Ivy League announces proposals curbing early recruitment aof athletes

[Unregistered]

This isn't about recuiting but this is a link to a documentary about injuries and the toll on athletes. The NCAA should actually look out for the athletes that make them a lot of money.
http://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2016/0...urs-bob-demars

Players are expendable to coaches. There's always players lined up to replace injured one.

[Unregistered]

Maybe the NCAA should just enforce their current rules instead of picking and choosing the ones they want to enforce.

The argument is that there's too many loopholes that allow workarounds for the rules - like the player can call the coach but not the other way around. They just want to close the loopholes. But as someone said that doesn't mean people won't find new ones. And there's always incentives to violate the rules and coaches will violate them. High visibility recruits for the big sports are watched carefully. How much attention is paid to soccer recruiting or some of the lesser sports?

[Unregistered]

The argument is that there's too many loopholes that allow workarounds for the rules - like the player can call the coach but not the other way around. They just want to close the loopholes. But as someone said that doesn't mean people won't find new ones. And there's always incentives to violate the rules and coaches will violate them. High visibility recruits for the big sports are watched carefully. How much attention is paid to soccer recruiting or some of the lesser sports?

Most likely they don't pay too much attention to low profile sports unless they want to make an example of a school. It is interesting that the man that created the NCAA has a negative stance on the current state of the NCAA.

[Unregistered]

Ivy Soccer

Common Sense folks ...

If your kid is a great soccer player and academically gifted, (s)he may be recruited to an Ivy. Lots of parents will lie that their kid got a Harvard sports scholarship BUT ... this would be a serious school violation ... so more likely any scholarship is really financial aid. Knowing this, a player should keep his/her options open.

Ivy League schools typically recruit later in the high school career of a player, usually Junior year. Many of the better soccer players are "verballed" in the sophomore and even freshman year by other scholarship offering Division 1 schools. These schools put pressure on the kids to accept this verbal offer or else they would have to move on to another player. You can't blame the school making the offer as that is unfortunately the way the game is played today. Yeah, yeah, a coach will claim not to be putting pressure but at some point they need to move on. Of course, if the player is really really really good, that timeline could be longer than for the marginal player.

Early in the high school career, I would advise all players to visit non-ivies and even consider and yes accept a verbal offer from State Private University (or whatever school offers you) if you could see yourself happy there. This could happen sophomore year. You continue to get good grades and your family is able to financially support you if you wanted to try to go to Harvard but at this point, the Ivy coach can't promise you anything other than a review of your transcript and some interest. I'm a little fuzzy on these details so feel free to correct me here.

Now one of the key things here is the word VERBAL and as someone once accurately said "I reserve the right to change my mind". As you finish your Junior year and start Senior year, you find out that Harvard really is interested and your SAT scores, your grades, and with the soccer recruitment would be good enough to get you in. So you tell State Univ coach that your sorry but you have decided to attend Harvard and wish them well.

Good luck at Harvard and don't look back!

Remember, at the end of the four years of college, it's about starting a career not playing pro soccer.

Of course, there is the consideration of cost of the Ivy league education ... which for an upper middle class kid is around $250K with NO financial aid.

[Unregistered]

The argument is that there's too many loopholes that allow workarounds for the rules - like the player can call the coach but not the other way around. They just want to close the loopholes. But as someone said that doesn't mean people won't find new ones. And there's always incentives to violate the rules and coaches will violate them. High visibility recruits for the big sports are watched carefully. How much attention is paid to soccer recruiting or some of the lesser sports?

The phone call thing is a joke when you think about it. But no one pays attention to soccer (or field hockey lol). Soccer isn't a revenue sport and even the "top recruits" won't get any media coverage beyond Soccerwire. A top basketball or football recruit will be on ESPN. Plenty of schools have been caught violating rules with those programs, sometimes even "accidental" violations. When was the last time you heard about a controversy involving soccer?

[Unregistered]

Common Sense folks ...

If your kid is a great soccer player and academically gifted, (s)he may be recruited to an Ivy. Lots of parents will lie that their kid got a Harvard sports scholarship BUT ... this would be a serious school violation ... so more likely any scholarship is really financial aid. Knowing this, a player should keep his/her options open.

Ivy League schools typically recruit later in the high school career of a player, usually Junior year. Many of the better soccer players are "verballed" in the sophomore and even freshman year by other scholarship offering Division 1 schools. These schools put pressure on the kids to accept this verbal offer or else they would have to move on to another player. You can't blame the school making the offer as that is unfortunately the way the game is played today. Yeah, yeah, a coach will claim not to be putting pressure but at some point they need to move on. Of course, if the player is really really really good, that timeline could be longer than for the marginal player.

Early in the high school career, I would advise all players to visit non-ivies and even consider and yes accept a verbal offer from State Private University (or whatever school offers you) if you could see yourself happy there. This could happen sophomore year. You continue to get good grades and your family is able to financially support you if you wanted to try to go to Harvard but at this point, the Ivy coach can't promise you anything other than a review of your transcript and some interest. I'm a little fuzzy on these details so feel free to correct me here.

