Blog 4

In the North County Times article, “Protecting OurSons”, the writer points out how the NCAA took away the limitations as to how much a coach can contact a high school student for recruitment.  One of the points made is that the NCAA basically changed the rules because the coaches weren’t abiding by them anyway.  He states how academics have become second par to athletics and changing the rules only reinforces that belief.  Appealing to logic and ethos he calls on the parents to step in and regulate how much contact is made between their teenage athlete and the coaches.   By saying, “Which leads us to wonder whether state laws meant to protect minors from predatory business practices might not come into play…,” he appeals to the parents, probably referencing the Penn State incident. 

I chose this article because I have a teenage brother who, even as a sophomore, was receiving letters from a couple of colleges saying that they were interested in him but they couldn’t officially recruit him because he was too young. So, needless to say, I do agree with the writer. Though high school athletes SHOULD be thinking about their next step in life, they shouldn’t be thrown into a shark tank, where coaches could put added pressure and stress on them.  High school athletes should think about what they want in a follow-on school and research the schools they are considering with the help of a parent/guardian/loved one, someone they know and trust.  Recruiters should not have free rein or even a say in what a person’s next big life decision will be. That should be left to the individual and those he confides in.