A. The type that's going to have your "me" moment waiting to announce your decisions in front of the whole school where you pick the hat of the school of your choice while confetti rains down?
or
B. The type that's just going to sign (and for some reason in '18 still fax your piece of paper) in and go about your day?
Not to ask and not answer...
I get the hoopla, because it's a monumental decision but we don't provide the Hollywood moments for the kids who are picking between MIT and Harvard on an artificial intelligence scholarship. When it first happened back in the day it was kind of novel and I guess cool, but it seems overdone now.
For me, I might still be willing to have the local paper (or its digital equivalent) do the proverbial photo op with the parents and coaches just to have the record of it, but that's literally as far as I would go. IMO, having the whole school leave class and head to the auditorium so a football player who's managed to snug in that 2.299 GPA can tell the whole word where he is going to college is an affront to the academic setting. And I say that as someone who really loves college football.
I don't believe in the keeping it a secret and a special selection with suspense. I do like the idea of having the team and any friends and teachers of the athlete meeting to celebrate the accomplishment. My daughter signed her LOI almost 4 years ago and she decided that she wanted to include her friends and teachers in a celebration. It was important to her that she got the chance to thank all of her teachers, teammates and coaches for helping her along the way. I can tell you that it is not an easy decision, or at least it wasn't for my daughter. It came down to a choice between a full ride at a D1 school that had mediocre academics and a few D2 schools with better academics but not as much money available. She is extremely happy with her decision and so are my wife and I. I say let them celebrate however they want.
I despise the productions and the tease where the highly touted recruit has a bunch of caps in front of him and he picks up and puts down caps to get a reaction before selecting the one cap of the school he's signing with.
I think it depends on the parents' Facebook annoying quota. If the parents are the types who post every single update on their kids athletic/academic high school successes, then chances are the kids are apt to be publicity hounds too.
I prefer the Ron Swanson approach. I would release a statement saying that I had decided to a play a sport at a college.
My daughter will be signing to play soccer in the next few weeks. She wants a small gathering in the school auditorium to thank her teachers, coaches and teammates. We know where she is going so it won't be a bunch of hoopla. Girl athletes at her school don't get a lot of attention anyway.
I personally don't like all the production. Just seems too out there. Jmo.
When I was a football recruit in my younger glory days LOL I was more concerned with passing grades and praying I would even be able to play. Needless to say my grades didn’t pan out and my 18 year old ego didn’t want to go to Junior College so I ran off and joined the Army so I would have college money and no scholarship would be needed.
Signing day in 1995 was a lot different back then anyway. A bunch of my teammates that signed ath 1-A schools didn’t make a big issue of it but at my school it was pretty common that players signed so it wasn’t anything that spectacular like at some schools.
If I was a highly sought after recruit who thinks I might play in the NFL one day, I would probably milk the attention a little.
But if I was just a player who was trying to pick the best scholarship offer so I could get a degree while playing the sport I love, I think I would just send in the NLI.
If someone wants to have a school signing ceremony with teammates and other athletes from the high school, that’s fine.
It is the twitter theatrics that frustrate me... Like when the guy with offers from all the big boys tweets “Blessed and Humbled to receive an offer from Western Christian bum**** Province Junior College.”
Well, I'm a 5 Star recruit so the big show is kind of expected of me. And an ODU hat will certainly be on the table but ultimately I'm picking the SEC team because c'mon they paid me 6 figures.
I've never been one who wanted the "me" moments, so I don't think I would've made a media play out of whom I'm signing with. If someone else took the initiative to do the media thing for me, without it being my idea, I might agree to it. I'd probably have to be talked into it though.
But for some of these high school kids who actually want to make a big thing out of whom they're signing with, it seems you'd probably have to be kinda conceited to do that. I'd rather do my talking on the field for the team I'm signing with. I mean, what if you make a big deal of whom you're signing with, and you turn out to be a dud? Congrats on making it into college, but many do that every year without all the fanfare and hype. One of the best lessons these kids can learn is to stay grounded, and if they're already seeking attention before they even set foot on a college football field, they might already be heading in the wrong direction.
(02-07-2018 07:13 PM)Volkmar Wrote: [ -> ]I've never been one who wanted the "me" moments, so I don't think I would've made a media play out of whom I'm signing with. If someone else took the initiative to do the media thing for me, without it being my idea, I might agree to it. I'd probably have to be talked into it though.
But for some of these high school kids who actually want to make a big thing out of whom they're signing with, it seems you'd probably have to be kinda conceited to do that. I'd rather do my talking on the field for the team I'm signing with. I mean, what if you make a big deal of whom you're signing with, and you turn out to be a dud? Congrats on making it into college, but many do that every year without all the fanfare and hype. One of the best lessons these kids can learn is to stay grounded, and if they're already seeking attention before they even set foot on a college football field, they might already be heading in the wrong direction.
Most high schools are putting these events on to celebrate their student's accomplishments. My high school did two events like this, one for the students who signed to play a sport in college and another for any student who received academic or volunteer scholarships.
It's just a moment to appreciate what they've accomplished to this point, not unlike a high school graduation ceremony.
Mine would be about as big as lebrons "decision" and go over as well
Let em have their 15 minutes.
You won't hear of 80% of them ever again
(02-06-2018 11:03 PM)ThreeifbyLightning Wrote: [ -> ]Not to ask and not answer...
I get the hoopla, because it's a monumental decision but we don't provide the Hollywood moments for the kids who are picking between MIT and Harvard on an artificial intelligence scholarship. When it first happened back in the day it was kind of novel and I guess cool, but it seems overdone now.
For me, I might still be willing to have the local paper (or its digital equivalent) do the proverbial photo op with the parents and coaches just to have the record of it, but that's literally as far as I would go. IMO, having the whole school leave class and head to the auditorium so a football player who's managed to snug in that 2.299 GPA can tell the whole word where he is going to college is an affront to the academic setting. And I say that as someone who really loves college football.
Not only is it not unique--its flat out common. Most high schools now have some sort of signing ceremony for all the kids signing letters of intent. The coaches, family, classmates, and parents are usually invited. Local press is welcome, but at most smaller high schools, its usually just the yearbook staff and the HS paper. These days its probably streamed somewhere on social media. Thus, for most, its really a matter of doing some sort of "hat thing" at the regularly scheduled HS ceremony or just showing up in the jersey of your school of choice and signing your letter with no additional fanfare.
F0r some of these kids this is the beginning of the end. They will step on campus and never be seen again
clt would use his zeppelin to fly a banner over uptown Charlotte.