Behold Steve Cohen, congressman from Tennessee. How a liberal Jewish man got voted to represent that geographic area I do not know, but I suspect it has something to do with his awesomeness.
Usually I'm annoyed when politicians start meddling with professional sports, but this is the exception. Congressman Cohen has submitted a letter to David Stern and the player's union advocating for the dissolution of the NBA age requirement. (My stance on the topic can be sussed out here and here.)
The entire letter can be read in the above link. It keeps things short and raises the basic logical arguments against the age limit. Cohen wisely attempts to link the rule to the much publicized current academic scandals involving "one-and-done" student athletes. I was sort of impressed that a politician managed to make an argument without use of hyperbole or any other attempts at inflaming passions. Then I read his folow-up interview where he connected the age limit to slaverly. Nice.
The good news is that this has people talking about the NBA's ridiculous rule once again. With the NBA getting amazing television ratings and the recent college basketball scandals Cohen picked an excellent time to lob this grenade. It may be a mostly symbolic gesture at this point, but it is a significant step to have a prominent person outside of the sports realm bring this type of attention.
Also thanks to TrueHoop, David Stern strikes back. A very David Stern move.
1 comment:
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