Wasserman Media Group Vice Chair Arn Tellem in a special to the N.Y. TIMES wrote NBA Commissioner Adam Silver "should pressure" the NCAA to "make college athletics a more attractive option for underclassmen." The NCAA and NBA should "follow a model similar to the one in baseball, in which prospects are eligible to turn pro after high school or at the end of their third college season," but basketball players "should be eligible after two seasons." Tellem: "I hope the players come to appreciate why injury and salary concerns make none-and-done worth fighting for. They must speak with one voice, arguing for fair play and, in the case of one-and done, exposing unfair practices" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/29). NBA Exec VP/Communications Mike Bass in a statement to THE DAILY said, "Additional pre-NBA experience is better for the league, its players and basketball as a whole. Although Mr. Tellem’s 'none-and-done' proposal could be an improvement for agents who routinely recruit players at the high school level and younger, it would not serve the best interests of the game" (THE DAILY).
FLAVOR OF THE WEEK: In Philadelphia, Frank Fitzpatrick wrote under the header, “Will Soccer’s Gain Be Baseball’s Loss?” Even MLB's “most ardent defenders have to admit that at this moment soccer possesses a cachet their game sorely lacks.” Fitzpatrick: "It's cosmopolitan. It's colorful. And because we Americans know so little of its history and customs, it is, for the moment at least, a fascinating curiosity." The “strategic nuances that can make every pitch in baseball so compelling for insiders are frequently lost on casual fans.” But soccer is "straightforward and simple to comprehend," and it "isn't interrupted constantly with commercials" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/29).
ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT: In Boston, Ben Volin noted the NFL’s arrest numbers were “cut in half this offseason and were the lowest among the last five years.” From Jan. 1-June 27, when players have “a lot of free time to get in trouble, there were a total of 19 arrests involving 18 players.” That is down from 36 arrests over the “same time frame” in ‘13, 23 in ‘12, 24 in ‘11, and 28 in ‘10. With approximately 2,880 players on offseason rosters, only 0.6% of players “have been arrested” (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/29).
