(11-18-2017 01:14 AM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote: Yeah, I can buy the injury excuse this year as they did seem pretty banged up.
The football excuse is a really lame one. Volleyball isn't even in town for half of the football home games. Do swimmers, cross country runners, and soccer players like football at a statistically lower rate than volleyball players?
You're focusing on the word "football" instead of the words "social event". Let me share a story that may help make my point better.
One of my coworkers and closest friends over the last 25 years raised 3 daughters. I watched all three grow up and become volleyball players. They each played club volleyball in Houston, had very successful high school careers. As a result, all were heavily recruited to play Division 1 volleyball. During the recruiting process my friend went with the girls on their various recruiting trips. The oldest was recruited by Auburn, along with a few other other schools. My buddy and his wife traveled with the daughter for her weekend recruiting trip to Auburn. When he got back to work the following Monday, all he could talk about was how the recruits and family members got tickets to the Saturday night LSU-Auburn football game, and were allowed to hang out on the field with all the players during pre-game warmups. The gameday atmosphere was incredible - what with all the tailgating, pre and post-game parties, and all the hoopla surrounding the events that Saturday. The experience was intoxicating for them. Ultimately the daughter ended up playing at both Texas and Alabama.
The youngest daughter ended up playing for Texas A&M. They had a similar recruiting experience. Her recruiting trip coincided with the weekend A&M and Freshman QB Johnny Manziel hosted LSU. Again, they got to hang out on the field before the game, see all the players, and witness all the game-day events and hoopla. Like the oldest daughter, the youngest daughter loved the excitement of football weekend, and soon after committed to A&M.
The middle daughter had a different story. She was recruited by Rice, along with several other schools. She knew about Rice because I went there, and her parents were familiar with the academic reputation. However, her Club recruiting coordinator (the woman who would would serve as the buffer between them and college recruiters) told her not to even consider going to Rice, because it was a dud school socially, and she would not get to experience a well-rounded college life if she committed to playing there. Hence the middle daughter was not planning to even go on a recruiting trip to Rice. Well, that woman was obviously an idiot, and fortunately the parents interceded. They immediately began pressuring the middle daughter to make the Rice recruiting trip, and told her that the advantages of going to an elite academic school would outweigh the social deficiencies long-term. In the end, she made the trip, loved the coaches and players, and fell in love with the campus. She ended up playing for Rice, and has never regretted the decision.
However, her story and recruiting outcome is the exception, not the rule. Whether they are able to see a lot of the football games or not, the social benefits of football weekends throughout the fall are extremely attractive to non-football sports recruits looking to pick a school. Although we do win some of those recruiting battles and get kids to come here despite our lack of attractive football weekends, you can't ignore how the odds are stacked heavily against us from that respect.