An Anti-Emily Dickinson Story (2nd journal- 3rd quarter)
Read this incredible true story about a high school senior, Kevin Hart of Fernley, Nevada, who faked a scholarship signing last week in front of cheering fans who gathered at his high school gym. The commentary is smartly written by Mitch Albom, the author of Tuesdays With Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Agree or disagree with Albom's assertion that someone else deserves some of the shame and blame for the actions of this misguided teenager.
MITCH ALBOM: In this hoax, maybe the joke is on us
February 10, 2008
On the tape, it looks like any other high school gymnasium. The stands are packed, a crowd of students, parents, cheerleaders. The beefy young football player addresses the assembly, a shirt and tie chosen for the momentous occasion. Into a microphone, he thanks his family and his school. He makes his big announcement.
"It was Oregon and Cal," says Kevin Hart, looking at the two caps on a table in front of him, "and I decided I'll be playing football at the University of California."
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And apparently he has.
Because the whole thing was a hoax.
In one of the most bizarre events ever in football recruiting, Hart, a high school offensive lineman from the small town of Fernley, Nev., made up his recruitment, made up his acceptance and participated in a bogus news conference in front of the whole school.
"I wanted to play D-I ball more than anything," he later admitted in a statement. "When I realized that wasn't going to happen, I made up what I wanted to be reality."
And the really crazy thing?
No one stopped him.
So far under the radar
I don't know where this kid's coaches were, where his parents were or where any responsible adult in his life was. But to allow a high school senior to fake it all the way to a news conference is an amazing act of gullibility.
All the schools Hart claimed to have recruited him -- including Cal, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Oklahoma State -- never did. Most never heard of him.
You would think someone around him might have noticed that, or wanted to meet an actual coach, or heard an actual recruiting call.
You would think someone might have asked, "Kevin, how come you haven't gone on any recruiting trips?" Instead, the kid made it all the way to the microphone. Maybe the family wanted to believe. Maybe the school staff and the locals went along with it, because in Fernley, a farming community 30 miles outside Reno, the glory of being recruited was too seductive to question.
And therein lies the problem. We have turned college recruitment into an entertainment seduction. Why on Earth do we allow high school athletes to call news conferences to announce their college choices? Is that what the gym is for? Do we do the same for chemistry majors?
The high schools should say no. The media should say no. Instead, ESPN and CSTV televise National Signing Day, complete with highlights, analysts and rankings. Watching this last week was enough to make you ill. High school seniors being interviewed, adored, shuffling around in pre-produced video pieces in which they offer quick brags, like the kid who smiled and said, "I'm a clown" (as if he were video dating), but quickly added that when he tackled, "I'm gonna bring it."
Right. As if their egos aren't big enough.
The seedy side of college sports
No wonder Hart wanted a piece of this. He seemed to know the whole routine. How to build suspense, how to tug the cap, how to hug the coach. I promise you he didn't invent that stuff in his head: He watched it happen to others on TV and some twisted part of him said, "I have to have that."
If we didn't celebrate it, he wouldn't mimic it. Oh, Hart still might have a problem with the truth. But these are kids, remember, still eating lunch in cafeterias. What we're creating with all this scouting, rating and fawning over them is a new set of megalomaniacs who think the world will lay flat for them as long as they star in sports. Forget studying. Forget humility. With recruitment mania, we've created an express train of immediate gratification. Hart realized the train was leaving without him. He tried to fake a ticket.
"I made up what I wanted to be reality." What a sentence for today's world. When this fraud was revealed, the consensus was "it's a shame." And that's true.
But it's not just Kevin Hart who should be ashamed of himself.
posted by JTF @ 10:04 AM
60 comments
60 Comments:
Drew Mink Red
I disagree with Mitch Albom's assertion. I think that Kevin Hart should take full responsibility for lying to his friends, family, and teamates. He was not told by anyone else to make up such a great big lie. I'm sure he knew that sooner or later, everyone would figure out he was lying, when they watched the television but didnt see him on it or read the newspaper but read nothing of him. Kevin Hart should be ashamed in himself for going on with his lie for so long, he has indefinitely lost the trust of his friends, family, and coach. This is, in a way, another remaking of "The Boy that Cried Wolf," He made up a lie and lived it out then was found out. I just want to see what the future holds in store for Kevin Hart.
