No More Victim Stories in Recruiting
Day after day I listen to stories of players who claim they never got a chance to be seen and day after day I get more and more disappointed in that statement. I call them victim stories. We all hear them in our every day lives constantly and when it comes to sports I get tired of them. Some of my favorites are “I would’ve played but the coach already had his team picked” and “coach hates my family so why even try”. Those are some common ones that are heard every day but one that I’m starting to grow tired of is “I could’ve played college ball but nobody gave me a chance or nobody came to see me play”. Victim.
I know that not everybody is a victim and that legitimately they couldn’t afford to play AAU ball or travel to camps or what not. I know that some kids don’t make highlight clips of themselves to get to coaches. I get all of it. I’ve been around a while and those times are coming quickly to an end. Look at what we have now…
You tube, AAU, High school, player camps, team camps, recruiting services (endless ones of these) so the victim stories are coming to an end. You want to play college ball then try using as many different resources as you can. I had someone tell me once that if God wanted them to play then he would figure it out. I am a believer in God but I’m also a believer in helping ourselves. You want to play then go get it. Exhaust your resources in every area and give yourself the best chance possible. If you think just having a good high school season is enough it isn’t anymore.
I was reading an article in ESPN the magazine this morning about Georgia ST’s football program. I read about several different players who got their chance by simply asking for an opportunity and then being able to back it up. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and if you fail then fail because you aren’t good enough not because you didn’t try. Be accountable instead of being the victim.
