Imagine, for a second, that you are back in your senior year of high school. It’s a cold December evening, and you’re holed up in your room filling out college applications. Knowing what you do about the Internet age we live in, you decide to Google yourself and make sure nothing embarrassing pops up.
The search results quickly fill your computer screen, and you are shocked to see what pops up at the top.
“ScoutStudent Profile: David McDavidson.”
Alarmed, you click the link to see what it says. In front of you is a detailed scouting report, complete with a photograph (not your best look) and a list of your strengths and weaknesses.
“Strengths: Math, science, computer technology. Weaknesses: Spelling, writing, communication. ACT: 29. GPA: 3.5”
They have everything on you, and anyone can go look at it! Well, there goes Harvard. And what if your girlfriend looks it up?
Then you wake up. It was all a dream.
There is no website called “ScoutStudent,” and informational tidbits like GPAs and ACT scores remain for college admission officers’ eyes only.
Unless you’re a student-athlete.
Today, of course, is college football signing day. Throughout the morning and afternoon, recruits across the nation will put their names on the dotted line, committing themselves to the school of their choice.
It is a process that we know well in Eugene. Football is a pretty big deal here, and it is always exciting for fans to see the next generation of players who will grace the turf at Autzen Stadium. This year is particularly intriguing because of Oregon’s appearance in the BCS National Championship Game last season. Some have said that this will be the best class in school history.
All of that is yet to be seen. What cannot be doubted is that thousands of people, students and adults alike, will be frantically checking their computers today for the latest developments. Websites such as Rivals.com and Scout.com will see some of their heaviest traffic of the year.
It is at this point that we can return to the fictional tale at the beginning of this column.
In the weeks and months leading up to national signing day, football recruits are scrutinized like no other high school seniors in the country. Scouts from the aforementioned Rivals.com update their online profiles feverishly, posting anything from rumors about their preferred college to high school grade point average.
In other words, with a few clicks of a mouse on Scout.com, I can find out how the top recruit in the nation performed on his SAT test. Somehow, this seems wrong.
Now, to be clear, these websites post only the information that is readily available to them when they talk to recruits.
If the recruit presents their grades or test scores, they are fair game to be published.
Still, even with the student’s consent, why is this necessary? Why should we care what kind of student they were in high school, or how proficient they are in the art of test taking? This information is certainly applicable for college coaches as they evaluate how well a recruit will fit in with the program. For fans and writers, it is fodder for unfair judgments and rash conclusions.
Put simply, the nation’s obsession with the recruiting process has gone too far, and this shows in the way prominent websites like Rivals and Scout are put together. Personally, I would have been mortified if a website had put up my high school grades and ACT score while I was in the midst of making one of the biggest decisions of my life.
Perhaps other people are more comfortable with this concept. Regardless, it should be a uniform policy that personal information cannot be included in scouting reports.
After all, these kids are just 18 years old. They have enough to worry about without having to think about what gets published on the Internet.
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Malee: Spotlight bright for big-time recruits
Daily Emerald
January 31, 2011
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