From domestic violence cases to sexual assault trials to DUIs, pro athletes are racking up the arrests and continuing to get away with it. The penalties, lighter. The sentences, shorter. The mentality of entitlement remains constant across pro sports.

The source of this issue goes back to the athletes’ roots; it is traceable from their childhood. LeBron James’ son had a highlight reel air on ESPN as a major story. Little Bronny is only 10. TEN and he is being scouted by universities. Ten year olds should be playing AAU (Amatuer Athletic Union) basketball and not have to worry about how the coach of Kentucky likes his post-up game, even if their dad is LeBron James. The over-scouting of young kids is a dangerous act.

When kids are treated like the greatest thing on earth in their town because of their athletic skill, they will think they’re the greatest athlete to ever grace the Earth, and will behave accordingly. This is why we see repeat offenders in the pros, they think the rules don’t apply to them, because they never have before. Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has a strong opinion on AAU basketball.

“AAU basketball,” Bryant said. “Horrible, terrible AAU basketball. It’s stupid. It doesn’t teach our kids how to play the game at all so you wind up having players that are big and they bring it up the court, they do all this fancy crap and they don’t know how to post. They don’t know the fundamentals of the game. It’s stupid.”

The solution to this problem is easy. Young athletes need to be treated like the rest of their peers. College athletes should not get a break from their work because they’re the best quarterback in the Big 10 and if these breaks were not given, a decrease in academic scandals would occur.

Athletes should be forced to be accountable for their actions and be aware of the consequences that would result from poor choices, from the start of their athletic career in AAU sports. The arrest numbers are low because of the small number of pro athletes. These numbers are low, and not every athlete who gets in trouble fits this mold, but like in most situations the bad apples spoil the bunch. The bad apples are also located in the same high paying and most popular sports.

If the numbers are adjusted as if they were a population of 100,000 people, the NBA and NFL lead the pack with a 2.8% arrest rate in 2010, one of their most arrest heavy years. The MLB and NHL that year only had a .1% arrest rate. It is no coincidence that the sports with the higher revenue stream and average contracts are the ones whose athletes getting in more trouble.

Hammers need to be dropped. Laws need to be laid down. Rules need to be enforced. These slaps on the wrists the associations give to players is not working. A slap on the wrist affects no one, not even a slap from the strongest of nuns.