|
By Sara Normand
Thousands of screaming fans. Songs blasting from the band. Youths everywhere jumping up and down. Flashing lights and excitement. Intensity. Star-struck fans. Everyone chanting familiar words. No, I’m not talking about a rock concert. This is college basketball, and this is an entirely different world of sports than the NBA. March Madness got me thinking. Not only have these college athletes not grown their wings yet, but also they are working without pay. These late teenagers and early 20-year-olds are still working on their facial hair. On the other hand, it takes a lot more physically to play basketball as a profession. It’s a sure bet though that the cheering section and intensity is much more alive at collegiate games. Yet with college basketball, each game has meaning as the conferences generally include ten or more teams, whereas in the pros, there are usually six teams per division at the most. It is no myth that coaching is completely different between echelons. Even more, there are differences in the way broadcasters and journalists talk and write about college sports. However, go to an NBA game and sit quietly like the rest of the crowd as if you were at Church. Go to a college game, however, and have a great time cheering on athletes who juggle their time between sports, friends, family, other jobs, and schoolwork, where athletes know it’s now or never, do or die. If only there were a way to clip their wings before they fly away to the real world. Until then, there will always be a wide gap between the “professional” league and the big boys on campus.
There was a time in sports where players would stay in the same city for their entire careers and a time when money meant nothing to athletes. That time has passed. One obvious difference between the NBA and college players is that the pros get a check with their name on it every week. If all else fails at motivating them, the six- and seven-figure checks get the job done. Dan Hoard, a play-by-play analyst for Cincinnati Bearcat basketball and also a host for a Reds show, feels that “high salaries have hurt professional sports…and allowed many players to ignore their coaches, teammates, and fans because they can’t be significantly punished.” With basketball, more and more players are leaving college early, entranced with the hefty contracts and endorsement deals. LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers did not even go to college, and he was set to make over $100 million in advertisements alone before putting one foot on an NBA court. Carmelo Anthony won a national championship with Syracuse in 2003 as a freshman and immediately entered the NBA draft that spring. Money seems to be the only constant in pro sports, as players typically play for three to four teams before retiring. And then there is Latrell Sprewell who, while playing for Golden State in 1997, choked his coach but still received a $62.8 million contract. Then last October he complained about a three-year $21 million contract from the Timberwolves, saying that he had a family to feed. Excuse me, Latrell. I could be wrong but…if you are playing in the NBA, I’m pretty sure you can feed your family. I guess I just wasn’t thinking about all those pro basketball stars that are on welfare and all of them who make only minimum wage…
Not only are the fiscal aspects different between these two levels, but also the physicalaspects vary by a lot. In the pros it is a lot rougher, and the long season takes a toll on its players. NBA teams play 82 games, but in college, only 30. Pro basketball also has a 24-second shot clock compared to the 35-second clock in college. For the pros, the shorter shot clock speeds up the pace of the game and results in team scores of over 100. Also, the number of timeouts varies, the pros have to shoot a 3-pointer from a farther distance from the basket, and they play eight total minutes longer. This is the reason why professionals have more sheer athletic talent, and the odds of making it there after college are not in youngsters’ favors. It takes much more size, strength, and quickness to make it in the majors, and once there, a player can’t go on cruise control and hold his job. These pros have to be the best at what they do or they are “fired” because millions of people are critiquing their every move and people will always be waiting in the shadows to take their spot. While a short, scrappy point guard might succeed in college basketball, the NBA is the best of the best, tallest of the tall, so they are not likely to be picked on a team let alone be an impact player right away. In addition, pro athletes will not make as many mistakes in tense situations like they would have in college. Simply put, it is harder to make the transition to the pros because the competition is stiffer and there aren’t enough teams to accommodate the thousands of student-athletes. On the other hand, if a college athlete does not play well, all he has to worry about is whether or not the bench is cold.
