[Bette]

OJ Mayo is the poster boy for those who take advantage of the system (or get taken advantage of) but he is only one of many child prodigies who succumb to pressures and influences at an early age.

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Some time ago we had a thread about whether or not to raise the age kids could start playing pro. At the time I said lower it because I thought it was necessary to get all the education possible. Reading on this Mayo thing has given me a whole new out look. The kids should be allowed to go pro right out of high school. Let me explain.
First of all, in no other area of employment is there an age limit. So why in pro basketball?
I was blaming Mayo, I blamed the school. I'm not so sure the school is so innocent. But Mayo was raised by his mom, his dad spent most of his time in jail. Mom wouldnt sign the letter of intent, but dad did. The kid was overwhelmed and over pressured and he succumbed.
The villain in the piece? The agents, the coaches who pressure these kids and take advantage of them to send them in the direction they want them to go. The agents send summer basketball coaches who build a relationship with these kids and get the kids to trust the coaches with out knowing the coaches are getting paid for it. Its easy for them to prey on kids with little or no parental support.
Breaking the rules is bad enough, but when they use these kids to break the rules with them, it infuriates me.
What's your take on this?