College Recruitment Has Gone Overboard

Major sports in America go far beyond the professional level.

Over the last 10 years, college basketball and football have completely exploded from a launching pad to the pros into a multi-billion dollar industry. Like any major industry, the only reason why they operate is to make as much money off of college kids as they possibly can. 

Because of the popularity of the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament, every school that makes it to the tournament gets a huge payday. The key for schools to make it to the tournament, or to a major football bowl game, is going out to high schools across the nation and recruiting athletes for their team. 

Most of these star athletes have been getting phone calls, text messages, letters, and visits from the persistent coaches of all the top programs in the country since they were sophomores.

Recruiting a high school athlete is extremely difficult work. Coaches are competing against each other for only a handful of young athletes. 

If you work for the University of Texas, how are you going to convince a young kid to sign with you over Oklahoma, Michigan, or USC? College recruiters are master manipulators; car salesmen hooked up to 1000-volt batteries.

They get the right player, they win, they get some ESPN games and advertisements, they fill the arena, and they get to keep their jobs. If not, they will be gone two minutes after the season is over.

Three seasons ago, Terrelle Pryor was the No. 1 recruit. He signed with Ohio State and started for the team this year in the Fiesta Bowl. Two of the biggest college stars of the last decade, Vince Young and Reggie Bush, were both top ranked prospects in high school.

Both won National Championships for their respective college teams, Texas and USC. 

The most famous recruiting battle of recent memory concerns Tim Tebow, who chose the University of Florida over Alabama on the very last day to decide. Tebow is arguably the greatest college quarterback of all time and has won a Heisman and two national championships with Florida. Alabama has struggled with an average quarterback and is still not at the level that Florida is. 

When you are being recruited, it is difficult to live a normal life until that decision is made. Every night on the local news, the sportscasters are asking "Where is he going? Has he made a decision yet?

What are his top five choices? Which big time coach is coming up to visit?" It is too much pressure on these young kids. 

Is it unfair to these kids? I find it ironic that they are able to make so much money for a university, but never see a cent in return. Everybody wins except for the kids—only a select few get to sign massive professional contracts after college is over.

It is like if you owned a grocery store and never let any of your employees smell any of the money. You just sat in the back and watched the store make money. 

Not to mention the promises that the coaches make to these players. Imagine a 50 year old guy begging you to attend his university, and then multiply that experience by 10 or 15 different people.

It can be overwhelming. 

Then realize that you are nothing more then a piece of meat to them. You are the prize that every college coach wants. Everybody is talking about you, promising you things, offering you cars, houses or jewelry, and paying for your dinners.

In an age where only about 60 college kids make it to the pro level, these recruiters work on false promises. The minute that you screw up a little, put together a couple bad games in a row, or get injured, you are usually worthless to them.

To these universities, the only reason you are there is simple: you can make their team win and if these schools win, they get a lot of money.