Tales of Woe, Gore and Age Limits

Mike tells an excellent story below about Frank Gore, a Miami running back who suffered a damaging knee injury in college and had his draft status suffer as a result (full story). Mike asks:

What purpose did the age floor serve Frank Gore? What good did it do him or his family?

I agree with this statement completely: the age limit did Frank Gore no good; in fact, it did him incredible harm. But the age limit is not in place to protect Frank Gore and players like Frank Gore. The age limit is in place to protect the NFL as a business and to protect the members of the NFL Players union. I would argue that the age limit served both of these parties well.

It is a shame when a gifted athlete suffers a damaging knee injury. From the player's point of view, obviously it would be better for him to suffer the injury while already making millions of dollars. But perhaps Gore's knee (or other players' knees) are more susceptible to injury. Injuries suffered in college help the NFL to make a more informed decision when selecting these players. If the NFL feels the player really has a high level of talent, and can make a full recovery, the player will not suffer that much. Willis McGahee is the prime example of this. Buffalo was so impressed with his talent that it was willing to draft him (in the first round) and wait a year on him. Now, McGahee is running so well that the Bills are trying to trade their other running back. Barring another injury McGahee will be in line for a huge contract. Likewise, if Frank Gore shows the brilliance of his first season, he will be rewarded with a multi-million dollar contract.

What Mike seems to be really talking about is the fact that these players should be entitled to make millions of dollars without ever playing a professional game. I just fail to see the entitlement. If the NFL wants to place limits on itself -- either through a rookie salary cap, a regular salary cap, an age limit, or another legal regulation -- from lavishing giant contracts on unproven players, I say so be it. And the players union says the same thing, which is why the NFL won in the Clarett case.

And why should the players union, either in the NFL or the NBA, not want an age limit? If Gore had come out two years ago, he would have taken a veteran's job. After his injury, chances are good that another young (and cheap) running back, and not that old, expensive veteran, would have been given the job. The same applies in the NBA. Will Jermaine O'Neal cry racism (4/12)when an 18 year old takes his job in ten years? Unions are not designed to protect future employees but to protect current employees. If the league and the union agree on an age limit, principles of fairness are not enough to overturn them.

Feel bad for Frank Gore because his mother is ill, but don't feel bad for him because he was selected in the 3rd round of the NFL draft. He now has a chance to prove himself, be a professional athlete, and make more money than most of us could ever dream of. Or, if it turns out he is really not that talented, and his one good season was a fluke, then the NFL has not wasted money, nor a roster space, on another average athlete.

Related Posts:
1. Mike on Frank Gore
2. Greg on Clarett and Williams
3. O'Neal Cries Racism

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