As you probably know, Wednesday was national letter signing day for Division I collegiate football players and as always, the day was a topic of conversation for many sports fans. One of the most closely watched players was Cordell Broadus, who committed to UCLA.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Cordell, I highly encourage you to watch ESPN’s engaging “Snoop & Son,” which chronicled Cordell’s senior year of high school, his football successes and his off-the-field relationship with his father, Snoop Dogg. What the program really showed, however, was how a loving family raises a respectful young man and supports his abilities and future. It was not what I expected and I was pleasantly surprised by how touching it was.
Perhaps of greatest interest to the higher education community and parents of high school students everywhere, I encourage you to watch the ESPN video of Cordell’s announcement and specifically his father’s words on why the family supported his decision to attend UCLA over Snoop’s preference for his son, USC.
“We are Bruins now… It’s been about what matters most to him, which is getting that education and what is going to be there when football is over with. UCLA just presented the best platform for him that we thought as a family would look out for him when his [football] career is over with… And that’s what’s important—make sure he gets that degree, gets that education. And football’s not going to be there forever but life is and you gotta make sure that you prepare for life.”
He even joked, “I’m going to back him up 1000%” and throw out all of his USC “drawers.”
As the mother of a daughter who is a couple of years away from making her college choice and with many friends and family members going through the process right now, I hope we all use Snoop as our guides:
- Support your child’s passions in high school—attend their performances, games and awards ceremonies and give them the emotional support they want and need.
- When helping your child select a college, think first about setting a goal of getting through to graduation. This adventure includes the experience, but most importantly the degree will set you up for your career.
- Consider an institution that will meet their needs inside the classroom, on the field and in all of their pursuits. Institutions think holistically when reviewing students’ applications—you should do the same when reviewing their fit for your child.
- Support your child’s choice even if it isn’t the decision you would make. After all, this isn’t about you. Kudos to Snoop for modeling this behavior.
Snoop and his wife are raising their son well. And, in a classy move, Cordell started his live ESPN decision-making moment by thanking his parents and family members and saying he selected UCLA because he wanted to play in front of his family and get a great degree. With a family like his, I can appreciate his decision and wish him great success as a Bruin.