January 14, 2009
American Idol and Athletic Recruiting
By Chad Durbin, Showcase U Co-founder
Spring Training is looming. And there's no more current reminder that we're a month away from Spring Training than Fox Primetime television than with American Idol. It seems that for the last couple of years I've been tired from a full day of working out and throwing...and I find myself sitting in front of the television, with the rest of our family and friends, watching the American Idol Auditions. I know, it's funny that I do it...but I'm a grown man and I can admit that I watch that part of American Idol! It's nice to some of the talent on display...and we all get a kick out of some of the contestants. I call it Secondhand Embarrassment. There's also the cases of Schadenfreude (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schadenfreude). Haha I don't watch once the contestants move on, but I see some similarities in baseball recruiting, or all recruiting, and the audition process.
For many athletes, they get few shots and showcasing their talents. Scouts or College Recruiters come to games to see certain players display their talents. This is essentially an audition. And...if you put together all of the actual time in which the specific athletes are performing, it might be 90 seconds or so. Think about it, an at bat takes 90 seconds sometimes, but the actually swings, running out ground balls, or making pitches...is limited in time. It might be more like 5 minutes in some cases, but that might be your only shot as a student athlete, with those particular scouts/recruiters.
So, while sitting and watching last night. I thought of how valuable http://www.showcaseu.com/ is to aspiring athletes. Extending the "audition" through our online portal. Spread the word, and allow other athletes to "extend their audition!"
Any thoughts? Respond on here, or through a similar topic in our Forums (click here-- http://showcaseu.com/community/forums.aspx )