On the other hand, the fan support for college basketball is completely much more potent. With deadly fan zones like Duke’s Cameron Krazies and the Orange Krush of Syracuse, any top-ranked team is fair game to be upset at these venues. The better teams don’t always win in college because of the fan presence, also referred to as the sixth man on the court. On February 5, 2005, in a three-point win against rival Notre Dame, Syracuse set an on campus attendance record at 33,199 people. Coach Jim Boehim credited the fans as a major factor in the victory. College arenas are selling out while pro teams such as the Trail Blazers barely reach 10,000 guests! Also, every game is important for these college teams heading into March, as much of their schedule consists of rivals from their bulky conferences. The university’s band also helps to bring emotion, noise, and intensity to another level at these games, and they definitely help their players get pumped up as well. For example, the University of San Francisco is currently in fifth place in the West Coast Conference. However, in January at home they defeated 20th-ranked Gonzaga 73-70. A month later, they lost to the same team when they played at Gonzaga 75-73. Home court advantage is always helpful, but in close games, it can be all that matters. However, in the NBA, where tickets are so expensive that only the rich and only the businessmen can attend on a regular basis, there isn’t as much hype for a per-game basis. On a normal day, fans aren’t jumping up and down ready to pick a fight with the referees with their every call or lack thereof. Fans aren’t tormenting the opposition and screaming every time that opposition is running its offense. No, people are relaxed in their seats until a slam-dunk, until halftime, or until the end of the game. In general with hoops, collegiate school spirit definitely has the one-up over professional team spirit, and this shines through with the many magical powers of the university home court advantage.
For college players looking towards a potential career in basketball, diamonds, spinners on the car wheels, shoe contracts, and other types of “bling” seem to be what shines through to them. The image of the NBA right now is becoming more and more rooted in entertaining fans than in teamwork. Basketball players dream more about being superstars than being a solid, unselfish player for a winning team. These players know that the dunks will qualify them to get them on ESPN’s SportsCenter that evening and do not even practice free throws or jumpers as much. John Popovich of Cincinnati’s WCPO-Channel 9 news team says that “college is still a game played for [one’s] school, while the pro experience is closer to being just a job.” College basketball players seem like they’re having more fun on the court because they volunteer to play and don’t look at it as a nine to five job. As the NBA becomes more and more commercial, the day approaches when one will picture a shoe label when the NBA is mentioned. Unfortunately, it’s possible that this is already the case.
However, part of the blame for this falls on the NBA coaches, who have a completely different job than the man in the suit on college teams. We’ve all seen it in the NFL—successful college coaches who generally can’t make the transition to the pros. So what’s the deal? Well first, college players are easier to motivate and seem to have a greater enthusiasm for the game. Without a million-dollar number branded on their foreheads, players are all treated equally from the coach. Also, college coaches have complete say over who’s on their team and what kind of plays they will run. They have the freedom to recruit whomever they please without being shackled by the salary cap. Finally, collegiate coaches tend to be more of a father figure for their players as opposed to the NBA’s team “bosses.” A lot of the times in college, not only do players need more mental coaching, but also they need a coach’s guidance to help them grow into men in general. It would be difficult to go from preaching humbleness and expecting 100% compliance, to the NBA where egos clash, team’s lack chemistry, and friendships aren’t existent off the court. By the time professional players make it to that level, they’re already pretty set on how they do things and feel they don’t need a coach to tell them how to play. As we saw with the Lakers, a lot of players are like Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. These teammates could not get along and didn’t like to share the spotlight, and they even clashed with their coach Phil Jackson to boot. Nevertheless, all three have been split up since the feud.
Coaches aren’t the only ones having problems drawing the line between college and the pros. Even journalists, whom we all agree are experts at everything, often cross the line of ethics. ESPN’s Doug Gottlieb overstepped the line on January 25, calling Wisconsin reserve Brian Butch the most overrated player in the Big Ten conference. This caused an outrage in the college basketball world, because criticism is seldom heard for collegiate athletes. Hoard feels that “reporters should keep in mind that college athletes are typically only 18- to 22-years-old, and there’s no question that they have a tougher time juggling their schedules. As a pro, all [one] has to do is practice and play.” It’s true that pros don’t have to worry about passing classes, earning money, or have a social life back at school, which makes playing college hoops that much more of a challenge. It can also make college players that much more disciplined. While the Pistons are throwing punches in Detroit, college kids are still trying to figure out life. Journalists don’t need to put a damper on the confidences of these student-athletes before they even develop.
Unfortunately, Fran Fraschilla of ESPN says that the NBA has begun to create “a generation of players who value the spectacular dunk but don’t know how to adequately pass, dribble, shoot, or defend” anymore. Yet while the NBA struggles with its image and financial issues, college hoops will continue to forever rock and roll.
|
|
|
3 comments - join this discussion...
|
|
|
|
|
|
