ESPN is currently airing a documentary called “Through the Fire,” a journey that follows Sebastian Telfair through his senior year of high school. Telfair had originally committed to the University of Louisville, but he passed up college and entered the NBA Draft in 2004. Telfair is just another following the trend of passing up college basketball to go pro. Stars like Tracy McGrady, Jermaine O’Neal and Kobe Bryant have all opted to go straight to the pros instead of getting an education.

One of the most morally pressing questions that faces most major professional sports is: “How young is too young?” The NFL had to deal with it when assessing the case of Maurice Clarett.

Clarett played football at Ohio State for one year before being suspended by the team. When he tried to go pro, the NFL blocked him, citing a ruling that a player must be out of high school for three years before entering the draft. The rule is in place to protect against athletes not being physically ready to handle the NFL and its rigors.

But the NFL is a special case. The NBA, NHL or MLB, in contrast, don’t have the same set of rules. In fact, since Kevin Garnett’s jump from high school to the pros in 1995, the NBA has seen more and more athletes forego college to become pro. The NHL and MLB regularly draft kids out of high school. So how young really is too young? I don’t think you can say.

People seem to hesitate when the issue of going pro at a young age is addressed. Opponents of the idea are quick to cite the failures of past athletes who didn’t make it. Questions like “What happens if he gets hurt?” are brought up. What happens if he does get hurt? Good question.

Well, if Telfair plays out his three-year contract with the Trailblazers, he will have made $5,028,720 in his NBA career. To compare it to a normal salary, that’s making $100,000 a year for 50 years. And that’s not counting big-money shoe deals and other endorsements. Anybody could be set making that much money. Even if he plays in the league for three years, he’ll have made more money than some do in a lifetime.

LeBron James is the poster child for pursuing a professional career instead of college. James was 18 when he entered the league and became the youngest player ever to win the Rookie of the Year award. James will be an all-star for years to come. Nobody can honestly say he wasn’t ready for the NBA.

On the same note, Sidney Crosby won’t even turn 19 before his first year in the NHL is over. Hailed by most as the next Gretzky, Crosby hasn’t disappointed, registering 74 points in 64 games thus far. Crosby can obviously compete with the best hockey players in the world.

Of course, for every James there’s a Kwame Brown, the Washington Wizards first overall pick in 2001 who averages less than eight points and six rebounds for his career. And there are countless hockey and baseball players who never make it out of the minor league systems. But players like James and Crosby don’t belong anywhere else than the highest level of competition.

“But what about an education to fall back on?” If you figure the average player’s career is at most 20 years, probably closer to 12 or 15, then they will have retired by the time they’re 35. You can go back to school at 40. For sake of avoiding saying that it’s impossible, it’s very improbable that you could pick up a basketball and become a professional athlete at 40. School will always be there, sports won’t.

In the end, it should be largely the athlete’s decision on when he’s ready to go pro. The failures have been too numerous to count, but the successes are well documented. One certainty is this: with any situation, making the leap at a young age is truly a walk through the fire.

Nathan Grimm is a sophomore in ALS. He can be reached at [email protected].