April 20, 2009

Recruiting violations on Facebook?

The NCAA has stepped in and advised NC State that they must take action against a student who created a Facebook fan page dedicated to a potential Wolfpack recruit.

According to the Orlando Sentinel story, the NCAA says that creating Facebook pages and groups during recruiting season is out of bounds and a violation of recruiting rules. The NCAA believes that when fans create and post pages, they are acting as boosters in an attempt to influence the choice of a recruit.

To their credit, NC State gently nudged the student to change the name of the page from "John Wall PLEASE come to NC STATE!!!!" to a more acceptable "Bring a National Title Back to N.C. State."

NCAA spokesman Erik Christianson told the AP this isn't a free-speech issue.

"We don't see it as a free-speech issue. What we do see it as is a recruiting issue," he said. "We want to be sure that we limit that level of intrusion that comes into their lives."

First and foremost, I think there's a limit to how much influence Facebook, Rivals boards, and blogs really have when it comes to recruits. I've yet to see a recruit -- in any sport -- say that the decision on where to go to college has been influenced by Facebook or blogs or any online outlet. I've heard kids say they picked a school because of their uniforms, but I've yet to see a kid pick a hat and scream, "FACEBOOK!!!"

Secondly, I think it's much more likely that "booster actions" such as... say... giving a kid's family free rent are a more legitimate influencer than something a college kid posts on Facebook. (By the way, it's been three years on the Reggie Bush investigation, NCAA. What gives?)

Finally, I think it's time that the NCAA accept that fact that Facebook is a real world environment. People are going to say things on Facebook, just as they would say them at a mall... or at Sonic... or wherever. You cannot police all speech, nor should a university be held liable for a Facebook fan page.

Besides, we all know that if Facebook pages were a really a crime, then FSU or Colorado or somebody would already have a whole room of students posting away. Right? Right.

Comments:

Recruiting violations on Facebook?
The NCAA has stepped in and advised NC State that they must take action against a student who created a Facebook fan page dedicated to a potential Wolfpack recruit. According to the Orlando Sentinel story, the NCAA says that creating Facebook pages and groups during recruiting season is out of bounds and a violation of recruiting rules. The NCAA believes that when fans create and post pages, they are acting as boosters in an attempt to influence the choice of a recruit. To their credit, NC State gently nudged the student to change the name of the page from "John Wall PLEASE come to NC STATE!!!!" to a more acceptable "Bring a National Title Back to N.C. State."
NCAA spokesman Erik Christianson told the AP this isn't a free-speech issue. "We don't see it as a free-speech issue. What we do see it as is a recruiting issue," he said. "We want to be sure that we limit that level of intrusion that comes into their lives."
First and foremost, I think there's a limit to how much influence Facebook, Rivals boards, and blogs really have when it comes to recruits. I've yet to see a recruit -- in any sport -- say that the decision on where to go to college has been influenced by Facebook or blogs or any online outlet. I've heard kids say they picked a school because of their uniforms, but I've yet to see a kid pick a hat and scream, "FACEBOOK!!!" Secondly, I think it's much more likely that "booster actions" such as... say... giving a kid's family free rent are a more legitimate influencer than something a college kid posts on Facebook. (By the way, it's been three years on the Reggie Bush investigation, NCAA. What gives?) Finally, I think it's time that the NCAA accept that fact that Facebook is a real world environment. People are going to say things on Facebook, just as they would say them at a mall... or at Sonic... or wherever. You cannot police all speech, nor should a university be held liable for a Facebook fan page. Besides, we all know that if Facebook pages were a really a crime, then FSU or Colorado or somebody would already have a whole room of students posting away. Right? Right.