(Long rant incoming so feel free to say TLDR and skip it)
This comes up because the Heyward situation has just multiplied it, but we have seen it a few times now with Walt, Kylan, Gude, Etc. The amount of people/fans that go out of their way to openly discuss the reasoning a kid didn't come to their school and say it was because they aren't actually good, are overrated, or (what I've noticed recently) they have character issues is BS. Nobody really knows everything that goes into why a kid didn't go to "your" school and so many seem to forget at the end of the day these kids are just that...kids.
If there is one way I hope the UCF fan base can differ itself from other programs, I hope it is with situations like this. In talking to a few recruits, they see all of this stuff and just like you would think with any 16-17 year old....you see/hear it enough and you begin to blame yourself/get down on yourself. I never ask of anything from my dungeon mates, but can we try to not make up excuses as to why a kid went elsewhere (espeically when it attacks their character) NIL reasoning isn't a bad discussion because it isn't taking personal attacks at the kids themselves. The way so many fan bases are reacting to Heyward right now is embarrassing.
Though we/their schools may get a commit....those same commits see how the fans treat other guys who aren't a take/go elsewhere. Let all the other "legacy" programs be the assholes and let us stick with going back and forth with other fans instead of going after the kids. I know some of the pushback will be "they get paid now so it is fair game" and I completely disagree. Just because someone is paid, it doesn't mean they are now open for personal attacks. This is all my opinion and has no reflection of anyone else in the dungeon.
This has been the end of my ted talk.
This comes up because the Heyward situation has just multiplied it, but we have seen it a few times now with Walt, Kylan, Gude, Etc. The amount of people/fans that go out of their way to openly discuss the reasoning a kid didn't come to their school and say it was because they aren't actually good, are overrated, or (what I've noticed recently) they have character issues is BS. Nobody really knows everything that goes into why a kid didn't go to "your" school and so many seem to forget at the end of the day these kids are just that...kids.
If there is one way I hope the UCF fan base can differ itself from other programs, I hope it is with situations like this. In talking to a few recruits, they see all of this stuff and just like you would think with any 16-17 year old....you see/hear it enough and you begin to blame yourself/get down on yourself. I never ask of anything from my dungeon mates, but can we try to not make up excuses as to why a kid went elsewhere (espeically when it attacks their character) NIL reasoning isn't a bad discussion because it isn't taking personal attacks at the kids themselves. The way so many fan bases are reacting to Heyward right now is embarrassing.
Though we/their schools may get a commit....those same commits see how the fans treat other guys who aren't a take/go elsewhere. Let all the other "legacy" programs be the assholes and let us stick with going back and forth with other fans instead of going after the kids. I know some of the pushback will be "they get paid now so it is fair game" and I completely disagree. Just because someone is paid, it doesn't mean they are now open for personal attacks. This is all my opinion and has no reflection of anyone else in the dungeon.
This has been the end of my ted talk.
