My issue isn't the age requirement. My issue is with the NCAA.
The NCAA should not be able to forbid high school students from developing their careers even if a protracted job application process doesn't work out.
What if the athlete was tempted to sign with a bad agent and the athlete's circle/family didn't either have the inclination or the know how to vet prospective representation properly?
Just look at Michael Beasley's early career.
His AAU coach, Curtis Malone pushed him to sign with Adidas.
Malone hooked him up with an agent, Joel Bell, that pushed Beasley to sign with Adidas.
Malone ran an Adidas sponsored team called DC Assault.
Malone became Beasley's legal guardian at 16 and had his star player live with him.
Curtis Malone is now in prison for possession and resale of narcotics, which the proceeds were partially used to finance his AAU projects.