Social media etiquette for prospective student-athletes: Dos and don’ts

When we started Streamline Athletes, we talked to as many college and university track and field coaches as we could. We spoke with U SPORTS, NCAA (DI, DII, and DIII) NAIA, and even junior college coaches in the NJCAA. We talked to coaches making hundreds of thousands of dollars at the helm of massive track programs in the US and with volunteer coaches at smaller programs in Canada.

While we learned a ton from having these conversations with such a breadth of coaches, I’m going to focus in on one particular aspect of recruiting in this post: social media.

When it comes to recruiting track and field student-athletes, collegiate coaches commonly turn to social media. Platforms like Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and even Snapchat are used for direct communication with recruits, while the likes of Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram serve as tools for conducting background checks.

Of course, a large component of track and field recruiting is driven by the data: how strong are your academic grades and well can you perform on the track or in the field? But beyond this, coaches need to get to know their recruits as people. Most coaches would elect to spend scholarship dollars and a roster spot on a male 48-second 400m athlete with straight As who’s interested in basketball versus a male 48-second 400m athlete with straight As who’s into street fighting.

Those social media background checks I mentioned allow coaches to scan for any info they can about an athlete even before a conversation with the athlete is initiated.

With that being said, this post is focused on what to do and what not to do on social media to increase your university track and field opportunities.

Do

Express your personality.

Coaches are seeking kind, hard-working, respectful leaders to add to their programs, so don’t hesitate to let your positive values shine through in what you post (and engage with by way of likes, comments, and shares) on social media.

Highlight your passion for the sport of track and field.

An easy way to earn points in the minds of coaches and their recruiting staff is to make it clear that your running, jumping, or throwing is a priority in your life. If your social media activity clearly shows that you love the sport and are proud of your athletics, you’re likely to stand out versus other prospective student-athletes.

Showcase your achievements outside of the sport, too.

Did you raise money for charity? Hike a mountain? Make your school’s honour roll? This is the kind of stuff that shows your drive and well-roundedness outside of track and field, so don’t hesitate to share it. Just be careful you don’t overdo it or come off too “braggy”.

Share content to do with your friends, family, and teammates.

Collegiate track and field rosters can be massive. Lots of universities treat their men’s and women’s squads as one large team, which combined can be as large as 100 athletes! In understanding this, it makes sense that coaches value family-oriented team players.

Don’t

Don’t use foul language.

Avoid swearing and any terminology with the potential to offend.

Don’t accept corporate sponsorship of any form and boast about it.

Affiliating with a brand can seriously damage your eligibility to compete at the post-secondary level, especially in the NCAA. It’s best to stay away from these sorts of deals and definitely best to keep it off of social media.

Don’t post lewd content.

Lewd content is risky business. If it’s sexual, just don’t post it.

Don’t be racist, sexist, homophobic, or discriminatory in any way.

I mentioned earlier that coaches are seeking respectful individuals, so always make sure what you share, whether it’s a post, like, comment, subscription, follow, retweet, or story, is just that — respectful. Avoiding all things discriminatory might seem super easy on the surface, but in the meme era, it’s easy to forget; it’s smart to always think before interact. Also, just don’t be any of those things in real life, either.

Don’t engage with drugs and alcohol.

The last thing a coach wants to see on your social media is party content.

If you absolutely cannot stick to these dos and dont’s, set all of your social media accounts to private or simply become a ghost and get off the grid altogether.

Do you want to talk about social media and recruiting? Leave a comment on this article or send us a message on Instagram!