by Chris C

Created on: January 29, 2007   Last Updated: May 18, 2007

Although there are several theories on this subject, how can we decide the real reason? Well, I'm going to try to explain my theory and let you decide for yourself.

First of all, there is a trend in major sports leagues to draft or sign players either right out of High School or after they leave college early. I'll start with the right out of High School players. These are "kids" barely eighteen years old who may or may not have done well in school. Some schools pass kids based on the fact they do play a sport and have a shot at going to college. This practice is something that needs to be stopped. For the most part, schools have a no pass no play policy (at least they did when I was in school playing sports) but that does not mean the players will retain what they have learned. Some hold information long enough to pass a test and then forget it. This practice of "retention to pass" is the downfall of some of the players. Don't get me wrong, not all athletes practice this, but some do. Those that do are only concerned with getting a college scholarship with hopes that some Pro team will see them and offer them millions of dollars. The fact that athletes are paid so highly is one of the reasons kids want to play professional sports. For those who leave college early to enter a sports draft, the money is the main reason. Leaving college early at the prospect of making millions of dollars is crazy to me. When the sports career is over, what will they fall back on? Unless they are smart enough to invest the money they earn, they won't have any degrees or special training to fall back on.

I think that speaking coherently is directly associated with intelligence. If one does not have the mental power to formulate a complete sentence, how can that person speak properly? A good education will greatly assist in the development of intelligence but only as much as the person receiving the education wants it to. That being said, if an athlete is only there to play a sport in hopes of getting a big contract, then the basic principles of a good education is lost to them. If they are not willing to learn and retain information, then there is no chance of them having the intelligence needed to speak coherently.

The biggest reason, as I see it, is the fact that athletes concentrate so intently on the sport, that the education is lost. If you don't use something on a regular basis, you lose the ability to do it after time. If athletes don't speak coherently and intelligently often enough, they lose the ability to do it at all.
However, they must have, at one time or another, had the ability in the first place. Which goes back to education. Lack of a good education and retention of what is learned is the main reason Professional athletes lack the ability to speak coherently and intelligently.

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