21…Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number

Far too often we are reminded of stories where young people who become instant celebrities over night are reduced to bankrupt “has-beens” in their later adult lives.

Hall of Fame NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recently voiced his concern over this seemingly growing epidemic of  today’s “precocious kids from high school” being given too much money instantly before actually “earning” the money by going to college and becoming “very polished”. He proposes that kids stay in school and not be allowed to enter the NBA until 21 years of age. Is this a blatant violation of a right to make an honest living in this world? A violation of anti-trust law in the United States, a bitter old man who is just jealous he never was afforded such lucrative monies, or simple common sense that would benefit the player and society as a whole by reinforcing educational values as a necessary priority?