Thursday, January 6, 2011

Pro Sports Vs School, aka Andrew Luck Vs Marketing.

So...

Stamford's Andrew Luck has decided to remain in school to finish his education, rather than leave early and go pro for the money. That's awesome.

But it has nothing to do with marketing, right? I can almost guarantee it has about .000000001% to do with marketing.

Or does it?

Many of the sports websites, and most of the talk hosts on ESPN Radio are absolutely stunned and are pretty much bashing the kid for staying in school. That's right, I said kid. He's like 19 or 20, let the guy live his life and do the commendable thing and get an education! The fact that he's being put down for deciding to put education first is disgusting. He should be a damn role model for this decision!

Can you imagine how rediculous the scenario of leaving college early or not going at all would be in the non sports world? A smart kid comes out of high school, crazy good grades, tons of scholarships. Picks a school, and goes there. He arrives on campus, and is hot stuff in his major, kills all his prerequisites, and starts taking his important classes. Two years later, he leaves school to take a job with some big company somewhere...and not an entry level job like any normal people, some high powered job, vaulting over the people who did it before him, and people who were in line to do that job next.

But like many who turn pro early (many, not all), he flakes out. Maybe he creates a bad product, or a terrible marketing campaign, or blows his assignment to create a new vaccine for something. Whatever. Regardless, he fails. What's he got now? Nothing. Is he gonna go back to school and finish his degree? Maybe, maybe not. More than likely not, following the example of most of professional sports.

In the workaday world, just like professional sports, he's replaceable. The next guy comes along and does a great job...so the previous guy is forgotten, and fades away.

But maybe this guy succeeds. It could happen. It has happened. The kid goes through his career, and eventually makes CEO or some high position of some sort. Chances are to get there, he had to go back to school to properly educate himself to that level. So why not do that to begin with? Money? A chance to be the best? Sure. But what about injury, or failure, or something else that could affect your career. Leave early, and if you haven't gone back, and you flame out like many before you...where are you then? Lost.

Look, I get it...Andrew Luck is doing something he wants to do, rather than what people think he should do...and those people don't like it. It's not their decision, though.

I hope you do finish your degree, sir...and you do go to the pros, and become what they say you can. Become that role model, the guy who did it right, because that was the way it should have been done.