The NCAA and Del Boca Vista

Georgia Southern's athletic compliance department sent out a tweet yesterday reminding boosters that they're not permitted to tweet, facebook message or otherwise contact any players being recruited by the school. Doing so would constitute an NCAA violation and jeopardize that student's eligibility as determined by the NCAA.

This is an incredibly absurd rule. But before we get to that, it's also absurd that people, particularly people over the age of 25, would spend their time tweeting or messaging high school kids encouraging them to go to their school. It's also kind of creepy. So from a simple non-creepiness factor, the rule makes sense.

But that's not why the rule is there. The NCAA doesn't care if you're some strange middle-aged man tweeting high school seniors to come to play sports at his school because it's creepy. They care because it's against their extensive rule book. The NCAA, you see, is a lot like how Seinfeld saw retirees who moved to Florida. They "work hard their entire lives just so they can move down there, sit in the heat, pretend it’s not hot, and enforce these rules."

So if you're a booster who wants to contact high school kids and convince them to go to your school, just make sure they're not an athlete.

However, if you really want to help you school, you need to become a member of the booster club of your rival. Then, when you start contacting their recruits they'll get in trouble and thus will help your school. Honestly, the fact this hasn't been done (that I could find) is among the most surprising things about college athletics.

And on to what I've been reading. One of these days I'll find a smoother transition to the links. Today is not that day.

How Nate Silver Missed Donald Trump - It's nice to know that even Nate Silver is wrong from time to time. Though I don't think even Donald Trump thought he'd be where he is now.

Accused Murderer Married the Only Witness, Now She Doesn't Have to Testify Against Him - A strange story that has a preacher questioning his role in inadvertently protecting a murderer.

Why Are Americans Ignoring Trevor Noah - I've enjoyed The Daily Show under Noah for what it is, but it does lack the bite that it had under Jon Stewart. I hope we don't complain about what the show isn't that we miss what it is right now.

A Shady Conservative Group Is Fundraising Off the Death of a Ben Carson Volunteer - Good for Ben Carson to call these people out. And what kind of person uses the death of a campaign volunteer to try to raise money?