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Soccer rocks! Other sports? Not so much

(Once in an occasional series. I was a sports writer at a major daily for 15 years, so I had to concern myself with non-soccer matters. Now, as an independent journalist, I focus on soccer and get to select my occasions to open my bag of "give a crap"  for the “lesser sports." Hee-hee.)

Yesterday was national signing day in college sports – the only time middle-aged white people can use office computers to Google sinewy teenagers and not get a call from HR about a "potentially fireable offense." With apologies to all my SB Nation brethren who necessarily consumed themselves with this headless horseman of a glory chase, it really is a silly day.

I understand that people have passion for their schools.  Yea, team! I get that and don’t have a problem with it.

Past that, attaching so much life-hope to high school seniors leaves me feeling the same way I feel after scarfing bad tacos – a little queasy in the tummy.  Can't we wait until these kids hit campus before we start lavishing them with a further sense of entitlement ?  And that’s not to mention all the unseemly stuff that goes on as coaches feverishly pursue these 17- and 18-year olds.

If you think bad things aren't happening out there along Recruiting Road, then dear sweet God please do yourself and the rest of us a favor and don’t leave the house today, you poor creature. You could hurt yourself!

Star-divide

Everyone thinks their school never takes a nip from the bottle of naughty. Everyone else’s college does the naughty. Of course, the math doesn’t really add up there now, does it?

I know there is recruiting in college soccer. And I’m sure the occasional rule is bent, twisted and every now and then outright compound fractured. But generally, people aren’t all in a Pants On The Ground tizzy about it. The stakes aren’t nearly as high, so the risk-reward factor calculates out to far less cheating – and less hulabaloo and absurdity about Signing Day.

There’s really so much wrong with the whole whacked out process, I just don’t know where to start. So I’ll just sum up: Today is one of the days I’m happy about dwelling in my safe little soccer world.

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the hype machine of college sports. i hate it as well

by unclebp on Feb 4, 2010 10:20 AM EST reply actions  

Man,

I live and die University of Colorado sports, and recruiting is the creepiest time of the year, I just cant follow it. The pressure that is put on the kids, the lies of a guaranteed shot at the pros, and like you said, the middle aged white dudes lusting over some kids 40 time, its weird and frankly shouldn’t happen. One thing I am proud of CU for though, is our new found ethics on the recruiting trail. As most of you know we may have gotten in a little trouble for the petty crime of cough drugs,strippers, rape, and hooker parties*cough cough*. With the deserved hellstorm that brought up i think its safe to say we’re a pretty clean school. Its also safe to say Nebraska isn’t, but thats a discussion for another day.

"It's like an owl without a graduation cap; Heartbreaking!!" -Tracy Jordan

by 303buff on Feb 4, 2010 1:06 PM EST reply actions  

You must do a lot of dieing

Sorry couldn’t help myself. Though without women’s sports I would be too.

by the12thman11 on Feb 4, 2010 2:20 PM EST up reply actions  

really?

is there a difference bewteen the schools wanting these kids and professional clubs going nuts each year over teen players like Messi, Ronaldo, Podolski, etc…

At USC we're not snobs, we're just better than you.

by TrojanCBB on Feb 4, 2010 3:35 PM EST reply actions  

yes

you make a fair point — up to a point. the Messis, Ronaldos, etc., are fairly limited, especially when you consider the global scope. but on signing day, people are falling over about a big sampling of high schoolers. plus, as a couple of the other commenters have said, there’s all manner of ugly peripheral activity and misguided priorities attached to recruiting. and since journalism has been topical lately on my blog, I’ll just throw it out there that media (that includes me) shares much blame in exacerbating the recruiting madness. … all that said, you have the right to disagree.

by Steve Davis on Feb 4, 2010 3:59 PM EST up reply actions  

At least

a lot of the college athletes end up with undergraduate degrees. Sure many are worthless geography majors but a lot get value-added degrees. What happens to the 95% of the kids who don’t make it in the youth system ranks in European clubs?

You can change your job, you can change your wife, you can even change your gender, but you can never change your club.
Win or lose, we will always be here for you.
Fear no foe, wherever we go.

by johnjahafanclub on Feb 4, 2010 10:10 PM EST reply actions   1 recs

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