The NCAA has upheld its ban against coaches text messaging high school prospects as a means of recruitment, ESPN.com reports. Though the rule was criticized by coaches and athletic directors when it was passed last year, the motion to overturn barely got enough support to bring the issue to a vote. The ban was overwhelmingly upheld with support of 78% of the NCAA delegation.
The issue is still divisive, the New York Times explains. Coaches and athletic directors embraced the technology that is often the best way to stay in contact with recruits. “I’m sorry, it’s 2008,” said one athletic director. Some students, though, claim the texts can be intrusive, expensive, and bad for communication. “What kind of relationship can you build in 160 characters?” asked the chair of a student-athlete committee. (More NCAA stories.)