This February, the NCAA proved that the organization is capable of keeping up with popular culture by naming SnapChat, an iPhone app, as a permissible recruiting tool for certain sports. In a recent educational column about electronic transmissions, social media platforms, and recruiting, the NCAA reminded its member institutions of the rules regarding the intersection of social media and recruiting prospective players. This column repeated recruiting rules widely known to recruiting staff at member institutions, noting that when using electronic communication for recruiting purposes in basketball and men’s ice hockey, coaches may use various types of electronically transmitted correspondence as long as the messages are private and directly between the prospective (or his or her family) and the sender. The shock came when the NCAA, referring to types of “electronically transmitted correspondence” expanded its definition to specifically name SnapChat as a medium of electronic communication.
SnapChat, the sixth most downloaded free iPhone app in 2013, is at the pinnacle of modern popular culture, combining both picture-messaging and text in an unprecedented way. The application allows users to send a photo or video to one or more “friends” on their contact list, complete with typed text or paint-style doodles. SnapChat’s most unique feature is that the “snaps” self-destruct, or permanently delete, as soon as the timer expires. The application garnered infamy for its alleged use by teens to send explicit photos without discovery. The “snap” can be saved via screenshot if the recipient is given enough time to capture the image.
SnapChat’s contentious self-destructing feature also has the collegiate sports community fearing possible abuse during recruiting. SnapChat could be used to secretly promise a prospect an impermissible benefit to entice him or her to commit to the institution, or to break other strict NCAA recruiting rules. Critics argue that recruiting scandals could remain hidden because of a lack of evidence that communication or a recruiting violation took place.
While there is a legitimate concern that SnapChat may facilitate recruiting violations, the same violations could take place without the help of the app. Coaches could currently show and promise extra benefits in private conversation between the prospect and coach without leaving evidence. If the issue is a matter of presenting the prospect with a visual, coaches could arguably send the prospect a text message with a picture of a luxury car or suite attached to tempt the prospect to commit to their institution.
Also, SnapChat is not fundamentally different from other social media that the NCAA has named as permissible for communication during recruiting. The NCAA allows coaches and prospects, depending on the sport, to communicate via Twitter direct message, instant message, Facebook chat, and text message, as long as the conversations remain private between the sender and the receiver. Though these mediums do not have their own built-in self-destruct capabilities, messages can also be deleted, and the technology to retrieve a text message is complicated. Therefore, SnapChat may seem like an entirely new troublesome beast, but similar problems arise with the use of other approved electronic communication.
The SnapChat possibilities are endless. Coaches could “snap” a tough practice, a locker room post-game celebration, or, in an effort to keep up with popular trends, a coach might send a selfie with a welcoming “Can’t-Wait-To-Coach-You” smile. By acknowledging the prevalent use of “snaps” to communicate among recruiting-aged youth, the NCAA took a step to both recognize SnapChat’s possible uses and to regulate the app as a burgeoning recruiting tool. Ultimately, the NCAA needs to remain aware of the use and subsequent problems that may arise from new communication technologies. Regardless of whether recruiting staff know or care about SnapChat, one fact remains relevant: the NCAA’s acknowledgement of SnapChat pushes coaches to remain on the cutting edge of popular technology to remain competitive, and coaches need to utilize SnapChat to remain relevant with the young recruiting class today.
Posted March 24, 2014