When the National Football League first decided to draft college players in 1936, it was always a possibility that a player would not meet the expectations that the team had set for the draftee. These players that don’t play up to potential, are now commonly known as draft busts. Bigger draft busts tend to happen in the first couple of rounds of the nine round draft because the bar is set much higher for these top picks than it is for the latter picks. These players often sign big contracts and don’t pan out as players, getting cut from the team or not playing much time on the field. This hurts the team financially, and economically, when thinking of opportunity costs. After the players still have the money, and frequently get into trouble with the law with offenses dealing with drugs, or other illegal activities. However, not every draft bust breaks the law; some have other career paths as football analysts, or get away from football completely and find other jobs outside sports. Back when the Raiders were in Los Angeles in the 1990s, the organization drafted Todd Marinovich with the 24th overall pick in the draft. Marinovich signed a 3 year, $2.25 million dollar contract, which by today’s standards is low, but in 1991, the average NFL player was making $422,149 which was an all-time high at the time. (Baltimore Sun) Before Marinovich was drafted, he spent his two-season college career with the University of Southern California as a Trojan. He redshirted the season on 1988, and was going to be a back up for the 1989 season after he disappointed at spring practices. Marinovich caught a lucky break for his career when the first string quarterback Pat O’Hara, suffered an injury was to be sidelined. Marinovich became the first start... ... middle of paper ... ...NS-CONTRACT-REPORTS-TO-RAIDERS-CAMP.html?pg=all>. Martinez, Jose. "The 25 Worst NFL Contracts of All Time." Complex.com. N.p., 4 Sept. 2013. Web. 24 May 2014. . "NFL.com Draft 1991 - NFL Draft History: Full Draft Year." NFL.com. NFL, n.d. Web. 24 May 2014. . "NFL.com Draft 2007 - NFL Draft History: Full Draft Year." NFL.com. NFL, n.d. Web. 24 May 2014. . "Players." JaMarcus Russell: Game Logs at NFL.com. NFL, n.d. Web. 24 May 2014. . "Players." Todd Marinovich: Game Logs at NFL.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014. .
For this assignment, we learned that Maurice Clarett filed a case against the NFL where he argued that the NFL’s three-year rule acted as an unreasonable restraint in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Clayton Act. On the other hand, the NFL argued that its three-year rule was covered from the antitrust laws by the nonstatutory labor exemption. First, the case was reviewed by the district court which concluded that the NFL's eligibility rules violated antitrust laws by requiring the player to wait at least three years before entering the NFL draft and that the eligibility criteria was not immune from those antitrust laws. The court favored Clarett making him eligible for the 2004 NFL Draft.
America spends more money on sports than any other country in the world. No other countries in the world have a bigger National Football Association (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), or National Hockey League (NHL). Not to mention that we as a nation spend more on collegiate, and high school sports. Fans love when their respective team drafts a new superstar, or make a blockbuster trade to bring in talent. However on the down side in recent years fans have also had to deal with lost cause seasons in order to make these trades, or draft these players. In today’s world teams are all about building their team for the future, even if that means losing a few games. While teams focus on the future they don’t take into account how fans feel, or current players. Winning always feels good, as losing always feels bad. Tanking is the name of the “strategy” that has been increasingly noticed in recent years. “The issue of teams' intentionally losing games for the sake of improving their draft position has been around for decades, or ever since Bill Fitch pulled off the Hakeem Olajuwon gambit back in 1984” (D’alessandro). When teams lose games to raise their draft stock in order to get good players for the future. Should teams be aloud to do this? Tanking not only has an impact on fans, but the players, and coaches need to find something to play for as well. With tanking occurring in many sport leagues moral, wins, and fan base all goes down in exchange for a possible rise in the future.
Most do not think of the challenges that one faces when trying to join a major league sport. The players’ must all work hard, and really want the opportunity in order to achieve their goals. One has to make sure that they do not waste their time if they really do not want that position on a major team. The NFL and MLB drafts have many flaws; however, they have great similarities that influence people to like one or the other. The drafts should be the same because every single person wants the same opportunity that another person gets.
Norris, Michele. "Lifting of NFL Salary Cap Examined." Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Alabama Virtual Library, n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2014.
•"College Football Hall of Fame." College Football Hall of Fame. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. .
...uck, Ray. "For NFL's invincible warriors, drug use can be a fatal flaw." 14 Sep 2000. 23 July 1998
Orvetti, P. (2011). Do the Redskins Need a New Name? Retrieved Mar. 17, 2012, from
Black Contributions to American Professional Football Are Many." Welcome To The Black Box, Personal Narratives in High Definition. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.
The San Francisco 49ers drafted Jerry Rice in the first round. It was a really up and down season for Jerry but he slowly gained momentum throughout the year. In his second year he teamed up with a Football veteran Joe Montana. He caught 86 catches, with 15 touchdowns, and 1,570 receiving yards. Jerry Rice was really famous for his fitness level. Jerry Rice went on to play for 20
9) Wojnarowski, Adrian. “Time Has Come To Pay NCAA Players.” http://www.wansports.com/032397ti.html The Fresno Bee. Scripps Howards News Service. (11/14/98)
Too many college athletes are given the chance to go into a professional draft that doesn't require the athlete to complete all four years of college and earn a degree. This is a problem because athletes lack the college experience that will get them ready for real life situations as they carry out their sports career. In college they will learn skills and have extra time to be better prepared. Without staying in college for fours athletes won’t see that theres more options for them besides sports. It will be hard for them to see if they have other interests besides sports.
Orenthal James Simpson was born in San Francisco on July 9, 1947. He was raised in a housing project situated in the heart of a shady neighborhood. At the age of two, he developed rickets, a crippling disease due to lack of vitamins in young mammals, and was left pigeon-toed and weak. He had to wear a brace until the age of 5 (biography.com). Growing up, Simpson frequently met trouble. He joined a gang and was briefly incarcerated in a young men’s facility. But there was a ray of light in this troubled young man: His passion and love for football. Simpson played in his high school years. It kept him out of trouble and most importantly off the streets. He was a recognized player due to his ability of playing both offense and defense interchangeably. He was awarded a scholarship USC, whe...
SOLOTAROFF, PAUL. "This Is Your Brain On Football." Rolling Stone 1175 (2013): 56. TOPICsearch. Web. 6 Mar. 2014.
Reed, Jesse. "New Orleans Saints." Bleacher Report. Bleacher Report, 11 Dec. 2012. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. .
NFL players need an education in case of injuries or if they can’t play for any reason. Players can have a degree in any type of subject. If a player wants to play in the NFL, he has to attend a college or a university that has a good football program. Some players come from high school but most players come from a four year college (Field 11). If you have a son that is going to be in the NFL who wants to play linemen, he has to be about 6’8” tall and weigh around 350 lbs. Players have to know the game. They can’t hope to be a NFL player if they don’t understand how to play the game (Green 174).