Survey: 46% of readers support athletes bypassing college for pros

In April, Coach and Athletic Director asked readers whether they believed that high school athletes should be allowed to bypass college for the pros. Most agreed they should, but here are the complete results along with some of the responses.

• “More sports allow high school athletes to jump to the professional level than don’t. Hockey, tennis, skiing, baseball, soccer and golf all allow you to play as a professional if you are capable. If a football or basketball player is capable, then they should be allowed. The current rules for basketball and football only turn the “academic” experience into a farce for collegiate athletics.”

• “I really like the college baseball rule that you have to stay three years if you decide to go to college.”

• “Minimum of two years with 10 hours of Financial Management credit, along with credits for Communication/Speech and Sports Information Management.”

• “They already can, they can play in Europe or other locations overseas. Leagues like the NBA should be allowed to make their own rules like any business. If they feel it’s better for business to have the players wait a year to better evaluate talent or for other reasons then that’s their decision.”

• “If they want to make that jump, no one should stop them. As long as they are 18 and legal adults let them make the decision. If they succeed or fail, it’s on them. Hopefully, in doing so, college sports would be better.”