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Happy New Year!
It’s 2017, but more importantly, it’s 31 days until National Letter of Intent signing day.
Which means a lot of college football fans are a li-i-i-tle amped up.
And sometimes a little over the top.
The other day Markquesse Bell cut Rutgers out of his college equation, deciding to either take his talents to Maryland or Ohio State.
According to a report, it looks like @MarkqueseB is down to Maryland and #OhioState https://t.co/VYhcH4MeHl
— Bill Kurelic (@Bill_Kurelic) December 28, 2016
Okay, so be it. Well, not for some RU “fans”, who decided they wanted to challenge the kid for having the audacity to not “rep” his home state. Now unfortunately, I can’t show you the specific guy, or his tweets, who went after Bell, because that guy has blocked me.
But the Twitter attack did not go unnoticed by others, including Bell’s friends and Rutgers commits like Everett Wormley.
people like 30 putting a knock to kid who did whats best for him.. I dont get it @MarkqueseB keep doing you bro
— Naj Hart ♂️ (@AlmightyNaj_) December 28, 2016
Really don't appreciate all you RU fans bashing my brotha @MarkqueseB for doing what's best for him . Thought ya'll were better then that
— Everett Wormley (@BigPlayTrece) December 28, 2016
Think about that comment for a second: Thought ya'll were better then that.
So, at what point does a commit say, “Man, these people are rude. Buh-bye, Rutgers.” Did you ever consider that? They generally don’t listen to fans, but they do see this stuff and, well, why do we need to make recruiting any harder for Ash & Co.?
@BigPlayTrece @MarkqueseB tweet at recruits. Which is why I don't with this one exception. Fans do more harm than good in recruiting.
— Joaquin (@BoughtAtAPrice7) December 28, 2016
Yeah, really, some “fans” do do more harm. So why say it at all?
@BigPlayTrece @MarkqueseB some of them arent real fans. Dont let the few stray you away from the majority. Dont have to say everthing u feel
— Dream.Believe.Grind (@D_B_G_Athletics) December 28, 2016
Wow! What a concept!
“Dont have to say everthing u feel [sic]”.
I realize such is the state of the world with social media. “Ooh, I’m heading for the bathroom to do number one so I’m telling everyone.” NO! Don’t write that! #TMI
Likewise, your every feeling, emotion, thought about a recruit’s decisions don’t have to be expressed either. These are kids. They’re 17- and 18-year-olds who are trying to figure out what is best for them. Let me repeat that: for them. This is not about us. It is not about 35, 45, 55, or older year-olds who are fans. We. Don’t. Count.
Personally, I don’t get involved with this stuff. I see a tweet and I look at it. I generally don’t even retweet it and I certainly don’t add my comments to the fray. And definitely not negative ones.
February 1 will be here soon enough. We, as fans, have no real impact on what happens. But you never know when someone’s inappropriate, unnecessary, or negative comment might just make a recruit think twice about choosing Rutgers.
Why risk it?