Fans and Message Boards

It's great being a fan of a particular sport, team, or even conference. But contrary to what many believe, there is something to the notion that when one team does well it helps all of the others. Let me provide a few examples:

Do you think the University of South Florida would be doing as well as they do recruiting wise and financially without Big East basketball success. I never even heard of them until they joined the Big East. When a BE team signs a few great players or plays well in the NCAA's, it helps them recruit because of the opportunity players will have to compete against the best.

When a conference such as the ACC signs alot of HS All Americans and becomes a media darling because of this, do you think it does not help Clemson, Miami (though Luke does his share lol), Virginia tech, NC State, etc.? Of course it does because it makes the ACC strong and visible and attractive to strong players not attending the top tier ACC schools.

How about Rutgers getting strong players? I cannot believe that many fans who I always thought were some of the most knowledgeable in America cannot see how this impacts other New York area teams in the BE as well as the entire conference. The publicity and fanfare surrounding the signing of great HS players at RU shows the entire tri-state area that it is cool to stay close to home. Many kids will say if those guys chose Rutgers, I can stay local and attend St. John's or Seton Hall. Trust me, kids talk and watch what is going on. The real big fish got away in the past few years but this might make many re-think going away from the area. Mike Rosario on TV also helped because all 3 local BE teams are telling recruits, "see, he stayed home to be part of something special. You can do the same thing." Curtis Kelly transferring from UConn, and maybe a certain other local kid from another large school very soon, and it's great data and testimony for local coaches as they recruit this summer.

Conference wise. The stronger the conference the more attractive each school becomes. Memphis being good is used in recruiting pitches by every school in Conference USA. In fact, in most recruiting presentations a segment is dedicated to conference foes, players making the NBA from conference, conference facilities including crowds expected and more. Trust me, many teams in the ACC, BE, SEC, and even A10, use conference affiliation and success as recruitment tools.