The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prevents the government from making laws respecting an establishment of religion; prohibiting the free exercise of religion; or abridging the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, the freedom of assembly, or the right to petition the government for redress of grievances. -United States Constitution
A Head College Coach sent me a text the other day letting me know that he had to tell a recruit that he was rescinding the offer that was made to him. The coach loved this young man. He was thrilled with the young man’s ability and potential, and he saw this recruit as a championship caliber addition to his program. He was extremely saddened that he would not be able to coach this young man, but it was a decision that he knew he had to make. He shared it with me because he knew I might be able to help other young athletes from making similar mistakes.
So, why would this coach rescind an offer to a great athlete? Social Media.
This young man was putting his opinions into the universe that were completely against the culture this coach expected in his program. The posts were often the opposite of this particular coach’s value system, and he knew that if he brought an athlete into his program with this type of temperament and personal views that it could become a cancer for the positive and competitively healthy environment he had created at his university.
I started this week’s blog with a verbatim definition of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, so no one is confused about the law of the land vs. the reality of college recruiting.
College coaches are not running a bakery nor are they the Principal of a public school. They don’t have to take everyone. They don’t even need to consider evaluating any more athletes than they need to. They may not recruit you because they don’t like your taste of music on your highlight film (you shouldn’t be putting music on your highlight film, by the way!). They may not like your thoughts on religion. They may not like your politics. They may not like how you or others are behaving in a picture or video that you are present in.
They don’t legally have to do anything to help you get recruited.
This Head Coach that texted me about this situation was clear in explaining that he and his staff look at everything when they are recruiting a prospect. I wanted to share his words with you because they were poignant: “It’s a sad situation, but it’s so crucial that kids realize it’s a real thing…college coaches see everything, including deleted posts, private stories, blocked content, expiring snap chats…whatever it is. We see it all and it never actually disappears.”
When I was writing Chapter 9 of my book on how recruits should use social media, I reached out to the coach who I think is the best in the business at utilizing the very best of social media, Coach Samantha Birkicht, the Head Women’s Volleyball Coach at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. I asked her to provide her advice she gives to her team and her recruits. I thought her remarks were spot-on. Here’s a snapshot of the advice she gives:
1. Be Authentic: Be proud of who you are and your [personal] book cover.
2. Be Appropriate: Don’t turn away viewers!
3. Find a Proofreader: A proofreader helps your impact meet your intention. [Brilliant!}
4. Control Your Story: Keep up with privacy settings and set controls, so no one can tag you without your permission.
The reason I am writing today is to make sure every family understands that we should all be very proud of our 1st Amendment Rights; however, that doesn’t mean college coaches have to accept your opinions and views. Be smart. Don’t just control your story. Think about how you want to be perceived before you put anything out into the internet for everyone to see. As passionate as you are about opinions, a college coach may be just as passionate about not recruiting you because of those opinions.
Enjoying these blogs? Want to schedule a free 30-minute coaching assessment with Coach Rogers? You can do so here: https://calendly.com/mrogers_significantcoaching/assessment-w-matt-rogers
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