AAU Culture Coming to HS Football?

The Morning News ran a story last week about the burgeoning industry that is Premier 7 on 7 football.  Essentially these are private teams that compete in private events sponsored by big companies like Nike, ESPN, and Red Bull.  The story said the events are exploding in CA and FL and feeding fears among HS coaches that an AAU type culture is springing up where the players are not affiliated with schools and are influenced by private coaches.

The sponsors also typically provide uniforms and equipment and other enticements to these teams to attend specific events, which could conflict with NCAA regulations regarding player eligibility.  Without a doubt these private teams will attempt to use their influence to steer players toward certain schools as has been documented with the Oregon program already.

Texas has so far stayed ahead of the curve only by adopting a "can't beat 'em then join 'em" philosophy.  Texas sponsors their own 7 on 7 summer tournament where players are still affiliated with their school.  But at least one coach in TX mentioned that he was upset that his players were being contacted by private teams wanting them to join up for Premier travel units.  It is really throwing a scare into many of the prominent TX HS coaches who went on record for the story.

I don't know legally how it can be prevented but you will increasingly see football players adopting the same me-first attitude that we see in basketball if these Premier leagues and events continue to explode and give the players another showcase for their talents outside of the HS team.

S