Coaches rely on social media to get a sense of a player's personality and who they are outside of their sport. However, posting on social media can both help and harm your image. As a recruit, it's important to be conscious of what you are posting and make sure that is appropriate for the whole world to see.
Of course, your social media can be monitored by coaches, but even after getting recruited, potential employers will be looking at your accounts, too. Don't think that once you get on the team that you are in the clear because upon entering the workforce–they will be looking into your socials just as much as a coach! It's important to let your personality shine through on social media while also doing so in a respectable way. Here's how you can strike that balance:
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DO: Post photos with your friends and family. Posting with your loved ones shows coaches you value the relationships in your life. It can also show that you enjoy being around people and are sociable.
DO: Follow and interact with the teams' accounts you are interested in. It shows that you care and have been following what that program is like.
DO: Clean up your accounts. It's a good rule of thumb every couple of months to reevaluate your post. Just a quick scroll through can give you a fresh perspective of your posts and gives you a chance to delta something you may think could harm your image.
DON'T: Post photos with alcohol, drugs, or any sort of contraband (that includes red solo cups no matter what's in it!). I don't care if you are of age and you're holding a beer. It's just not a good look and no coach wants to see it. There is no need to show the world your wild night out.
Related: Recruiting Horror Story™: I Had To Choose Between College Basketball and Social Media
DON'T: Post photos with friends if their accounts publicly show them breaking laws or have negative posts. You don't want to be associated with someone who does harmful things.
DON'T: Bad-mouth a team, company, person, etc. in any way, shape, or form on social media. It's okay to get frustrated but there is no need to let it all hang out there on social media. From a coach's perspective, who's to say you wouldn't bad mouth your coach or your team on social media?
Overall, just be yourself on social media. Post what you want, but be cautious of how it might be viewed. Think how your mom, dad, grandparents, or whoever saw your post, would they think it's appropriate. If it won't fly with them, it probably won't with your future coach either.
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* Originally published on July 6, 2022, by Casey Chizmazia
