It's recruiting.
I played competitive baseball most of the time from ages 8-13, and then off and on from 13-16. However, since I didn't really take it seriously from 13-16, and consequently never played for a high school team, I missed out on any possibility of being recruited. Now granted, I had vague ideas of what the recruiting process was like, i.e., coach comes to player's house, tells him/her about the wonders of State University, makes promises that have about a 35% chance of being fulfilled, and then proceeds to send text messages and e-mails until the recruit commits. I thought I had a relatively good grip on how recruiting goes.
Until tonight.
I discovered tonight that recruiting goes above and beyond just coaches you barely know, making promises they can't keep, and generally falling all over themselves for you. Nay, recruiting involves family members making subtle, (and not so subtle) remarks and/or doing subtle, (and not so subtle) things to convince you to attend said school. For your consideration, I submit to you the case of one Ian Miller. He is a strapping young lad, roguishly handsome, disarmingly charming, and yes, he always smells good. This man, ladies and gentlemen, applied to two major universities in the Los Angeles area, the University of Southern California, and the University of California at Los Angeles. These schools are more commonly known as USC, and UCLA. Here's where we introduce our supporting character, and inevitably, our recruiter, a respected chief of family practice medicine at six Kaiser Permanente Hospitals in the Orange County and Los Angeles County region, a graduate of the University of California at San Diego medical school and most importantly, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of UCLA. His name is John Karapetian, and he happens to be our hero's uncle.
Now, lest ye be confused, this recruiting of our hero is not necessarily a bad, or even an unwelcome act, it is merely an interesting case study in the recruitment process.
Example 1: Said Uncle takes recruitee (?) to a UCLA-Oregon football game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena knowing full well that the history and tradition of the stadium and the massive UCLA crowds would instill in our hero a desire to take part in the majesty of UCLA athletics. On a scale of 1 to 10, this is a solid 9 in effectiveness.
Example 2: When discussing school possibilities for the fall, said Uncle does never acknowledge the presence of USC as a possible option, opting instead to recognize only UCLA when discussing acceptance, or rejection letter notifications. This rates a solid 5 on the scale, as it belittles the very existence of USC as a contender.
Example 3: While the entire family is gathered together in front of a television, said Uncle, instead of allowing us to watch Sports Center, or something equally as neutral, puts on a DVD showcasing the UCLA Men's Basketball Dynasty during the John Wooden era. This hour long presentation showcases the University and the athletic program, and creates a feeling of nostalgia and pride in our potential recruitee. While not as emotionally investing as the Rose Bowl football game, the DVD still manages to echo our recruiter's message, that UCLA is clearly superior to any university that could possibly exist. Thus, it receives a 8 on our 1-10 scale.
So you see, that while these acts taken separately seem to be innocuous and in the best of intentions, they are in fact, subconsciously, inserting UCLA propaganda into our hero's psyche. This indeed, is a most impressive recruitment tool, and something that should be utilized at every opportunity.
While our hero's mind has not been made, whether by him, or by USC and UCLA, he has certainly been affected by the expertly maneuvered recruiting of a most talented UCLA graduate. I will take it upon myself to inform you all any further developments in this highly interesting case.
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