Now one of the key things here is the word VERBAL and as someone once accurately said "I reserve the right to change my mind". As you finish your Junior year and start Senior year, you find out that Harvard really is interested and your SAT scores, your grades, and with the soccer recruitment would be good enough to get you in. So you tell State Univ coach that your sorry but you have decided to attend Harvard and wish them well.

Good luck at Harvard and don't look back!

Remember, at the end of the four years of college, it's about starting a career not playing pro soccer.

Of course, there is the consideration of cost of the Ivy league education ... which for an upper middle class kid is around $250K with NO financial aid.

Says who, the resident loon?? If you are good at it and focus on soccer why in the world would anyone listen to this sort of trash? Really seems as though someone wanted to be a real soccer player but only ended up an accountant and now their pissed. Sux to suc. Guess why you can't live your dream then you have no other option but to try and make your sloppy seconds seem like prime rib.

[Unregistered]

Says who, the resident loon?? If you are good at it and focus on soccer why in the world would anyone listen to this sort of trash? Really seems as though someone wanted to be a real soccer player but only ended up an accountant and now their pissed. Sux to suc. Guess why you can't live your dream then you have no other option but to try and make your sloppy seconds seem like prime rib.

Wow. So pathetic, BTNT. Or is this fishbait?

The posts were in reaction to the suggestion and a little bit less soccer in college is a tragedy and national crisis. Wouldn't you agree that the majority of even D1 soccer players don't have a viable future in professional soccer? For the dozen or so nationwide who do we all wish them well. You are the one perpetrating lies and selling poisoned advice.

[Unregistered]

Ivies

"it is about the money"
"worried about injuries"
"great move"
"fatal move"

First, I am an ivy leaguer and, for the most part, our soccer teams are good but not great division 1 teams. Second, the college recruitment and commitment game has gotten crazy and soccer is nothing compared to lacrosse, football, basketball, and hockey. Third, verbal commits are essentially meaningless, worth no more than the paper they are written on, and nothing more than bragging rights for kid's parents and a foot in the door for both the kids and the coaches.

Personally, I think early recruitment is a little crazy and a bit of a business. For the former, kids are still developing (mentally and physically) between freshman and even junior years of high school and a coach can recruit a potential star that turns into a bit of a dud. Both the coach and the player can de-commit. The coach loses on reputation if they do this too often. The way that coaches get around the risk of getting a 'dud' is by 'committing' to more players. Instead of looking at 6 solid junior/seniors they will look at 15 from freshman to senior students. There is no guarantee of money or playtime....and no guarantee of making the team.
The business part of early recruitment is two-fold. One is the rare find of a star that really makes an impact and bolsters the reputation of the coach, the team, and the school, and subsequently excites the donors. For the major sports, the success of the team would garner TV rights. Soccer is way behind on this. The second part is the camps and clinics for those really interested in the school, or the schools that collectively attend such camps.

Truth is about the ivies is that they can't compete well with the major soccer schools. I see the proposal as a meaningless stand and the ivies just wanting to be ivies. This might even help them explain why they are not top 50 in the country. If I had a soccer star with a great mind and an Ivy league coach didn't want to commit early but other schools like Duke, UNC Stanford, Virginia, Notre Dame, Michigan, UCLA, Colgate etc etc then he would be all set.

There are plenty of great academic schools with good to great soccer programs. If you kid wants to wait for an ivy then great. If they want to find a great school sooner then all the more power to them. The allure of the ivies is declining....gone- no.....declining- yes.

[Unregistered]

Wow. So pathetic, BTNT. Or is this fishbait?

The posts were in reaction to the suggestion and a little bit less soccer in college is a tragedy and national crisis. Wouldn't you agree that the majority of even D1 soccer players don't have a viable future in professional soccer? For the dozen or so nationwide who do we all wish them well. You are the one perpetrating lies and selling poisoned advice.

And the obsession continues...

[Unregistered]

"it is about the money"
"worried about injuries"
"great move"
"fatal move"

First, I am an ivy leaguer and, for the most part, our soccer teams are good but not great division 1 teams. Second, the college recruitment and commitment game has gotten crazy and soccer is nothing compared to lacrosse, football, basketball, and hockey. Third, verbal commits are essentially meaningless, worth no more than the paper they are written on, and nothing more than bragging rights for kid's parents and a foot in the door for both the kids and the coaches.

Personally, I think early recruitment is a little crazy and a bit of a business. For the former, kids are still developing (mentally and physically) between freshman and even junior years of high school and a coach can recruit a potential star that turns into a bit of a dud. Both the coach and the player can de-commit. The coach loses on reputation if they do this too often. The way that coaches get around the risk of getting a 'dud' is by 'committing' to more players. Instead of looking at 6 solid junior/seniors they will look at 15 from freshman to senior students. There is no guarantee of money or playtime....and no guarantee of making the team.
The business part of early recruitment is two-fold. One is the rare find of a star that really makes an impact and bolsters the reputation of the coach, the team, and the school, and subsequently excites the donors. For the major sports, the success of the team would garner TV rights. Soccer is way behind on this. The second part is the camps and clinics for those really interested in the school, or the schools that collectively attend such camps.

