Student Athlete Loses Scholarship Due to Social Media Posts
Student Athlete Loses Scholarship Due to Social Media Posts
Another student athlete loses her scholarship due to social media posts! Unfortunately, this is not likely the last time I will be sharing news about this issue. The NCAA has recently ruled that college coaches may “click, not comment” on social media posts by prospective student athletes. This means coaches can friend “PSA’s”, like, and even share their posts. The new rule is having a dramatic effect on college recruiting!
It’s important you are educated on the impact social media can have on your future. The use of profanity, images of you with alcohol, bullying, wearing skimpy clothing are all examples of how it may cost you a scholarship. It’s not just the scholarship you should be concerned with either. College admissions offices and employers are also going to be using social media to better understand what kind of candidate you are.
The purpose of sharing this with you is not to scare you. I would encourage you to spend some time reviewing all of your accounts to ensure they are clean. It’s fine for you to have silly images of yourself but be sure there is no profanity. As a reminder, college coaches are looking for positive role models for their program. Your image is going to be plastered throughout the institution, on the media guides, their social media etc.
Social media is not all bad. It can actually be used as a recruiting tool to gain exposure. I would highly recommend putting together short video clips that can shared on your Instagram and Snapchat accounts. I’d even suggest creating a Facebook profile or fan page. This is a great place to check in at tournaments, share articles, video and pictures.
Although most of your peers are not using Facebook, the college coaches who are recruiting you are definitely using it.
A great recruiting tip is to follow all of the college programs that interest you. The coaches post awesome clips of their athletes in practices, matches, traveling, and site seeing. It’s really fun to follow and it’s easier to stay up to date when you are sending updates. You can take the time to personalize your emails to them to reflect their record or upcoming matches. You will also get a better feel for what the next level is really like and if it’s for you.
Have a question about the college recruiting process? Feel free to drop me a message at Kara@myrecruitingsolutions.com, call 714-323-8088 or use the hashtag #AskKaraHill on Facebook or Twitter.
March 7, 2017
In the last 48 hours, my blog post has gone viral. I am humbled and grateful you are here reading this story. Many people have requested more information about what the athlete had posted on her account to result in losing a scholarship. She was in multiple images where alcohol was in the background, and many of her friends used profanity throughout her account. While this may not be something that is offensive to everyone, the reality is she lost her scholarship because the coach didn’t feel she would be a good representative of the institution.
I work with female athletes and I specialize in girls volleyball. Many emails and comments have come to my attention drawing comparisons about how boys and girls are treated differently. My passion is educating young women how to navigate successfully through the recruiting process. I love being a support to my clients. I am not here to pass judgement on the decisions college coaches make when it comes to their program. It’s important for you to understand that the college coaches livelihood is on the line. While you may not agree, they are entitled to make the decisions they feel are in the best interest of the program.
Please forgive any grammatical errors.
