- National Signing Day
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National Signing Day most commonly refers to a day in February, usually on the first Wednesday of that month, which is the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for college football with a school that is a member of the NCAA, the main governing body for college sports in the United States. Although all NCAA sports have at least one National Signing Day, and most have two, college football's version is by far the most widely followed by fans and sports media.
The growing popularity over time of National Signing Day has had a marked impact on media coverage of young players and on loyal fans' expectations.
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Impact on players
National Signing Day has become a phenomenon for the athletes being recruited as well. For the players, it is their chance at their very own 15 minutes of fame. They have millions of people paying attention to them and their decision, and many of them take advantage of that limelight for their own enjoyment. “The hype over football recruiting has gotten so popular that some top high school stars are holding nationally televised press conferences to announce their decision between National Football Powerhouse U and National Football Powerhouse State.”.[1] One such situation involved offensive lineman Antonio Logan-El. Highly recruited out of high school, Logan-El initially verbally committed to the University of Maryland. On National Signing Day in 2006, he held a nationally televised press conference at the ESPN Zone in Baltimore. He invited Terps’ head coach Ralph Friedgen’s wife to the event and was wearing a red (UMD’s primary color) tie. “He then pulled out a photo of himself with Penn State coach Joe Paterno and announced he was going to play for the legend in Happy Valley, sending a dagger into the hearts of Maryland fans.".[2] While this situation is a departure from the norm, it shows the kind of impact the glitz and glamour of National Signing Day can have on not only the athletes, but the loyal fan bases that follow the hundreds of NCAA football programs as well.
Political Impact
Politically, National Signing Day has an effect in that head coaches are lobbying, in a way, for the athletes to commit to them and their programs. It is also very political in terms of programs and coaches competing against one another for the athletes commitment. Some coaches will do whatever it takes to get an athlete to commit, including unethical and illegal tactics. A number of schools have faced questions about recruiting practices in light of recent scandals involving such activities as payments to players, players families, on campus events, etc. all designed to secure signatures, the most recent surrounding Auburn star and Heisman trophy winner Cam Newton.[3] Other notable event include those at The University of Colorado early last decade which resulted in self-imposed recruiting standards,[1] as well as the questions that arose around the recruitment of OJ Mayo to USC which ultimately felled their coach Tim Floyd.[4]
References
- ^ http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080213/NEWS0103/802130335/1005/ACC
- ^ http://www.examiner.com/a-551406~The_signing_day_circus_arrives.html
- ^ "Auburn's Cam Newton timeline: From recruitment to NCAA ruling".
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/2008-05-11-mayo-allegations_N.htm
- "Signing Day huge deal for players, fans"
- "The signing day circus arrives" http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sph&AN=SPH397346&site=ehost-live "Sign Language"
- "Signing day glow: No losers"
- "Taking a detour from the moral high road"
External links
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