November 6, 2010 served up yet another example of how pressure-packed the prep sports environment has become. In case you missed it, 13-year-old David Sills of Wilmington, Delaware verbally committed to the University of Southern California’s football program. New head coach Lane Kiffin, in the news yet again, offered Sills a scholarship after being shown YouTube footage of the middle-school quarterback by private quarterbacks coach Steve Clarkson.
Clarkson, however, had already mentored former USC quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart and current USC quarterback Matt Barkley before working with Sills. On top of the highlight reel Kiffin was able to view and the questionable motives of Clarkson, the ethical dilemma that is permeating prep sports culture is only being amplified by the technology that allows these kids to be covered, gain recognition, and be marketed to the point of exploitation. Read the rest of this entry »
