Paying for Media Coverage...Prep Soccer, Soccerwire, TDS...

S

SoccerFolks

BRONZE
What do people think about the sites and people like "Prep Soccer", "Soccerwire", "TopDrawerSoccer", and "EXACT Rankings"??? They claim to provide coverage/rankings but it looks a lot like the players getting the write-ups are simply paying for them. Nothing on these sites seems organic or even marginally useful for a college coach to use in recruiting. It seems to be just parents who have paid a grifter for media coverage of their kids so they can screenshot it and post on social media...but maybe it's a totally legit way to promote a recruit? Would love to hear any experiences. It seems like the same kids show up in all these lists and they often aren't even the best players on their respective teams. In some cases, we see write-ups of girls as being 'elite' players who don't even make their varsity high school teams or play at a club level even remotely considered 'elite'. Is this just another money-grab for the soccer industrial complex?
 
SoccerFolks said:
What do people think about the sites and people like "Prep Soccer", "Soccerwire", "TopDrawerSoccer", and "EXACT Rankings"??? They claim to provide coverage/rankings but it looks a lot like the players getting the write-ups are simply paying for them. Nothing on these sites seems organic or even marginally useful for a college coach to use in recruiting. It seems to be just parents who have paid a grifter for media coverage of their kids so they can screenshot it and post on social media...but maybe it's a totally legit way to promote a recruit? Would love to hear any experiences. It seems like the same kids show up in all these lists and they often aren't even the best players on their respective teams. In some cases, we see write-ups of girls as being 'elite' players who don't even make their varsity high school teams or play at a club level even remotely considered 'elite'. Is this just another money-grab for the soccer industrial complex?
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100%. When the girls GDA started, the parents were asked to write up their kids plays of the week if they were chosen because Susie scored 5 goals against a team from Vermont. It was so weak and full of mom and dad's homemade syrup, and it made me puke🤮🤢 I had parent tell me so. It was fake and I knew no real sports writer would write such BS.
 
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SoccerFolks said:
What do people think about the sites and people like "Prep Soccer", "Soccerwire", "TopDrawerSoccer", and "EXACT Rankings"??? They claim to provide coverage/rankings but it looks a lot like the players getting the write-ups are simply paying for them. Nothing on these sites seems organic or even marginally useful for a college coach to use in recruiting. It seems to be just parents who have paid a grifter for media coverage of their kids so they can screenshot it and post on social media...but maybe it's a totally legit way to promote a recruit? Would love to hear any experiences. It seems like the same kids show up in all these lists and they often aren't even the best players on their respective teams. In some cases, we see write-ups of girls as being 'elite' players who don't even make their varsity high school teams or play at a club level even remotely considered 'elite'. Is this just another money-grab for the soccer industrial complex?
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I'm not aware of any college coaches paying attention to these for anything other than maybe a database for names.
 
Slobodan said:
I'm not aware of any college coaches paying attention to these for anything other than maybe a database for names.
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I got yelled at from a dad for not paying the price of admission for soccer wire. "crush, coaches look to see WHO is ranked in the top 50. Pay the man or else your dd won't be seen" I told him my dd will be seen on the field and that should be good enough from my days of balling." I was right 100% but then that stupid Covid 19 came to our shores. My dd went to a showcase showdown and scored two goals in 5 minutes plus an assist 10 minutes later and her phone blew up with offers on the way home driving on that dreaded 5 frwy. Talk about foolsgold. I heard the call, and the full ride offer but then my dd asked if she had to take the jabs and coach went, "ahh, ahh, da ah, let me get back to you." Totally ghosted her after the offer ($200,000) and the rest is history. I think the guy who told me had some financial stake in the company, just like that Maverick Travel Co. You do need to pay to be seen and accepted into the Soccer Family and STFU and allow men to tuck their junk or you can't play in the great game of girls (and boys who consider themselves a girl) soccer.
 
SoccerFolks said:
What do people think about the sites and people like "Prep Soccer", "Soccerwire", "TopDrawerSoccer", and "EXACT Rankings"??? They claim to provide coverage/rankings but it looks a lot like the players getting the write-ups are simply paying for them. Nothing on these sites seems organic or even marginally useful for a college coach to use in recruiting. It seems to be just parents who have paid a grifter for media coverage of their kids so they can screenshot it and post on social media...but maybe it's a totally legit way to promote a recruit? Would love to hear any experiences. It seems like the same kids show up in all these lists and they often aren't even the best players on their respective teams. In some cases, we see write-ups of girls as being 'elite' players who don't even make their varsity high school teams or play at a club level even remotely considered 'elite'. Is this just another money-grab for the soccer industrial complex?
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I know many 2010s getting coverage on prep soccer who haven’t paid anything for the coverage. The only thing is to see what is written, you have a paywall but people just screenshot the coverage and send it to each other.
 
EXACT Rankings - Their #1 player is an ECRL player, 'nuff said
SoccerWire - Promotes players who pay for their Featured service
PrepSoccer - Mix of articles written by staff or player parents
TopDrawerSoccer - Rankings are flawed but no parent articles or pay-to-promote. Some colleges reference TDS rankings when talking about their recruiting class or their own college team ranking
 
found out last year a player was getting a lot of praise on social media , one of the post/posts'r said it was a pleasure to work with the parent ....pretty sure it was a slip , as it all stopped after that......
just focus on your player and they'll be fine.
As they get older the cream rise's to the top.........
 
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