What would you think if this was the first thing you read in an article? “It is with fragile care that high school football recruits are treated when they arrive at universities for their official visits. These prep athletes are shown the opportunities schools have to offer — on the field, in the classroom and even socially.””But what happens when all the fun goes too far, when what was supposed to be an informative weekend takes a turn for the worse?” According to the Daily Bruin, sex parties and scandals are what happen. There have been quite a few allegations that students have been raped at a sex party, held specifically for recruits, on various campuses.
“Morals have a lot to do with a program,” UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero said, regarding the recruiting practices to the Daily Bruin. “When you’re charged with supervising 22 sports, it’s one thing, but the issue that comes into play here is what athletes are doing when they are not under your handle. Athletic departments around the country are hoping to keep a tighter rein than in the past, as the recruiting landscape becomes littered with alleged sexual indiscretions.
“Former [University of California, Los Angeles] Bruin tight end Mike Seidman said he had a similar experience at UCLA. He told the [St. Paul Pioneer Press] that on an official visit to Westwood, he was taken to strip clubs and since then had offered recruits he hosted the same treatment.” according to (Daily Bruin)
More than just keeping a “tighter rein” needs to be done to keep this under control. Do people really go this far to impress players in order to get them to come and play for a particular school?
Most would think that being raped would deter players from wanting to join such an organization. The incentives are getting worse as the years go on. Recruitment needs to be more about wanting to play for a team because a university is interested in the talent not because a player got to go to a strip club or a college party.