Houston (USA), March 20 (EFE) .- Former star and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley declared this Saturday that he was “tired” and “sick” of listening to the new youth advisers student-athletes, that receiving a free college education had no value and claimed just the opposite, that it was something “unique.”
Barkley, who had previously defended the importance of education at all levels, and rejected that athletes are role models for young people, vindicated the good that would be done to young student-athletes without instead of introducing them to the new ideas of receiving financial compensation would make them see all the “greatness” that comes out of graduating with a college degree.
Barkley, 58, after admitting that the highest organization in college sports, the NCAA, is not a perfect entity, on the contrary, he has some problems, if he does very positive things.
“Asking student-athletes to receive money is utter nonsense in my opinion,” Barkley said. “The NCAA has some problems and they are not perfect, but telling children, especially young black people, that getting a free education is nothing, it is ridiculous and stupid.”
Barkley has been an advocate of highlighting the importance of the free education part for young student-athletes, in addition to considering that the time has come to really change the perception that occurs within especially black students, that being athletes take precedence over intellectual and educational value.
Barkley, during several interviews that he offered in previous years on the same subject, expressed his experiences when he went to colleges and universities to give talks and raised the small survey among students about their preferences regarding their training.
“I do this little science experiment when I speak in schools. Let’s say I’m in one for whites. I ask them how many kids want to play professional sports. Less than 10 percent raised their hands. They say they want to be doctors, lawyers, engineers. But when I speak in predominantly black schools, 90 percent of kids want to play sports, “said the former NBA star.
Barkley reiterated that only through education can athletes be even better athletes, more committed to their dual contribution to society.
Barkley recalled that students have a better chance of being a doctor or a lawyer than playing in the NBA.
Barkley reiterated that the worst thing that could be done to young student-athletes was to create false expectations that making it to the NBA is easy to achieve.
College basketball stars launched their campaign this week to be compensated for their names, image and following among fans and tweeted their demands.
One of the figures, the Michigan Wolverines forward, appeared at the national tournament with the shirt in which he supported the claim to be compensated with the expression “NotNCAAProperty.”
Sonia Salazar
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