Your social media may be ruining your chances at playing college baseball. If you plan to play baseball (or any other sport) in college, you need to know how to manage your social media. In both college and pro ball, we had long social media briefings telling us what we could and could not post. Schools and professional organizations take social media very seriously, and if you want to represent them, you will have to as well.

From my experience, here are three tips to implement on your social media platforms to improve your chances of being recruited.

1. Think Like a Coach

Your account says a lot about who you are. College coaches WILL be looking at your profiles. In fact, one of the first things they do when recruiting is to check the player’s social media accounts. When a college player posts something problematic, it becomes a problem for the coach to deal with. No coach wants to recruit someone likely to cause future headaches.

So how do you know what to post? Put yourself in the shoes of the coaches recruiting you. When they pull up your profile, they want to know what kind of person you are. What kind of teammate you will be. Whether you will be a complainer, a slacker, or a loudmouth. Or whether you will be respectful, hard working, and encouraging.  

2. Avoid Controversial Topics

I am not a fan of cancel culture. I think that you should be able to share your beliefs on social media. That said, when you play baseball at the collegiate level and above, you represent your team, school, or organization by what you post. 

If a player is posting controversial, inflammatory, or offensive content, the coach can easily find another recruit to take his place. 

3. Make a Separate Account

If you still want to post edgy things, make a separate account. Create a new account that is not connected to your personal account. Use a different name, email, and phone number. This will allow you to post your memes without putting yourself at a disadvantage in the college recruitment process.

Implement these strategies today, no matter how far away college seems. Posts that you made years ago can still come back to bite you. It may seem unfair for a coach to make assumptions about your character from a joke or something you posted years ago, but oftentimes social media is the only window they have into your personal life.

You have a recruiting tool that no one has ever had before. You want to use this recruitment tool to your advantage. Plan ahead, and don’t let your social media disqualify you before you ever step foot on a college field.