Once again a college athlete is considering ending his education in the pursuit of hoop dreams. Sophomore point guard Marcus Taylor has added his name to a growing list of MSU athletes who forgo their college careers to enter the NBA Draft.
Men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo is right to say we can’t blame somebody for wanting to pursue his or her lifelong dreams, but we can be saddened by it.
It’s not the fact that Taylor might not be around to satisfy Spartan fans’ hunger for another national title; we are sad because Taylor stands to give up on his education.
We are not mad at Taylor for considering his options, but we are infuriated by the culture of America’s professional sports world that holds dollar signs as more valuable than education.
On the bright side, Taylor has created options for himself by choosing not to have an agent. He should be commended for his maturity to create a safety net that will not lock him into his decision and will allow him to stay at MSU if his hoop dreams are not fulfilled this year.
But that doesn’t change the fact that it is becoming too common for young and talented students to pass up the Spartan green and white for more prosperous shades that include portraits of famous American politicians.
Life is full of chances. On one hand, Taylor could join the NBA, receive a career-ending injury and have no education on which to fall back.
Or, he could play another season at MSU, get hurt and never see his dream come true.
Or, perhaps he will have a prosperous NBA career no matter which path he takes.
Or maybe he’ll never be more than mediocre in the NBA. There are no certainties.
Point guards in the NBA are a dime a dozen. Taylor is still a young player who still has problems with consistency.
It would be nice to see him continue to work on his game at MSU, if he hopes to be the NBA’s next Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
But we fear that Taylor, like many other talented young athletes, wants to grow up too fast. These athletes might be better off enjoying college life.
Athletics programs and professional sports organizations need to emphasize the role of education, instead of having it play second fiddle to games.
By doing this, more athletes might earn degrees before going pro.
It’s a sad state when society promotes college as a springboard to professional sports instead of an educational opportunity.
We will root on Taylor on whatever court he plays next year. But we will not root for the NBA or the sports culture that continues to promote fishing college players away from their educations using dollar signs as bait.
