I understand that National Signing Day is a big deal in the lives of young men and a proud moment of families seeing their sons and grandsons going to college on athletic scholarships.  Hell if my son were among the ones signing letters-of-intent to play for a major college football program I would be estatic as well.

I think that the media coverage/hype that surrounds it is a bit overboard.  All of that media hype risk turning those young men into self-entitled prima donnas.

Let’s examine the case of the nation’s top prep player Jadeveon (who names his/her kid that?) Clowney.  This young man was the last one to commit to a university (South Carolina).  However, he did so earlier this morning in calling HIS OWN PRESS CONFERENCE so that it would be televised for all the nation to see.

Can you imagine what may happen when Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier tries to coach him and instill some tough love to this young man?  My bet is the young man will pout and become moody until he gets his way.

A lot of young people who have been coddled and pushed through the system most of their lives tend to think they are above the law.  It happens with star athletes (DeMarcus Cousins) and other celebrities (Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton).

And what if the young man fails to live up to expectations?  That is an enormous amount of pressure to live up to for any young person.

The media needs to scale back the hype and treat it for what it is: a time of celebration for young men and their families that comes from receiving a full athletic scholarship.  Unfortunately, when it comes to ratings and being news-makers, media outlets will continue to sacrifice doing right by these young men.

Categories: college football, sports story