Tiger Woods & Andrew Luck: Decision to Stay at Stanford Crossroads for Both

Andrew Luck's decision to stay enrolled at Stanford last week brought to mind another famous Stanford athlete that made the decision to go pro early, Tiger Woods. Andrew Luck passed up millions in signing bonus and salary and made the best decision for himself and his life after football by remaining in school and getting his degree.

Tiger Woods went to Stanford to placate his mother but he was bombarded by agents with the lure of major endorsement deals much like Andrew Luck was tempted with as the unquestioned number one NFL Draft pick. Tiger Woods could have matured and developed in his four years on the college campus at Stanford and possibly experienced the debauchery living as a young college student.

College Students Not Only Learn in Classroom in College They Learn Street Smarts

Tiger Woods looked mature and focused as a young golfer on the PGA Tour but he eliminated an important aspect of his life. Tiger lost what most college students take for granted. Tiger lost the experience of making dumb college kid mistakes and he made his mistakes later in life.

Some people will always make judgmental mistakes through their entire life but college students with four years or eight years of college behind them are much less likely to make critical judgment errors later in life. This is why a college education is valued in the work place.

Professional Sports Has Led to Many Immature Athletes Entering Leagues Before They Are Ready

The NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball have become impatient and they have driven the bus on this early draft entry issue. Without a four year education athletes struggle to manage their money and struggle to make informed decisions.

Early draft entries and athletes such as Tiger Woods are forced to make the decision to jump to professional sports by the unscrupulous agents that are looking to cash in on an athlete for three or four more years. The young and less mature athletes are forced to trust these agents with their life savings and the path of their career. the younger the athlete is when he hooks up with an agent the more hold that agent has on him and his money.

Who is Right: Andrew Luck or Tiger Woods?

Who is right? Is it Tiger Woods for getting the jump on his lifestyle and foregoing his education after only one year in college? Is Andrew Luck costing himself an extra year of NFL earnings but returning to Stanford and fulfilling his commitment?

Andrew Luck is not concerned with the money and Tiger Woods was at the time. They are both right but Tiger Woods would have benefit ted by making his mistakes in his early college years. While his college buddies were enjoying themselves on campus, Tiger was preparing for The Masters or the US Open.

If Tiger would have had the opportunity to enjoy four years of college life he may have had a better understanding of right and wrong. Tiger may have made the same mistakes early in life. It may have cost him millions in endorsements and reputation early in his career but as a Stanford student and not the number one golfer in the world, it would have blown over with little or no press coverage. In fact it may have been much easier to sweep it under the rug if he made a mistake at Stanford and learned his lesson.