Sports Worx Daily

Below is a summary of new NCAA legislation involving recruiting services. SportsWorx is and has been in full compliance with NCAA Regulations. The effect of this ruling, however, is that Rivals.com has been classified as a recruiting service and all of its subscribers are scrambling to unsubscribe to avoid NCAA penalties!

New NCAA Legislation Highlight: Proposal No. 2010-47 (Recruiting or Scouting Video-Only Services)
On March 16, 2011, Proposal No. 2010-47 was adopted in NCAA Division I. The intent of the proposal, which amends Bylaw 13.14.3, is to “specify that an institution is permitted to use or subscribe to a video service that only provides video of prospective student-athletes and does not provide information about or analysis of prospective student-athletes, subject to the criteria that permits an institution to subscribe to a recruiting or scouting service, except that the video-only service is not required to disseminate information about prospective student-athletes at least four times a year and is not required to provide individual analysis for each prospective student-athlete in the information it disseminates”. The effect of the proposal is immediate.

The stated rationale for the legislation is to address “current legislation [that] does not allow an institution to subscribe to an online video-only service, which appears to be an unintended consequence”. In particular, “prior to the adoption of the current recruiting or scouting services legislation, it was permissible for an institution to subscribe to a video-only service. Video-only services typically provide a cost and time-effective method for obtaining video of prospective student-athletes. Such services are not the recruiting services that were operating outside of the intent of the legislation as described in the rationale of Proposal No. 2009-56. Most video-only services now merely provide a way for institutions to obtain video of high school contests over the Internet without the mailing costs and time-consuming preparation needed to request film from high school coaches”.

The new bylaw will appear as follows:
“13.14.3 Recruiting or Scouting Services. An institution may subscribe to a recruiting or scouting service involving prospective student-athletes, provided the institution does not purchase more than one annual subscription to a particular service and the service:
[13.14.3-(a) through 13.14.3-(g) unchanged.]
13.14.3.1 Video-Only Services. An institution is permitted to use or subscribe to a video service that only provides video of prospective student-athletes and does not provide information about or analysis of prospective student-athletes. Use of or a subscription to such a service is subject to the provisions of Bylaw 13.14.3, except for subsections (c) and (e).
[13.4.3.1 renumbered as 13.14.3.2, unchanged.]”
NCAA member institutions should: a) review the new legislation during upcoming rules-education sessions; and b) develop rules-compliance strategies to address the issues presented in ongoing investigations at the University of Oregon and other schools involving recruiting services.

It seems to be the common perception that the best way to get a sport scholarship is to train and work hard at sports and wait to be discovered. Traditionally, this passive approach to the recruiting process has meant that athletes must rely on coaches and people in the community in order for them to be discovered by college coaches looking for athletes to play in their program.
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Many athletes have the desire to play sports in college, but don’t know where to begin or what to do. Simply stated, recruiting is a four year process. Preparation and education are every bit as important in marketing, and those who wait until their senior year find themselves behind the curve.

So what should you do each year in the process? Many tasks should begin in your freshman year, and these tasks should be revisited each year.
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The growth and importance of AAU basketball in recruiting has jumped exponentially in the past 20+ years. It has reached a point where high school coaches are not the main contact for college coaches in the recruiting process in most instances. While a motivated, connected high school coach is still a valuable resource for parents and college coaches the world of AAU basketball plays an ever increasing role in the process.
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I was reading an article the other day in the sports section of my local newspaper. It was entitled “commitments often far from done deal”. It really reinforced the idea that it is smart for any high school athlete to keep their door open and take the time to research and gather information about more than just one college or university that they have an interest in. Dave Brousseau is the writer for this article and he states “commitment is the most overused word during the high school football recruiting season. The recruiting process can be suffocating as colleges do their best to entice athletes in their direction”. Mr. Brousseau tells the story of a linebacker from our Dillard high school who verbally committed to the University of Connecticut, only to learn his position had been taken by a commitment just a few days earlier. Mr. Brousseau further writes that “nothing is set in stone until the commitment is inked on National Signing Day. Until then everything and anyone is fair game”. (more…)