Truth is about the ivies is that they can't compete well with the major soccer schools. I see the proposal as a meaningless stand and the ivies just wanting to be ivies. This might even help them explain why they are not top 50 in the country. If I had a soccer star with a great mind and an Ivy league coach didn't want to commit early but other schools like Duke, UNC Stanford, Virginia, Notre Dame, Michigan, UCLA, Colgate etc etc then he would be all set.

There are plenty of great academic schools with good to great soccer programs. If you kid wants to wait for an ivy then great. If they want to find a great school sooner then all the more power to them. The allure of the ivies is declining....gone- no.....declining- yes.

The only places where your comment is correct are in the Ivies and in D3. In the rest of D1 the commitment is quite real provided you make a good choice. Yes it is a handshake deal but as long as you are dealing with an honorable coach and your kid holds up their end of the bargain in the classroom and on and off the field then things will work out. The only wild card is when there is a coaching change because then everyone's deal is up in the air, even players currently playing in the program. That's the true exposure. 7-8 years is a long time in the college coaching ranks.

[Unregistered]

And the obsession continues...

I love ironies.

[Unregistered]

"it is about the money"
"worried about injuries"
"great move"
"fatal move"

First, I am an ivy leaguer and, for the most part, our soccer teams are good but not great division 1 teams. Second, the college recruitment and commitment game has gotten crazy and soccer is nothing compared to lacrosse, football, basketball, and hockey. Third, verbal commits are essentially meaningless, worth no more than the paper they are written on, and nothing more than bragging rights for kid's parents and a foot in the door for both the kids and the coaches.

Personally, I think early recruitment is a little crazy and a bit of a business. For the former, kids are still developing (mentally and physically) between freshman and even junior years of high school and a coach can recruit a potential star that turns into a bit of a dud. Both the coach and the player can de-commit. The coach loses on reputation if they do this too often. The way that coaches get around the risk of getting a 'dud' is by 'committing' to more players. Instead of looking at 6 solid junior/seniors they will look at 15 from freshman to senior students. There is no guarantee of money or playtime....and no guarantee of making the team.
The business part of early recruitment is two-fold. One is the rare find of a star that really makes an impact and bolsters the reputation of the coach, the team, and the school, and subsequently excites the donors. For the major sports, the success of the team would garner TV rights. Soccer is way behind on this. The second part is the camps and clinics for those really interested in the school, or the schools that collectively attend such camps.

Truth is about the ivies is that they can't compete well with the major soccer schools. I see the proposal as a meaningless stand and the ivies just wanting to be ivies. This might even help them explain why they are not top 50 in the country. If I had a soccer star with a great mind and an Ivy league coach didn't want to commit early but other schools like Duke, UNC Stanford, Virginia, Notre Dame, Michigan, UCLA, Colgate etc etc then he would be all set.

There are plenty of great academic schools with good to great soccer programs. If you kid wants to wait for an ivy then great. If they want to find a great school sooner then all the more power to them. The allure of the ivies is declining....gone- no.....declining- yes.

Being an Ivy alumn I can tell you that there are benefits to the education side that are unique. That being said, the right attitude goes a long way.

[Unregistered]

And Georgetown is the golden ticket to what in soccer-a coaching job at NEFC?
Pt Barnum lives and breathes...

great post!! Case in point as their is a very accomplished girls private school coach, all american, national team pool, top acc school player! Look what that did, a 42 thousand dollar a year job and throw in another 5 grand for coaching varsity! Ya, think I will will go with quality education. But, the spin doctors in Lancaster are working on a rebuttal to this chink in its armor. What will happen when they can not commit their 10 graders to schools. Anyone ever ask the little one if he even cares what happens once they sign?

[Unregistered]

great post!! Case in point as their is a very accomplished girls private school coach, all american, national team pool, top acc school player! Look what that did, a 42 thousand dollar a year job and throw in another 5 grand for coaching varsity! Ya, think I will will go with quality education. But, the spin doctors in Lancaster are working on a rebuttal to this chink in its armor. What will happen when they can not commit their 10 graders to schools. Anyone ever ask the little one if he even cares what happens once they sign?

The little one cares more than BM. Just saying.

[Unregistered]

great post!! Case in point as their is a very accomplished girls private school coach, all american, national team pool, top acc school player! Look what that did, a 42 thousand dollar a year job and throw in another 5 grand for coaching varsity! Ya, think I will will go with quality education. But, the spin doctors in Lancaster are working on a rebuttal to this chink in its armor. What will happen when they can not commit their 10 graders to schools. Anyone ever ask the little one if he even cares what happens once they sign?

I imagine that if after spending $60-70K on club soccer and then another $200K on a fancy Ivy League or NESCAC diploma only to have my kid wind up with that same $42K job only without the $5K side coaching gig I'd be a little pissed too.