Too Much Hype?
February 13th, 2009 - byMitch Albom has had enough. In a scathing editorial printed this week he attacked the hype and media buzz that has become associated with college football’s signing day. He doesn’t like the hats, the TV shows, the press conferences during school hours, the internet reporters chasing quotes and generally everything that falls outside of a recruit faxing his Letter of Intent to a college coach.
Then there was a defensive back named Craig Loston, out of Houston, who picked LSU. His Eisenhower High coach was excited. Funny thing is, Loston doesn’t even attend school anymore. According to the coach, the kid lives in Louisiana. According to the principal, the kid says he’s taking online classes to finish his requirements. Online?
How about a Texas safety named Colton Valencia, who brought four hats to his news conference, then, for drama, ignored them and pulled out a Texas A&M hat from under the table. What’s next? A rabbit?
Only once in my career did I attend a recruiting announcement. It was for Robert (Tractor) Traylor, a prep basketball star in Detroit who did the TV/entourage thing, chose the University of Michigan, and later became part of a recruiting scandal that led to his coach’s firing and the school’s NCAA probation.
I lasted five minutes at his event, left, went to the school library, and found a kid going to the same university on an academic scholarship, all alone, doing homework.
On the other hand signing day caps years of hard work. Doesn’t our society celebrate milestone moments? We celebrate graduations. These high schoolers are graduating to become college student ahtletes. Don’t they deserve a few minutes in the spotlight before they become the low man on the depth chart again. For most players it will be the last time they are the best player on their team. The last time they are recognized as the big man on campus. It that so bad?
What do you think?
