Parents: Involvement in the Recruiting Process
The parent’s part in the
recruiting process is more understandable than others because parents do not
want their child being left behind by coaches.1 Even
though many things have changed over the years in recruiting, parents still play
a big determining role on where their child may choose to attend college.1 Even
at such young age 8th, 9th, and 10th graders
start considering where they would like to play intercollegiate sports.
 |
| Photo: Burleson Star |
It is the parent’s job to put
their kids in the best possible position to be safe and successful. With that being said, many parents today let
their kids choose where they want to go to school by the time they are 14 to 15
years of age, when they may not honestly know.2 With
the early recruiting done today by many coaches, kids feel the need to commit
early without even knowing what they truly want to do. Yes, there may be
pressure put on by coaches recruiting each athlete, but parents can also
pressure the athlete by wanting them closer to home for a good geographic
location to help influence their final decision.2 In the
end, parents want what is right for their kid, because choosing the right place
to spend 4 years of their life is a very big decision. Though the recruiting process can be stressful,
many parents will continue to push athletes to commit to where the best
possible offer and fit may be regardless
if the athlete likes the institution or not.
1Hewitt, P. M. (2009). THE RECRUITING PROCESS. College Student-athletes:
Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Implications
2Letawsky, N. R.,
Schneider, R. G., Pedersen, P. M., & Palmer, C. J. (2003). Factors
influencing the college selection process of student-athletes. College
Student Journal, 37(4).
When I was recruited to play baseball out of high school my parents honestly did not sway me towards one school or another. To me it was a huge relief not having my parents down my back to pick the perfect school. It was up to me to research the university that was the best fit for me and in the end I was extremely satisfied with my decision. I know that parents want the best for their kids, but it is just as important that these kids learn how to function without mom and dad.
ReplyDeleteI agree that parents need to play a major roll in recruiting. Playing sports in college can be hard when picking the right college. Though I feel parents need to do more helping not so much as picking. Letting the student-athlete to look into academics side, campus life, etc. the athlete needs to be the major deciding factor, because it is them who will be there for four years. Parents may love it, but they only get to experience the outside looking in. The athlete will experience everything internal. Parents must continue to help guide their child to make the best decision, but not to go so far as to force their decision to be made. In my recruiting process out of high school I was able to not be swayed but guided.
ReplyDeleteHaving coached, and I think Andy and Regis can agree too, I've observed the delicate balance that must be struck between the helicopter parent and the laissez-faire parent. Too often, commitment is driven by money and material things. Ideally, you would have students choosing based on their life goals and potential for personal growth. Maybe that parental involvement should be directly proportional to the parental involvement in the development of the skills that attracted the offers.
ReplyDelete