So I guess a star college quarterback should face wage limits of $50K a year when the NFL demands he at least go to college for a year or two before entering the draft.
If the NFL maintained a farm system like MLB, I might have more sympathy for that argument. I have a early-twenties cousin who is in AA baseball right now and he has made far already than he would have earned in scholarship money. He can go back to school after he is done with baseball with some good money in the bank.
The NFL doesn’t say they have to go to college, it says they have to be out of high school 3 years, what they do in that out of high school time is up to them. Skill position guys will generally wind up in college, but there’s always a handful of “trench” guys that did other routes usually involving semi-pro leagues.
And, of your cousin ever makes the major leagues, even for a few seasons, he will make some big money.
You touch on something which doesn’t get talked about too much, that these players have a limited career in pro sports, if they play professionally.Then, they have to decide what to do with the rest of their lives, once their playing days are over.
We all limit ourselves in the occupational choices we make. If your ‘Star Quarterback’ is not happy earning $50,000 a year then maybe he should drop out of college and design an app or get a better paying job.
With my Capitalism 101 plan the ‘Star Quarterback’ gets his $50,000 (in free tuition ) plus any monies he can market with his name and skills.