Modern sport is a competition of money, characters, physical qualities, talents and minds. The money factor is especially important in team sports, because wealthy clubs have the opportunity to get the most talented players. Drafting players allows for increased competition between clubs.
Athlete selection system
Draft is a selection system for new athletes used by wealthy leagues and team sports associations. The system itself is one of the best ways to regulate relations between clubs and increase competition. During the draft, teams can strengthen their squad by taking turns choosing the players that the coach considers to be the strongest available.
Each year there is a certain pool of players (usually young representatives of other leagues and amateur athletes) who wish to become players of one of the teams of a particular league. Then he must apply for a draft pick. Clubs receive information about all players (usually it is short - club, weight, height, age).
Each club has its own sequence of player selection. Usually, the first choice is given to the weakest team of the past season. The club that owns the "first draft number" can choose any player of its choice. Clubs usually choose the strongest player in the draft, but there are exceptions - when the team wants to save money on the contract or is worried that the draft player will not want to play in the league due to personal problems.
NHL draft
The National Hockey League (NHL) first proposed the use of a draft. This was due to the fact that the financial gap between the clubs reached such proportions that the games began to be boycotted by fans of weak teams.
The NHL Draft is a vibrant TV show watched by millions of fans around the world. Beginners have speed races, shootouts and puck skills. The first draft numbers were also Russian hockey players: Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeny Malkin and Nail Yakupov.
Baseball draft
Baseball is one of the most popular American games. The game is similar to Russian rounders and cricket, it has all kinds of players: catchers catching the ball with a glove, pitchers throwing it, hitters (batsmen) and defenders. The American League of Baseball is drafting in April.
The baseball draft is not aired on TV, but it is a classic selection for athletes. The weakest team is given the right to choose a player first, and for this they have to fork out seriously - after all, the contract is signed after the “announcement of sympathy” procedure.
Scouts
The main preparatory work before the draft is performed by scouts who collect information about new players. Usually the rules prohibit club representatives from negotiating contract amounts with newcomers, but many scouts ignore this rule.
The success of the club largely depends on the professionalism of the scouts - the infusion of "fresh blood" is necessary even for the leading teams. Writer and economist Michael Lewis, in his book MoneyBall: How Math Changed the World's Most Popular Sports League, explores the stereotypes of scouts relying on gut, running speed and looks to select their players, rather than statistics and actual game performance.
