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Show DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE Tuesday, January 28, 2014 7 COLUMN Scouts shouldn't scavenge for 9th graders RYAN MILLER StaffWriter W ith National Signing Day approaching quickly, a lot of focus has been placed on Utah football's current recruiting class. While football and basketball recruits often get the headlines and the fan base buzzing, it is in the lessfollowed sports where a disturbing trend is occurring. This past Sunday, The New York Times ran a piece about early recruiting in collegiate sports. In the story it was reported that women college soccer players were committing to schools before they took their first high school class. Sports such as soccer, lacrosse and field hockey have all started recruiting while kids are 13-14 years old. In some cases, entire years of scholarships are given out before the recruiting time has officially begun. The NCAA has set up rules to prevent such early recruiting from happening. For example, coaches cannot call players until the July following their junior year. However, there are few rules that stop players from reaching out to coaches. College coaches often reach out to athletes through their club coaches, and the recruiting is on. These loopholes in the system are just more examples of the professionalism in the college game. Coaches are recruiting kids who may or may not develop into worthy players for a scholarship, but they take the risk because they don't want to miss out on a potential star prospect. The whole thing sounds a lot like the current state of the NBA draft. Every year NBA scouts and front offices fawn over length, motor and ceiling of athletes who rarely have produced anything but glimpses of actually being able to play in the association. Are we entering that same road now in college? What happens when a kid doesn't develop the way a coach had hoped? Suddenly they have crippled their program, all while taking a spot from a more deserving athlete. College football is a multi-million dollar business. The athletes that universities bring in have big effects on attendance, exposure and therefore money. On the other hand soccer, lacrosse and field hockey are not making money for schools, yet they are the ones with early recruiting problems. Adults have to step up and do something, because 14-year-olds aren't ready to be making decisions of this scope, and they shouldn't have to. The fact that kids are accepting these scholarship offers doesn't surprise me. If someone offered me a scholarship — a free ticket to a university — at the age of 13, I'm taking it io times out of io. The problem is not with the athletes — it's with the coaches, and more so, with the system. The NCAA has been on record saying the new rules to stop early recruiting would be hard to enforce. That makes sense since they already have a hard enough time enforcing the rules they have now There is a push for more rules to come, including from the coaches that are the main participants in the issue. Well, if they don't like what's happening, then stop doing it. Don't wait for big brother NCAA to tell you to stop — you can do that yourself. Coaches claim they don't like how it is. They don't want to recruit athletes when they are in the eighth grade but are scared of being left behind. I applaud the coaches choosing to be left behind and not putting massive burdens on such young minds. I cheer for the parents of these kids that protect them from early contact from colleges. Universities, colleges and athletes all would benefit from this practice being ended. I just don't see what everyone is waiting for. r.miller@chronicle.utah.edu Visit us online @ JoilyutoAcAn9nic acorn University MEDIA SALES GROUP Tm 7 THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH 1 6 4 ANSWER TO TODAY'S PUZZLE TWA RAF T ROB BEN EAT EIRE ILOILO AL T PRES I DENTOF LEDA ES SO YIPE PONYCAR AF T NEE FWDEKLERK WAGS C I E TIE SOX N E L SONMANDE LA I T S ADO I L L T A T A A P A R T H EI D BAN YES PERUSES ARNO COOT I NON S O UT HA F R IC A VAT S TARER SNAG ETA I S LAND OGLE REX d- COCD CO CO 5 7 8 1 4 3 2 1 5 9 9 3 2 2 7 6 3 4 8 1 9 7 4 1 3 2 6 5 - popculturecomics.com 0 Doug Bratton 2010 .. Disney Sexual Harassment Diversions Sponsored By: University FEDERAL CREDIT UNION Map Tuesday Special: 99t 1/4 lb Hamburgers! all day long with purchase of Fries, drink, onion rings, or zucchini Fries. (1 per purchase, you save $2.30) Since 1981 University Location 222 S. 1300 E. • 582-7200 Also at: 7800 S. State • 255-5900 |