Fans: Stop Yelling At Recruits

Fans need to leave recruits alone on social media, stop begging, and heap praise or hate on them when they make a choice.
 
Let’s say you are walking through a park on a nice day and you see a 14 or 15 year old kid decide to choose cookies n’ cream ice cream over your favorite, chocolate. Are you going to approach this child and attempt to convince him chocolate is better than cookies n’ cream? If he chooses to make his own decision, since it’s his ice cream, are you going to proceed to yell at him and curse his decision? I hope not. That would more than likely lead to your arrest.
 
So why are so many fans using social media to attack recruits these days? First, it’s a NCAA violation, but more importantly it makes you look like a complete jerk. Are there key players at the high school level that could possibly turn the tides of a program if recruited? Absolutely. Is it your decision to make for them? Nope.
 
I think we can all real talk right now and agree that the NCAA will never regulate fans interaction with potential recruits and attempt to impose any violations. Heck, the only thing that makes the NCAA look somewhat organized and legitimate is FIFA. So, it is time for the fans to regulate each other.
 
How do we do this?
 
Don’t Be these people.

 
WE REALIZE THESE ARE KIDS. MOST CAN’T EVEN DRIVE A CAR. WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU YELL AT THEM THROUGH THE COMPUTER? THIS ENTIRE IDEA IS MORE JUVENILE THAN THEY ARE.
 
There’s nothing wrong with being a dedicated fan to your team, but when you harass young people through the computer it becomes something totally different. You have gone from dedicated to obsessive and an embarrassment to your fan base. On a daily basis during recruiting season, it seems like someone is tweeting at a recruit about how awesome their school is and how terrible their rivals’ schools are at the moment. As much as you hope your one tweet, like, poke, or whatever the hell you can do on social media will push them to your school – it will not.
 
Do you think Nick Saban points out how cool Alabama’s social media following is when he is talking with recruits? For all I know, Saban may not even understand how to turn on a computer. The Alabama recruiting staff, those getting paid to do their job, recruit by showing these young men what we have to offer more than any other school. The ability to get a quality education, to be coached by some of the best in the nation, to play on a national scale nearly every weekend in the fall, and to have an excellent chance of being drafted.
 
STOP LOOKING AT THEM LIKE OBJECTS FOR YOU TO COLLECT, THEY ARE NOT POKEMON CARDS.
 
While you may want to catch ‘em all, there is no chance this will happen. Some fans need to stop looking at recruits like they are objects and begin to look at them like human beings. I have zero athletic talent, which is why I am blogger. However, I had a decent enough GPA in high school and was blessed with the opportunity to choose from several schools. Even without the national spotlight on me constantly, it took many months to make my decision. Albeit, it was the right one. Roll Tide. These kids need to digest what is best for them and their family.
 
BE HAPPY YOUR SCHOOL WAS EVEN CONSIDERED.
 
If you truly believe these recruits are walking gold, then you should be content that said recruit would even think about attending your school. Recruits are not your friends. They did not choose to put your school in their top five because they like you; they did it because they are interested in the program. Let the program do its job.
 
DISAGREE WITH ME? I DON’T CARE.
 
You can yell at me all you want. Say my outlook on this social media recruiting is way too extreme, but so are the fools who lash out at recruits for making their own life-changing decision. Don’t worry – your school will find another quarterback, running back, or whoever you thought would lead you to a national championship. Everyone just needs to chill out on social media and let these young people make their own decision. Whether they choose cookies n’ cream or chocolate, if they’re happy you should be as well.