These days the love of money and the hunger for more seems to be all that matters when it comes to the hopes and dreams of today’s youth. The media gives kids three options these days: join the music industry, go into the National Basketball Association (NBA), or work hard and eventually become successful. Now when anyone hears these options, they think, I may not have talent in music, and working for millions will take too long, so why not try basketball?

Any day of the week, a person can go to a gym or basketball court and hear even the youngest of kids talking about how they want to be the next Kobe Bryant or the next Lebron James. These NBA players are among the best in the world, and among those who are most profitable due to advertisements. Every shoe store uses big signs showing off the newest models of an athlete’s sneakers and this only makes young people focus even more on wanting the dream that the NBA seems to offer.

This brings about the problem where young people today start idolizing athletes who didn’t even go to college. Every day, adolescents turn on the TV and see these amazing athletes in the NBA and immediately plan their dreams and hopes on the lifestyle they see. The entire story is never told and the images that are displayed are never whole, but actually one-sided. Although at times the struggle and work put into the dream is talked about, only those who make it are shown, not those who work hard and fail to capture success. The NBA signifies that dream along with a huge paycheck. No one talks about what the future will hold for those who don’t make it, and don’t have a backup plan. What happens to those who don’t make it and already gave up their eligibility to go to college by entering the NBA draft?

The problem is that no one sees past the homes, cars, and other expensive things these athletes have. No one sees how hard it is to even make it to the league. Not to take any credit from those who really try hard to be the best player they could be, but realistically the probability of making it into the league is very slim. There was one athlete named Taj McDavid, who was a high school “phenom.” He was sought out to be a top pick amongst other greats including two others out of high school, Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O’Neil. Taj McDavid was this excellent athlete who had a promising career that all went down hill because he was not drafted and chose not to go to college. His story is still unheard of, but he revealed that his biggest mistake was skipping college and entering the draft. I believe that if more adolescents are told of such athletes that made the wrong choice and now suffer the consequences, and then perhaps kids will grow up knowing that college is a first option, and the NBA is a dream that will happen if it’s meant to be, but hard work is inevitable.

Now parents are told to keep their children from certain things on TV like adult shows and music with explicit lyrics, but when are parents told to keep their children from watching sports? Sports are a pastime of the world, but the lifestyles lived by these athletes are full of so many things that everyone wants. Some want the money, others want the fame, but when it comes down to it, no one will say they wouldn’t rather take the easier route for it. Children and adolescents alike need to be influenced by more than just lavish lifestyles but by the hard work it takes. In addition, everyone needs to understand that making it to the NBA isn’t a goal with a high chance of success, and college offers so much more that they may not know of until they get there.