about basketball all day long. While some people watch basketball for the dunks, I’m at home calling out the defensive and offensive sets. And this goes back to the seventies. I can name every championship team, beginning in 1977 to the present. I can tell the difference between a 1-2-1 trap and a 2-3 zone. So the age limit rule kinda pissed me off. Because as a fan, I want to see the best players available. If they are over 18, they should be able to play. And to hear CLUCKS like Charles Barkley, who I like, and Shane BITCHIER who is overrated, agree with it was even more appalling. Because while Bitchier’s family might have been able to pay for his college education, people like Charles wouldn’t have been able to go to college if it weren’t for basketball. I guess Charles forgot about the money he has ADMITTED to receiving while playing at Auburn. And Shane is probably worried about some “young gun” taking his job for half the salary!

Let’s not kid ourselves here. Most college athletes have an eye on going pro, making a lot of money, and taking care of their families. And with African American players, this is more often the case. How many times have you seen interviews with African American professional athletes who have said the first thing they bought with their money is their mother a house! What does that tell you????
 
This age limit rule requires grown, adult men to wait to be able to do this. And finally, there has been a situation where having to wait to play basketball, could have cost someone their life!
 
DeMar DeRozan, the ninth pick in the 2009 NBA draft, has stated publicly that he went pro because his mother suffers from Lupus, a sometimes fatal and ALWAYS painful disease. With the money he is going to make, Demar can afford to get the BEST MEDICAL CARE available for his mother. Do you think it was right for his mother to suffer for the last year because the NBA says her son can’t play in the league?
 
If the concern is that young players aren’t ready for the league, then DON’T DRAFT THEM! But to create a RACIST rule to stop Black men from supporting their families is wrong. It was wrong when Stern’s PUNK ASS thought it up and it is WRONG NOW. Because the “one and done” scenario is a farce. Guys are going to college for one year, taking just enough classes to stay qualified, and leaving as soon as the final game is over. And now with the European league bidding for high school players like Brandon Jennings, the NBA might lose talent for longer than a year.
 
College basketball is becoming a joke because everyone can tell which players are there waiting to get into the league. No one is benefiting from this situation and eventually someone is going to lose their life waiting for “Master Stern” to let a “slave” become a “free man.” I wonder is Shane or Charles thought about that when they were co-signing nonsense. Or maybe because they are “athletes” they didn’t have the brains to think that far in advance! Oh, and rumor has it “massa” wants to up the age limit to 20 during the next bargaining agreement. It’s just a matter of time before someone does lose their life waiting to play a kids game.