College vs. pros
By: Alex Ulibarri
Issue date: 9/28/09 Section: Sports
When it comes to the major 3 sports in America, football, basketball, and baseball, you have two primary levels of play: collegiate and professional. But which is better? Which gets your attention? Which is more exciting?
Now, obviously the professional level is going to have more talent. That's a given. The professional level pulls the top players from the collegiate level of play, so naturally, they're going to be more talented. The more talent you have, the more people you have watching.
Most people probably don't want to see a bunch of scrubs playing a pickup game of basketball, or at least they don't want to pay to watch it. What they'd rather see is a game with the best there is. Why? Because you don't get to see one-handed catches in football, between the legs dunks in basketball, and 99 mile per hour pitches in baseball, every day. There just aren't a whole lot of people who have that kind of athletic talent. But does talent alone make professional sports better?
On the other hand, at the collegiate level, you have players with a lot to prove. Unlike the pros, they're not getting paid. They're doing this so they can get noticed by the pros, if they're lucky, or in most cases, because they love the game.
Most college players won't even get their shot at the next level, and they know it. They know that once that senior year comes, their days on the court or field are numbered. If that's not the ultimate motivation to play your hardest, what is? And motivation is a key element in sports.
There definitely aren't as many prima donna personalities in college sports as you see in the pros. It's more team oriented; more about the "us" than "me". That's something that is very difficult to find in the professional leagues.
Either way, both draw major crowds, and major fan bases. It's impossible to say which level is better, as they are essentially the same sports. Maybe the best part is a different flair to each, and variety is never a bad thing.
Now, obviously the professional level is going to have more talent. That's a given. The professional level pulls the top players from the collegiate level of play, so naturally, they're going to be more talented. The more talent you have, the more people you have watching.
Most people probably don't want to see a bunch of scrubs playing a pickup game of basketball, or at least they don't want to pay to watch it. What they'd rather see is a game with the best there is. Why? Because you don't get to see one-handed catches in football, between the legs dunks in basketball, and 99 mile per hour pitches in baseball, every day. There just aren't a whole lot of people who have that kind of athletic talent. But does talent alone make professional sports better?
On the other hand, at the collegiate level, you have players with a lot to prove. Unlike the pros, they're not getting paid. They're doing this so they can get noticed by the pros, if they're lucky, or in most cases, because they love the game.
Most college players won't even get their shot at the next level, and they know it. They know that once that senior year comes, their days on the court or field are numbered. If that's not the ultimate motivation to play your hardest, what is? And motivation is a key element in sports.
There definitely aren't as many prima donna personalities in college sports as you see in the pros. It's more team oriented; more about the "us" than "me". That's something that is very difficult to find in the professional leagues.
Either way, both draw major crowds, and major fan bases. It's impossible to say which level is better, as they are essentially the same sports. Maybe the best part is a different flair to each, and variety is never a bad thing.