12/21/24
September 18, 2003
A Dream at what cost?: We've discussed buyouts in all sports. This article delves into the subject and raises some interesting questions. A lot of "prospects" are poor, young men in developing nations who like basketball and are signed by teams to miniscule long-term contracts. These young men get drafted by the NBA and their "owner" requests 3 to 5 times the worth of their current contract plus bonuses. Admittedly, not everyone can be like these kids.
More inside...
posted by lilnemo to basketball at 03:32 PM - 2 comments
Mercury News articles go behind a for-fee wall after seven days, lilfish, but decent try. I think the first link is a collision between American and European traditions more than a brewing scandal. Signing young players is exactly how the system works in (Association) Football, look at the recent transfers of two young Frenchmen to LFC and C. Ronaldo to ManUre. In America we do things differently, especially since there is no 'independent' development system for players in basketball (or any other sport, really). I definitely like the Africa 100 program, sounds like a very positive effort even if part of why it's being done is to seed yet another market for American domination once there's a market with dollars to be had.
posted by billsaysthis at 08:02 PM on September 18, 2003
Damn forgot the obligatory NYT reg required blah blah blah. For those few souls who subscribe to ESPN Insider, Chad Ford was at the Africa 100 Camp and he did several good writeups on the state of the campgoers. I opted for the pocket-friendly Mercury News here. They genuinely want to get an education more than get in to "the League". This innocence and naïveté is both inspiring and saddening. More info on Africa 100. And Basketball Without Borders.