The common practice for the decisions for these prospective athletes, regardless of whether they are televised or not, is to have hats of the schools they are considering on the table in front of them, then eventually selecting the school out of those hats.
Watching kids decide their futures in front of potentially millions of people watching at home got me thinking about the entire college football recruiting process. It is a very odd thing when you break it down. Men, usually in between their 40s and 60s, travel around the country trying to essentially woo 17 and 18 year olds to take their school's scholarships over all the other ones they may have (and recruiting doesn't only begin when a kid is 17 or 18, it usually starts the sophomore year of high school, but USC once got a 12 year old QB to commit to them). The drama truly starts to unfold when these kids promise to go to a school, and "commit," but since these "commitments" aren't binding in the least, these high school students often change their mind. That's what drives so many college football fans crazy. When a committed player take his promise to go to your school and decides to go elsewhere (even *GASP* your archrival!!!) fans end up taking it personally and slew these kids with insults. When fans decide to take a change of heart as a personal assault, they see no possible recourse but to flood message boards with like-minded fans of the same program with attacks on 17 & 18 year old's character, decision-making skills, and overall intelligence.
What I think must happen is fans must relax when it comes to these prospects, remember that most of them don't even pan out to be the superstars they were expected to, and, most importantly, think how you would want people to treat your kid if he promised to go to one school, saw it really wasn't for him, then simply changed his mind, thinking about what would be best for him in the future.
Jack, from what you said, it seems like some fans should look at their own decision-making before criticizing that of young athletes trying to go to college! Also, in terms of the rhetoric of signing day, I find it interesting that the commitments are considered binding, even when, in reality, minds, decisions, and circumstances can change. The idea of picking the hat is pretty symbolic too. I think that practice makes the decision come across as much more official even though it is as simple as putting a hat on your head; it's a little funny too how choosing a college/university is so complicated, and for these athletes it boils down to choosing a hat. However, it is a big deal, and I think that is a cultural effect. I wonder what university-level athletics are like in other countries.
ReplyDeleteJack, I love that you wrote about this! My dad has an All American with top athletes from the country every January. At the game, I watch people watch with their mouths open to see where the players will commit for the upcoming year! I found it hilarious, I could hear people shouting during the game from the stands at players saying things like, "We need you at Arizona!" or "The Wisconsin Badgers need ya" In any event, it is interesting watching people so caught up in the fate of men that will have no effect on them. What can we say though, America loves football!
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