Text messaging is dead; long live text messaging

  • 08/11/2007 2:30 pm in

bullying_texting.gifIn an issue that is near and dear to any Hoosier fan’s heart — considering it might be partially responsible for the arrival of IU’s best recruit in about 20 years — the NCAA has almost, almost, closed the door on the text messaging that has so pervaded the college recruiting scene for the last few years.

There are horror stories about poor recruits having to foot $500 phone bills, thanks to incessant “OMG CANT WAIT TIL YOUR A TROJAN!!” night and day. Xavier coach Sean Miller has characterized text messaging as less invasive than a phone call, but that sounds only true from one side of the aisle: coaches can still invade, they just don’t have to bear the shame of being rejected on the telephone. When the textee doesn’t respond, the texter can move on. But the textee still has to delete, and pay for, the 1,291 new messages in his inbox.

Which brings us to the continually shortsighted nature of the NCAA’s ruling. Instead of creating a ban on the number of times a coach may contact a player whether via text, email, phone call, two cans on a line of string, USPS, etc, the NCAA has regulated only one more medium, one that might be obselete in five years. I don’t know about you, but I want to get a smartphone as soon as I can, and most people are like me: what will the NCAA do when email becomes just as pervasive a technology as SMS? Another ban?

In any case, it might not matter, because those appealing the ruling have one more chance to overrule and keep their precious text messages. Let’s just hope America’s coaches never master the art of MMS; things are creepy enough as it is.

Previously: How will text messaging ban change recruiting?

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