By Staff
Being sick can get you a few more minutes in front of the television than normal, but you sometimes have to be careful what you wish for.
In watching ESPN this week, I got to somewhat follow the saga of this kid from California who originally said he was duped in the college recruiting process.
Kevin Hart held a press conference and selected California over Oregon to continue his football career.
Only problem was, those two schools had never heard of him.
So he tells this woeful tale of how a "middle man" had convinced him that scholarship offers were available for both California and Oregon.
This kid was supposedly crushed when he found out that neither school wanted him.
His house of cards began to unravel when the national media sucked on to this story and it eventually turned out that he had made up the whole thing.
So who was duping whom?
It's a sad state of affairs when kids feel like they have to lie to draw the spotlight to themselves.
The pressure being put on our youngsters to compete at the highest levels and earn "big-time" college scholarships is amazing to me.
We need to take a step back and look at this story for more than just a sick and twisted kid pulling off an elaborate joke.
The national media is to blame for much of this.
I know they are an easy target, but it stems beyond just covering national signing day for the NCAA like it's a religious holiday.
High school athletic associations are also to blame.
When they started allowing high school games to be televised nationally, the snowball started rolling down the hill.
That little snowball is now the size of the moon and it continues to grow.
I am thankful we live in a state where its athletic association doesn't allow its games to be televised national.
I have not always agreed with the Michigan High School Athletic Association on its policy not to let its athletes compete in national all-star games, but I am starting to come around.
Kids need to be allowed to be kids. We don't need them "training" for the pros as soon as they show the slightest bit of ability.
High school sports are supposed to be a great learning experience. With the right situation and the right coach, high school sports can be a life-changing experience.
But with the wrong situation and the wrong coach, it can be devastating.
So now we have the tale of Kevin Smith, a California kid who wanted to play Division I football so bad he made up an entire scenario in which he was going to play for the Bears.
What can we learn from all this?
I think it's simple, but it will most definitely be hard for the fanatic fans of college sports to understand.
The NCAA, which loves to be heavy-handed when it comes to little stupid violations, should make it a rule that the national media cannot cover national signing day.
Schools can invite its local press to cover the event. National papers, radio shows and television can get their information from each university about its recruiting class.
We need to step up to the plate too.
Get a grip on yourself. Stop reading the ridiculous recruiting services which rank the classes.
Who cares who has the top recruiting class in the country? It doesn't matter.
Schools like Texas, USC, Ohio State, Florida and others are always in the top five or 10.
If that ranking meant anything at all, one of those schools would win a national champion every year.
It just doesn't happen.
It may make for nice reading while you wait for the season to begin, but when you stake your entire life on it, boy howdy, it's time to take up a new hobby.