The NCAA has a host of major issues that it really could be tackling right now. But instead, on Wednesday it decided that photoshoots can’t be held during unofficial visits for football players.
That’s right…photoshoots.
In legislation that hasn’t yet been passed, the NCAA is looking to eliminate all photo shoots for prospective football players that don’t take place on an official visit. Official visit photo shoots will remain under the proposed legislation.
But kiss the unofficial visit photoshoot bye-bye.
Why does this matter?
The photoshoot has become a right of passage for most football players visiting a school. Some high school underclassman is visiting campus for the first time and gets ushered into a room, often with some type of a throne or a chair, and a series of props.
The NCAA is also tackling the important stuff: Getting rid of photoshoots for recruits!! pic.twitter.com/AxFyR2aOxn
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) October 4, 2023
Get decked out in the uniform, throw some chains over the shoulders and start mugging for the camera. Now, take one with this heavy mallet and tire so it looks like a CrossFit workout. Here, hold this axe now and smile. What could go wrong?
OK, put on a crown. You’re our king.
Or dance with head coach Brian Kelly because, well, why not?
Got my coach! 🐯🐯 @CoachBrianKelly pic.twitter.com/j0nurt5sMa
— Walker Howard (@Walker_Howard4) December 13, 2021
Oh, and don’t forget to take a photo or two with mom hugging you, because we care about her too.
Enough with the snark but the photoshoot is not only the least of the NCAA’s worries, it shouldn’t be a worry.
It is harmless fun and a way for the football recruit to connect with the school. It isn’t an improper gift or undue influence. It is a photo shoot.
But leave it up to the NCAA to major on the minors and blow this thing up.
And in the day and age of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) gone wild, the photo shoot is a non-issue.
