In many sports in the U.S, the transition from college sport to professional is preceded by one major question. Who will go number 1 in the draft?
The major drafts in U.S. sport include the NFL Draft, the NBA Draft, the WNBA Draft, the MLS Draft, The NWSL Draft, the NHL Draft and MLB Draft. They are all held on different dates but what is the point of a draft? Unlike the European Soccer teams and other sports around the world the Draft system is meant to even out teams and even up the playing field to ensure that not just the teams with money are always winning titles. It aims to give teams who are performing badly access to the top incoming players first. The rookie’s who will become the future of the game are given the opportunity to become franchise players and help build a team to become successful.
Yes, there will always be trades and that’s where the teams with money come into play but the aim of the draft remains and is evident especially in this years NBA finals. The finals are down to the conference semis and down to eight teams, of those eight teams only two teams are in the top ten for total roster salaries (Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Bucks). One of the teams is ranked in the bottom three of total roster salaries (Atlanta Hawks).
Professional Drafts are a big deal in the U.S with many of them being televised. The drafts also hold combines, which allows all players from all universities to participate and prove their worth to team managers and scouts. The draft system gives every player the best and most fair chance to make it to the professional stage.