Sports controversy has brewed this off-season around the Phillies decision to turn in two
college baseball players for using an agent during negotiations with the team
(first reported on Twitter by Baseball America’s Aaron Fitt). The sought after advice likely led the
players to return to college rather than signing with the team, resulting in a
frustrated Phillies’s organization. According to CBS Sports using an agent is common practice in dealing with MLB teams, however the
Phillies’s report resulted in an indefinite NCAA suspension for Oregon State
pitcher Ben Wetzler, that could be extremely damaging to his future. With so much discussion surrounding policy
vs. player development I was curious to know whether we are doing enough to
protect and help our young athletes. The
digital landscape has paved the way to unlimited resources for an
educated athlete to learn every aspect of his sport and seek out advice, but
are young athletes prepared enough in their daily lives? Can they effectively manage their future
careers, wading thru the waters of personal branding, online reputation, skills
improvement, and career decision-making, all while still maturing into adults? Or are we setting them up for failure by
relying on the Internet as their sole source of advice? To help provide some insight into this I
interviewed Duke University baseball pitcher Remy Janco.
Q.) With
so many tools, videos, advice, and research available online, do you feel that
high school college players are prepared enough to make serious life decisions
like college vs. pros unaccompanied, or do they still rely heavily on the
expertise of others in the business?
A.) "I think that as a college baseball
player in today's age I have many more opportunities than those in my shoes in
the past. During my recruiting process,
I used video to spread my name and create another avenue to reach college
coaches other than just seeing them at showcases and tournaments. Video was and
still is a large part of my development as a player. One particular video
analysis tool I use is the RightViewPro application that is used by many
college baseball programs to break down a player’s mechanics and work on making
positive changes. With these new tools,
videos, and advice I am not only able to develop more as a player, but I was
also able to make a very educated decision on where it was I wanted to go to
college. From my perspective, I think that all the new tools are extremely
helpful in the process, but it is still very valuable to have an agent or an
individual by your side who has dealt with the process before and has your best
interests in mind. This is something a
tool simply cannot provide no matter how effective it is."
Q.) How do you balance sharing your
personal college life on social media sites with protecting your image as a
collegiate ball player? Does the University provide you with any
education about online reputation management?
A.) "As a college athlete I am very active
on social media. I have a Twitter and a Facebook account where I communicate my
everyday life to my friends, family, and other followers. I really enjoy being
active on social media, but it also is very important that I am smart about
what I post. The athletic department at my school along with the baseball
program follow me on Twitter to make sure that I am being responsible online, as
well as doing a good job in representing myself and the university. The
athletic department also has a very useful program that freshman athletes must
take that educates them on social media and how to use it to promote their
image responsibly. It’s aimed at making the transition into college easier and
encourages us all to learn what it means to be a student athlete and a positive
representative of our school."
Q.) Just for fun there’s a White House
petition being led this week by Ozzie Smith to make baseball's opening day a
national holiday. Does he have your support?
A.) "I think that the petition led by
Ozzie Smith is extremely interesting! While I would love to see opening day
recognized as a national holiday, I think it will be a very difficult task. As
America's national pastime, I think Ozzie has an argument for his petition, a
national holiday is a very big deal and to have that passed would open the door
for a lot of other sports to make the same argument. I'm very curious to see
where that goes, but I’m definitely behind it!"
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