@OskiSD posted:There's no competition between the south and the rest of the country. They care more and will spend a higher % of their discretionary time and income on college sports than I do. It's a market like any other.
It's worth noting that, of PG's top 10 California recruits in the '22 class, 7 are committed to non-west coast schools. 2x to Texas, 2x to Duke, 2x to LSU and one to TCU.
I know a couple of these kids. Money (NIL), facilities and exposure seem to be the factors. Smaller contributing factor is political and cultural comfort zone (i.e., conservative parents wanting their kids in a red to reddish state).
Again, more facts. 10 years ago elite HS players from California leaving the state was a rarity. Now it isn’t. Besides the factors that you mentioned, which are all valid, there is also a considerable difference in fan base support. SEC games regularly draw 5000+ fans per game. When UCLA plays USC I bet 5000 people don’t even know the game is being played. And I’m talking about two of the most storied programs in college baseball history. Not only does it mean more in the SEC, in the Pac12 it seems to hardly mean anything at all. I watched USC play UCLA a couple years ago and nobody was in the stands. You could hear the conversations that Little Leaguers were having in the stands on the TV broadcast. I just don’t understand the lack of interest.