High school athletes can lose a scholarship in 140-characters. Yes, it is absurd to think that social media, as harmless and fun as it can be, has that much influence on your future. It only takes one tweet, one Instagram post to jeopardize your college future
85 percent of college coaches surveyed by Cornerstone Reputation said their staff conducted online research of recruits. Of these coaches, 87 percent have turned to Facebook, 79 percent have used Twitter and 65 percent have looked at Instagram to gain insight into a recruit’s character.
Like it or not, Social Media can change your future. What you post on social media stays with you. Before a coach invites you on campus, most likely they have searched social media for you, spoken with your coaches, teammates, and anything else that they can find.
Every dollar spent is under scrutiny and every little detail of you, as a player, as a person, your character, work ethic and more come into play. When they are looking for a recruit, they are looking for someone that their college will invest a lot of money into — sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarship money, training and equipment. Coaches want to make the best decision they can, as it can impact their careers, their paychecks, and the well-being of their families.
If you are not able to control yourself on social media, will you be able to control yourself on the field? In the classroom? With your teammates? Social media gets a quick glimpse into who you really are. What do you want your social media to say about you?
Remember, just because you are not doing anything wrong, that Red Solo cup does not help your case.
“We saw how a student-athlete conducted himself on the internet. We simply won’t put up with that potential headache. His twitter gave us a good idea of just how immature he really is. Social media has become a green screening process for us.”
-Division II coach
Positive Social Media
Don’t get us wrong, social media can be used in a positive way. Post pictures of you playing soccer, working out at 6am on the field. Make it your goal to post something positive every day.
Posting something positive, or motivational every day helps you stay on track. If you can post something positive every day, you will become more positive. After 2 weeks you will see your outlook on life change, for the better.
If you win an award, post it. If you attend a camp, check in. Check in before games. Post your scores, etc.
TIPS
- Set your profiles to Public. It seems very easy to just hide your profiles, but if your profiles are restricted, many coaches will assume you have something to hide. Make it easy for the coach to find you.
- Follow and like the programs you are interested in. Follow their games, scores and updates. It gives you talking points when chatting with the coaches about their program.