SEC and Big Ten Ban Pro Athletes From Returning to College Sports
Listen to the story
The SEC, one of the biggest groups of college sports teams in the United States, has passed a new rule. It stops former college athletes who became professional players from returning to college sports.
This means players who now play in the NFL (football), or the NBA and WNBA (basketball), cannot come back and play for a college team again.
The Big Ten, another major college sports conference, already passed a similar rule. Now the SEC has joined it, showing that big college sports groups agree on this issue.
In recent years, some athletes left college early to enter the professional draft, the process where pro teams choose new players. If things did not go well, a few tried to return to college sports to keep playing and improve their skills.
The new rules are meant to stop this kind of movement between professional and college sports. They aim to keep clear lines between the two levels of competition.
The Big Ten also spoke about possible discipline, meaning punishment, for players or schools that break the rule. Details about what kind of punishment have not been fully shared yet.
These changes affect eligibility, which means the official permission for someone to compete in college sports. Sports leaders want clear standards for who can and cannot play.
This rule change comes at a time when the world of college sports is already dealing with major shifts, including new payment systems and player movement rules. Many expect other conferences to consider similar bans soon.
Vocabulary11 words
- SEC
- a big group of US college sports teams
- NFL
- the pro American football league
- NBA
- the pro men's basketball league
- WNBA
- the pro women's basketball league
- Big Ten
- another big group of college teams
- conference
- a group of schools that compete together in sports
- draft
- when pro teams pick new players
- discipline
- punishment for breaking a rule
- eligibility
- official permission to take part
- professional
- someone paid to play sports
- movement
- moving from one place or group to another
Quiz
Answer key
1. To stop pro athletes from returning to college sports 2. The Big Ten 3. True
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The SEC, one of the biggest groups of college sports teams in the United States, has passed a new _____.
It stops former college athletes who became professional players from _____ to college sports.
This means players who now play in the NFL, or the NBA and _____, cannot come back and play for a college team again.
The Big Ten, another major college sports _____, already passed a similar rule.
In recent years, some athletes left college early to enter the professional _____.
If things did not go well, a few tried to return to college sports to keep playing and improve their skills.
The Big Ten also spoke about possible _____, meaning punishment, for players or schools that break the rule.
These changes affect _____, which means the official permission for someone to compete in college sports.
Sports leaders want clear standards for who can and cannot play.
Many expect other conferences to consider similar bans soon.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think college sports leaders want to stop pro players from returning?
- Do you think this rule is fair to athletes? Why or why not?
- How might this rule change the choices young athletes make about turning pro?
- What other rules do you think college sports might need in the future?