All season, University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban has preached humility to his team as well as the media. He understands that overconfidence is the reason the team did not live up to expectations during the 2010 season. It seems the team has taken the coach’s words to heart on the field and in the press room. Players have maintained that they do not believe they are invincible on the field and it doesn’t seem that they have played down to any teams that many believed the Crimson Tide would roll over.
The Tide’s success has won many players’ notoriety for their skills. Players from other teams across the country are receiving much of the same attention. It seems that players on college teams are grabbing a taste of stardom before they are even given a pay check for their talent. Sure, these athletes may be receiving free tuition, but they don’t have the coveted multi-million dollar NFL contracts. Regardless, they do receive much of the same attention as a professional football star.
People want to know what college-level players are doing off the field. They want to know about quarterback AJ McCarron’s tattoos and why he’s chosen to sport a bow tie with suits before games. Center Barrett Jones grabs feature stories for his mission trips, and the country was interested in how the team helped Tuscaloosa recover after the tornado in April 2011. None of these stories have anything to do with these players’ ability to pass a football, call plays or block, but people want it.
College players have become people of interest. They set the trends on campus. Thousands of fans across the country watch them, not only on game days, but off the field, too. When players do something remarkable in the community or overcome some adversity, their story is toted across media lines and told over and over until it is worn out.
This attention brings great responsibility. It can win a player a fan base or promote a school’s program. But people love to watch stars fall.
Let’s take LSU’s recent troubles with Tyrann Mathieu and other players for example. It came to light that the former Heisman Trophy candidate along with other teammates may have allowed their images to be used as a promotion for a night club event. The use of their pictures and names as hosts violates an NCAA rule of which all athletes are aware. Recently, Mathieu and three other ex-Tigers garnered national attention after they were arrested for marijuana possession.
The good news for Alabama is that it has not encountered this problem of escalated egos leading to egregious offenses like the Tigers. As the Tide continues to accumulate accolades, the players must not let the success they are experiencing go to their heads. A star’s future may seem bright, but the slightest misstep can send a player’s reputation and ability to play into a downward spiral. As on the field, a lack of humility outside of the watchful eye of Saban can lead to major losses.
