Professional sports require some form of experience to make the next step. The most common pathway is through college athletics. 

However, many athletes believe that there is no need to play at the college level. 

Instead they they feel they should go straight to the professional level. 

Current NBA star Lamelo Ball believes that athletes should not have to play college sports and thinks that its a waste of time.

His opinion isn’t unwarranted. Two of the best of all time, Kobe Bryant and Lebron James went straight to the NBA from high school. 

The ruling has changed since then which mandates athletes have some form of experience after high school.

The requirement for college sports depends on the sport itself, as some athletes need it while others should have the option to skip college.

Deciding on which sport should force athletes to play in college should depend on how athlete centered the sport is and how much contact the sport presents. 

Athletes in baseball and basketball should not have to play at the college level. 

They are both team sports, but the success of a player relies mainly on the talent of the player. 

However, in a sport such as football, an athlete should go through the college level because the football relies mainly on teamwork and execution.

Football is also a heavy contact sport, and an 18-year-old athlete going to the NFL would be at a higher risk of injury because he doesn’t have the size to take a hit from a player like Aaron Donald or T.J. Watt. With baseball and basketball being low contact sports, young athletes have a better chance to perform well early in their careers and avoid injury.

In most cases, the player should have the decision to choose whether or not they want to go pro or live the college experience.