The Sports Beatdown with Lance Clarke  

I love the game of basketball.  I couldn’t get enough of it back in high school.  My friends and I would play at lunch in the gym, afterschool at the park and later at the community center.   It may sound like I was a little obsessed with the game, and maybe your right, but I never let it affect my education.

        News this week was released that a high school junior by the name of Jeremy Tyler wants to leave after completing his junior year to play pro basketball in Europe.  Jeremy Tyler has stated in a press release and I quote, “I know that this may not be the easiest way to get to the NBA, but it’s the one I think is best for me.” Now let it be known that young Mister Tyler has been touted as a possible top pick in the 2012 NBA draft.  However, to drop out of high school because he feels in his own words, “bored with high school ball” is insane in the world we live in. 

        I was raised to believe that education is something to be cherished.  Something that you will always have with you and that no one can take away.  To see a young man throw that opportunity away (he had a chance to play at Louisville) for a game is just shocking to me.  You have a chance to get a top notch education fall in your lap due to the hard work you put in on the hard court and you are going to pass it up.  To make matters worse his father is supporting his play.  Now I do not know the situation the family is in, there may be outside pressure for Mister Tyler to take the chance to go pro abroad to perhaps help his family in what may be a difficult time for them in this economic downturn experienced by the nation.  During this time education is even more important to help you stand out from the pack.  Just like his talent has gotten him noticed why to can the same thing be said about his drive to achieve academic greatness.    I am not saying he will be an All-American in academics but to get that diploma should mean something as well.  Life is about balance, to just focus on the body and not on the mind will leave a person feeling incomplete, with something to prove.  Without proper guidance to help him find this balance at this age I am afraid that this young man could be lost in the shuffle.  I wish him all the luck in the world but we have seen in happen too often before.  Promising young player of a sport is scouted and offered a free trip to college to hone their skills till that unfortunate injury comes along and crushes that dream, or they spend most of their young life chasing that dream, never quite making it. 

        Ultimately no one can see the future, good or bad the decision is his to make.  I would prefer to see young Afro- Americans pursue education to give the upcoming generations’ better role models than athletes and musicians.  I know that’s a general statement, because some athletes and stars are actually quite good role models but the media does not do a great job in balancing the duality of the person in the spotlight.  I never want to begrudge someone about their dreams and the path they choose to take to get there.  However, sometimes around the unsuspecting corner lies harsh reality waiting to bite you in the ass.  Watch out, and keep your eyes open.


Lanceman