Wednesday, January 26, 2011

The Curious Case of Christian Westerman

So tell me if this sounds odd: An athlete commits to a university's football program. Things don't go as well as planned at said university. Athlete has second thoughts. Athlete's father says nothing has changed. Athlete suddenly announces at a press conference that he is no longer committed to said school. Nobody is surprised.
Sound silly? Not really, and that's because instances such as this are the norm during every yearly recruiting phase. Too many athletes today don't think twice to go back on their word, especially when athletic programs don't hold athletes accountable for their honor.
Of course, the thing that makes the case of one Christian Westerman stand out more than those of similar situations is the fact that he did not have anything to say for himself. Evey thing coming from young Westerman's side came from the mouth of his father.
Don't get me wrong, I know from experience that recruiting season can be very stressful for the young men who take part in it. But that being said, it's hard to picture a person who is supposed to be one of the toughest recruits of the season hiding behind the voice of his parents. It's even harder to imagine why that young man's parents are hell bent on selling a picture as a Rembrandt focusing on peace and serenity when the actually picture is a watercolor of trenches and barbed wire.
In light of incidents of misinformation such as these, it only makes sense that the blight of the PR world is not only still around, but is being used more commonly today, especially when young men in high school and their families are already partaking in the process.

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