Well today is national signing day for young football playing Americans across the country. Local media, ESPN, and fans across the country are eagerly checking webpages and listening to thousands of different analyst trying to predict where the top recruits will end up for the start of next season. As a huge football fan I truly enjoy this time of year but at the same time hate it. It boggles my mind the decisions some of these kids make. Why kids are choosing USC over other popular schools when they know they under scrutiny by the NCAA or why kids are choosing rebuilding programs with new coaches like Michigan over consistent powerhouses like Ohio State.
It’s amazing how much attention these high school athletes are getting just for their selection on where they will spend the next 3 to 4 years. And all of this got me thinking, why don’t they have a national signing day for America’s brightest and most gifted students.
You could have rankings across the country, scouting out the top minds at the top universities, and students being flown around the country for company visits. Top recruiters from the best companies like Apple, Google, and IBM would be comparable to Alabama, Ohio State, and USC in college football. It could turn into its own event much like National Signing Day for football stars. You would have students picking between a hat with an Apple logo vs a hat with a Google logo. If football stars are getting that much attention why shouldn’t the top academics also get some attention?
When you spin the scenario around it seems a little ridiculous how much pressure we put on these young high school kids and how it can almost halt productivity at businesses around the country as employees continuously refresh their browsers just hoping that an ounce of new news appears on ESPN’s homepage. Why is that we have allowed the media to totally blow the simplest and smallest of events to full blown spectacles with live coverage around the clock, 24/7 blazing fast updates, as tomorrow’s next star chooses where they will attend college?
Written by Rob Carroll