Announcing commitment on social media

@TPM posted:

We have a friend that I have been helping in understanding the recruiting process.

His son is a senior, they live here in Florida, attends a well known program, an honor student, high test scores, plays for a very good travel program.

He does not fit the physical profile that most coaches prefer.

With that being said, upon my advice, he began to concentate on Juco and D2 programs in state and today received a walk on opportunity to a D2, with scholarship $$ in the spring of 2025.

He received advice  to post on social media that HC from XYZ offered him an opportunity to walk on in the fall.  He was told by someone that coaches that had an interest would get word and more than likely  offer with $$$ before signing day.

I told him if other coaches had been interested they would have offered months ago. Accept the offer if he wants, but do not post on social media.

Not sure if I gave the right advice. I do not know this particular coach, who is relatively new to FL,  have heard he is very good.

Any advice?

You provided good advice. Whoever suggested that posting about a walk on offer would generate a money offer from a different school offered bad advice - and they don’t understand how college baseball recruiting works.

I think it is great advice TPM.  Posting on social media with the intent to better the offer is not a great way to start a college baseball career.

After all the i's are dotted and t's crossed, then posting on social media to thank those that have helped in the journey and commit to the program is the best way (and only reason) in my opinion.

@adbono posted:

You provided good advice. Whoever suggested that posting about a walk on offer would generate a money offer from a different school offered bad advice - and they don’t understand how college baseball recruiting works.

I know baseball is very different from football and basketball and people don't want to believe it.  I have a close friend who's son did that exact move, in football.   A P5 coach gave him permission to post he received a PWO offer from the school.  He parlayed that into a full ride at a FCS school.

That being said, baseball kids only announce commitments, not offers.  If they do, they are publicly shamed. Which is crazy because every football and basketball kid posts every visit and offer.

Thanks everyone. @Master P, there are a few other programs interested that have had interest including Juco, which I think is a better option to play as a freshman.

There was no money offered because with Florida bright futures $$ and pre pay room and board in FL it would cost him for meal plan only. Big issue is that like everywhere else freshman opportunities are getting hard to find.

@Master P posted:

I know baseball is very different from football and basketball and people don't want to believe it.  I have a close friend who's son did that exact move, in football.   A P5 coach gave him permission to post he received a PWO offer from the school.  He parlayed that into a full ride at a FCS school.

That being said, baseball kids only announce commitments, not offers.  If they do, they are publicly shamed. Which is crazy because every football and basketball kid posts every visit and offer.

There is a good reason that it’s frowned on for baseball recruits to post about offers when it’s accepted (although obnoxious IMO) with football and basketball recruits. Football and basketball are head count sports. They provide revenue to the school and are able to offer full scholarships to all key members of their teams (well in excess of that for football). Baseball is in a different category. It is an equivalency sport - which by definition is a cash drain. Baseball has a limited number of scholarships and those are chopped into pieces. Because scholarships are limited baseball counts on contributions from non scholarship athletes. A walk on offer in baseball can be (but isn’t always) the best a school may be able to offer a player they really want. When a baseball recruit posts on social media about an offer the perception is that he is trying to use the post as leverage to secure a better offer. Whether that is the intent or not, it will be viewed that way. And it will 100 times out of 100 piss off the coach that extended the offer. Sometimes to the point of the offer being rescinded. So it’s not worth the risk of losing an offer on the off chance that posting about it may generate something else. Baseball just doesn’t work like that.

My calling it "crazy" I didn't mean baseball should be like the other sports. Its just always fascinated me the different recruiting cultures of all the sports.

I know of a local D2 basketball program who tells every recruit that if you post the offer, its automatically rescinded.  They ONLY want commitments posted.  They are also a top 25 program.  

I mentioned again to dad this morning, don't say anything on social media until a decision is made.

Just to clarify, the question is about announcing an offer (not a commitment) on social media, right?  Just confirming bec the title says "announcing commitment".

Like some mentioned here, I've always wondered why other sports announces offers on social media.  I personally much prefer baseball's culture where it's not done this way (although I won't be surprised if this changes later on).

What I've been told is that college baseball is a small community.  The moment the first offers comes, other coaches will know somehow and that could open the door for other coaches to offer (either they have been interested but waiting on the sidelines, or learning of the offer brought the kid to their attention).  I'm sure the travel/HS coach plays a part in making sure that their college contacts learn of this offer through back channels.

@atlnon

Walk on opportunity. Maybe money next season. Player wants to post on social media his commitment to walk on, thinking he would get a real offer.

Oh, that's even worse.  This means he already accepted the walk on offer (and "committed") already?  What I'm reading is that he's not really committed since his goal for posting the "commitment" is to get other better offers?

@atlnon posted:

Oh, that's even worse.  This means he already accepted the walk on offer (and "committed") already?  What I'm reading is that he's not really committed since his goal for posting the "commitment" is to get other better offers?

No he did not committ to the program as yet. He wants to announce he received a walk on offer.

