Page 19 - Susan Taylor

The Black List. Coaches talk. Coaches communicate with each the bad news. The worse news is that these academic require-
other and keep the toxic parents on radar. The coaching fraternity/ ments, amateurism standards, and recruiting restrictions start the
sorority runs from the introductory level up to high school varsity. freshman year of high school - so study up on the byzantine world
And then from varsity coaches to college recruiters. According to of NCAA compliance before high school starts.
the NCAA, only 3% of high school athletes earn an athletic scholar- The good news, however, is that the NCAA provides several free
ship - so if your child is in the rare position of being recruited, you’ll resources for parents. Considering bookmarking these websites:
want to stay off the “black list.” Recently, a New Jersey sports
dad sued his son’s high school track coach and school for $40M NCAA Recruiting Guidance: NCAA.org
after his son was cut for excessive unexcused absences. What NCAA Compliance Bylaws: NCAAPublications.com
college coach wants to deal with that family for the next four years? National Letter of Intent and Scholarships: NationalLetter.org
It’s simple - if a high school coach has five kids from his or her NCAA Academic “Core Course”
team getting recruited, and a certain parent did nothing but cre- Requirements: EligibilityCenter.org
ate conflict, that coach won’t see the problem parent as a priority
- don’t let parental bad behavior or ego cost a student-athlete a Lastly, have fun! Roughly 70% of kids quit youth sports by age
scholarship opportunity. 13. And a recent survey by 1-9 Sports showed that 76% of work-
Recruiting. What’s the difference between a “quiet period” and ing moms were glad when the season finally ended. No bueno.
a “dead period” in the recruiting calendar? Is a homesick college Something needs to change if the majority of kids and moms are
freshman penalized for dropping out after signing a binding letter not enjoying youth sports. Develop a game plan that works for
of intent? Can a free taco lunch with a sports agent wreck a kid’s your family. Youth sports shouldn’t be a chore; it should be fun. It
future? is a game after all.
The NCAA Division 1 Manual is a brain-charring “read” that weighs
in at a robust 432 pages of rules, exceptions to the rules, and Brian Brunkow is a San Diego-based attorney and consults on
exclusions to the exceptions…to the rules. And no pictures. That’s NCAA recruiting. Brian@BrunkowLaw.com

San Diego Woman

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