The Business of College Football: All Those Great Expectations

Pictured here is Tara a dog adopted from the local animal shelter by people that had never owned a dog before and knew next to nothing about caring for one. She's a mutt and as Private Winger teaches us in Stripes, "There's nothing more loyal than a mutt" She is well behaved and loving dog with two major faults 1) she sheds well beyond what would be expected from a 20 pound dog and 2) an intruder would be welcomed as a friend. The adoption was a crapshoot but it turned out well.

Bob Smizik of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a similar message in a recent article about the much hyped college football signing day. We have all had the reverse of the above story where the new employee that looks great on paper and is impressive in the interview turns into a mistake you wished would go away or just does not live up to expectations.

Now when entering the world of college recruiting remember that you are looking at the the 17 year old male a being with the capacity for greatness plague with the problem of sometimes acting in totally irrational ways. All that have completed the trial that is human adolescence needs remember the stupid things you did or thought during this period of your life. We also need to consider the impact that the attention given these players can have on their attitude where they start to think they really are that important.

The fault however is not with these young men they are pawns in the big picture. As Mr. Smizik points out it is difficult to fairly and accurately evaluate high school talent and those that consume (read as: pay for) need to review the product they are buying because its demonstrated poor performance and the unintended consequences on the players. Saying that is like piddling in the oceans and will not change the primal desire to be able to claim a rankings in the cold of February.