Mark Wangrin: Text Messages Become Recruiting's New Frontier

Harry · January 31, 2007

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/hssport...in.1f893b3.html<H2 class=vitstoryheadline>Mark Wangrin: Text messages become recruiting's new frontier</H2>

<H5 class=vitstorydate>Web Posted: 01/30/2007 07:12 AM CST</H5>

Express-News

YM, PLZ peep this. BCNU @ the F2F Saturday. Bring the OM and OL. B 9. It will B OTH. DEGT about the Escalade. OJ. P911? GGOH. HAGD. Coach*

Got it?

If you're a hot high school football prospect, you just might.

Text messaging has rapidly emerged as a preferred way of communication, according to some input received by the NCAA from student-athletes.

College coaches have jumped on the opportunity because the practice is currently unlimited. Letters are limited and phone calls are limited, but coaches can text an athlete 100 times a day if they want. And if their hands don't cramp up.

Anything unlimited is subject to abuse, and that's where the NCAA needs to weigh in.

The Division I Management Council recently shot down a proposal to limit text messaging in recruiting but sent a measure to ban it altogether back to the schools for more input.

Banishment is the favored position of the Student-Athlete Advisory committee, which called the practice "intrusive, impersonal and too costly," according to the NCAA News. Many other student-athletes, though, have told administrators they prefer the practice.

So what to do?

Banning text messages would be easy, but it would be denying the evolution of technology. Limiting them to certain days and times would be progressive, but it would create one more area for the NCAA's overextended enforcement arm to police.

Still, that has to be the way to go.

It appears the rejection of the legislation limiting text messaging isn't a rejection of the idea, just the specifics of the proposal. Administrators appear to be hesitant about making sweeping rules about a new technology until they learn more about it.

They'd better hurry. Generation TXT isn't going anywhere.

;-)

(*—Translation: Young man, please listen to this. I'll be seeing you at your visit Saturday. Bring your mom and dad. Dress to the nines. It will be off the hook. Don't even go there about the Escalade. Only joking. Parents in the room? Gotta get out of here. Have a good day. Coach.)