Son committed to a walk on offer. He posted after he committed, but didn't say it was a walk on. Just that he had committed to the program. The details were no one's business (and he wasn't trolling for additional offers either).

@adbono posted:

There is a good reason that it’s frowned on for baseball recruits to post about offers when it’s accepted (although obnoxious IMO) with football and basketball recruits. Football and basketball are head count sports. They provide revenue to the school and are able to offer full scholarships to all key members of their teams (well in excess of that for football). Baseball is in a different category. It is an equivalency sport - which by definition is a cash drain.

Not exactly!

Women's gymnastics, tennis and volleyball are headcount sports. I'll go out on a limb to say these sports do not cover their expenses at any college, with the recent, notable exception of LSU gymnastics.

Baseball and softball are revenue-generators at many colleges and income-generators at a handful.

But baseball has long been kneecapped by the NCAA in terms of scholarships because (1) the top 15 FBS schools control the NCAA and (2) the NCAA derives 80% of their revenue from March Madness.

The goal of football's 85 "headcount" full tuition scholarships is to make football the most attractive path for talented middle school and HS athletes, esp when compared to baseball. "Uneven" is great documentary that explores this purposeful distortion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7cKh4fo6Bg

And while the woefully inadequate 11.7 equivalency scholarships is the most glaring example of the NCAA's corrupt intent, there are many other distortions which favor basketball and especially football at the expense of baseball.

For instance, guess which sport is the only one allowed by the NCAA to

- have an unlimited # of coaches

- have multiple color-shirt rules (red, green, grey, blue)

- provide their student trainers and managers with any extra, unused scholarships

- have the lowest scholarship : player ratio

"bUt fOOtbAll GenerAtes rEvenUe"

Yeah, well, so does baseball. And the WCWS has had more viewers than the MCWS for the last several years. In some years, a million more. But college football is on TV nearly year-round, good luck finding a rerun D1 baseball game in December.

It's turtles all the way down.

@SpeedDemon posted:

Baseball and softball are revenue-generators at many colleges and income-generators at a handful.

This is pre-pandemic (2019), but it says:  "There are 299 Division I baseball programs. Though specific figures were not available, an NCAA spokesman estimated less than 10% of them turn a profit."  That would be fewer than 30.

https://talkbusiness.net/2020/...ecord-revenue-total/

@anotherparent posted:

This is pre-pandemic (2019), but it says:  "There are 299 Division I baseball programs. Though specific figures were not available, an NCAA spokesman estimated less than 10% of them turn a profit."  That would be fewer than 30.

https://talkbusiness.net/2020/...ecord-revenue-total/

Thanks for the article @anotherparent.

I'd give a buffalo nickel to know who & how those 30 programs are turning a profit.  My first inclination was the P5 schools but that may not be the case as the article mentioned Florida, Texas Tech and others clearly in the red while having success getting to the CWS.

The article was written (2020) a few years ago before all the recent changes for player mobility and compensation which probably adds to the ledger's expense column for present day programs.

Again, I'd like to know the formula for turning a profit in D1 college baseball.  It appears to be very elusive, but some folks have figured it out.

I am sure that there are programs that have figured it out, it's now 2024.

To add to my comment, it's more than likely that baseball programs don't turn a profit. I believe every sport in a school contributes to the annual fund and the Athletic Director awards each sports projected annual budget.

@anotherparent posted:

This is pre-pandemic (2019), but it says:  "There are 299 Division I baseball programs. Though specific figures were not available, an NCAA spokesman estimated less than 10% of them turn a profit."  That would be fewer than 30.

https://talkbusiness.net/2020/...ecord-revenue-total/

Thanks!

I'm surprised it's as high as 30. Would have guessed it was more like 10 - 15.

Would be nice to know how many generate revenue. I bet it's hundreds.

@TPM posted:

I am sure that there are programs that have figured it out, it's now 2024.

To add to my comment, it's more than likely that baseball programs don't turn a profit. I believe every sport in a school contributes to the annual fund and the Athletic Director awards each sports projected annual budget.

Exactly.

And it’s not like NIL money is coming from the universities…

It also makes no sense that college sports are expected to turn a profit. I mean, great if they do, but does the physics dept turn a profit? Is the undergraduate business school or fine arts dept expected to generate millions in income each year?

Esp if the players are expected to be students first, athletes second, measuring a college sport based on its ability to generate profits makes no sense.

@SpeedDemon posted:

does the physics dept turn a profit? Is the undergraduate business school or fine arts dept expected to generate millions in income each year?

Yes, yes, and yes.  They are expected to do this at many schools.  In the form of grants, or in numbers of students taking their classes, or alumni donations.  And those are academic departments.

College sports, in theory, exist to allow students to have fun, get exercise, learn leadership, etc.  I.e. the D3 model.  What they have become in D1 is not that.  So, why are universities paying huge amounts for these extra-curriculars that are not the money sports?