Controversy is no stranger to sports: if success is measured by wins and losses, stats and superlatives; then no possible point of contention goes unnoticed. Like politics and cafeteria lunch specials, everything has two ‘sides’ in sports.

So, if controversy is synonymous with sports, then divisive issues are everywhere and all around. But, some issues transcend locale and cache. It seems like at any given time, several big issues dominate the headlines in sports; some spanning years, rather than news cycles.

Call them quasi-tropes—divisive issues tied to certain sports, franchises and individuals, which are born from greater problems beyond sports.

However, once an issue in sports is polarized, all arguments boil down to one of two clearly defined sides; one defined as controversial and one as the orthodox position (with an assist from the most influential voices in athletics and the media.)

These are the most divisive issues in sports right now.

NBA/NFL Shouldn’t Make College a RequirementArgument(s) for: Athletes should be able to make their own decisions and control their own likeness. For some, college is all risk with relatively little reward—one freak injury can end a career and they aren’t paid so much as a monthly stipend for their services. Rookie contracts are often structured to minimize risk for teams, which hurts athlete earning power—college can double the amount of time spent between high school and that lucrative second contract

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