To go or not to go?

An inside look at sports with R & H

Nathan Rode / Editor in Chief
Justin Hite / Sports Editor

A growing trend is threatening the production of young college football players. With more and more players jumping to the professional ranks after their third or fourth year, education is being pushed further from a priority. Popular players like Vince Young and Reggie Bush have jumped early this year but the lesser known players like Ernie Sims and Ko Simpson are also making the jump.

R: Reggie Bush and Vince Young belong in the NFL. They have the talent that will earn them a contract allowing them to be set for life. Players like these deserve the responsibility of making their own choice. If it helps them and their family, then they should declare for the draft. However, for those that are uncertain picks, such as Ernie Sims and Ko Simpson, I believe education should be considered first. It's a Plan B. If they graduate, get drafted and flop then they have a degree to take into the real world. If not, where do they go?

H: School should be the first option for every college athlete. The word college and student should always come first. However, it can't be overlooked that most college athletes go to college mainly in hopes of reaching the professional ranks and making the big bucks. I don't want to sound cliche,but you can't be a professional athlete forever. There are a few rare cases when it is alright to skip to the pros, but that only occurs when an athlete can go no higher at the current level and only when he is the unanimous first overall pick. So Reggie Bush and Vince Young, go ahead and go, but a word of advice to all other college guys thinking of making the jump. The chance of a flop is much higher than the chance of success.

P.S. LenDale White is a better running back than Reggie Bush.

If you have a burning question about sports, we want to hear it. Send an e-mail with your name, year and question to ATTN: Sports at pendulum@elon.edu.