We've been thinking about the NBA and the age restriction, and it occurred to
us that maybe there's a better way to do it than simply to put in a blanket age
cutoff. What if, instead, there was a committee which looked closely at
young players and invited them to apply for the draft - and also gave the other aspiring players fair critiques of their readiness?
This would allow the true prodigies to skip ahead, much like talented kids in
K-12 education, and would keep other kids, who clearly aren't ready (Korleone
Young & Co.) from destroying promising careers.
There would still be no guarantees for the kids who are invited, but it seems
like a fair compromise.