In my eyes Mitch Albom is partially correct, that not all the blame should be placed on Kevin Hart. Saying that it is society’s fault for building up the recruitment process and creating these so called “monsters”, who are looking for the glory of being recognized for something as monumental as this in their lives. But not all the blame should be placed on society. For high school students who have put in the time and dedicated themselves to reach a goal; being recruited by a D-1 school. The people who accomplished their goal shouldn’t be scrutinized for celebrating something important like this. I think that by saying that society is creating a new generation of “megalomaniacs” is generalizing the whole situation. Saying that since Hart did something as crazy as this, any other senior who did not receive a scholarship is willing to commit to the same foolish and idiotic scheme. Hart needs to take some blame and realize that is actions were thoughtless and irrational, that he was the one who came up with this plan, and thought it would be okay to fool everyone, then he obviously needs to get help.
I do believe that Mitch has a point. Students who receive athletic scholarships are given more attention . However, students that have the skill to receive a scholarship should be given praise for all their hard work. Mitch obviously didn't work hard enough to have a scholarship. Students dedicate a lot of their time and hard work to set themselves a goal to have a scholarship. Those who reach that goal should receive the credit for what they accomplished. Heart should take most of the blame for basically mocking those who have worked hard. Heart made himself look like a fool by trying to make a point about those who deserve the attention they worked for. In my eyes Heart could have made his point in another way. its almost like he wasted time doing this rather than setting a real goal and perusing it like students that he dislikes so much actually did.
I disagree with this article in many ways. Although Mitch Albom presents a good point, I think there should be this celebration and mayhem over signing future college football players. After all, college football is one of America's all time favorites. We make a huge deal about watching college football on
Saturdays and about all the bowl games and especially the national championship. These high school kids have been working for this all their lives and it is more than difficult to achieve an athletic scholarship to big time colleges in football. I think these kids have earned their publicity and such because I know how hard it is to get an athletic scholarship for football at D-1 schools. Then again Kevin Hart more than wrong for doing what he did. That was the most bizarre thing I have ever heard in the sports world. There is not one reason why anyone should take it that far no matter how bad they want something it is absurd.
I disagree with this article in many ways. Although Mitch Albom presents a good point, I think there should be this celebration and mayhem over signing future college football players. After all, college football is one of America's all time favorites. We make a huge deal about watching college football on
Saturdays and about all the bowl games and especially the national championship. These high school kids have been working for this all their lives and it is more than difficult to achieve an athletic scholarship to big time colleges in football. I think these kids have earned their publicity and such because I know how hard it is to get an athletic scholarship for football at D-1 schools. Then again Kevin Hart more than wrong for doing what he did. That was the most bizarre thing I have ever heard in the sports world. There is not one reason why anyone should take it that far no matter how bad they want something it is absurd.
After reading this article, I find my self completely 'on the fence' about Kevin Hart's signing hoax. I do think that his family and coaches are partially to blame. However, he himself made the situation what is is...a lie. I understand his, and many other high school athletes, dream to play in a D-1 college. But to flat out lie to all those people is so disappointing. Personally, I would like to know how his plan got so far as to have a ceremony. At the same time, I agree with Mitch Albom's observation that we have made this such a big deal. It seems that you don't always have to be the a good person or get good grades to get high praise. In a way I feel sorry for Kevin Hart because he will always be known for what he has done, but at the same time it is his own fault.
I believe that Mitch Albom poses a valid point. In truth, too much praise and not enough humilty will give birth to a bunch of megalomaniacs. It's a shame that Kevin Hart got caught up in such a desire for fame and glory; however, it is his fault. Should parents and the media also share a responsibility for this kind of mistake? Maybe. The way that the media today glorifies so many celebrities who, in many cases, are not actually as talented as they're "souped up to be" surely cannot be a positive influence on a teenager. Parents, on the other hand, should be proud of their children when they have accomplished something, as long as they don't over do it. Overall, I would say that I agree with Mitch Albom's statements.
Partially, I agree with Mitch in his reasoning that society is partly to blame for Kevin Harts lie. Society is constantly building up a spotlight over well known athletes, making them up to be some sort of celebrity. It isn't long before you see them on MTV "Cribs" showing of their pricey mansions and cars. What does that have to do with sports? But, mostly, I would put the blame for all of this on Kevin Hart. As a senior, you would think he would be mature enough to realize that this lie would never provide him with the ticket of fame that he was longing for. I think he needs to re-think his priorities and focus more on something that will get him somewhere in life.
Chblue
I do agree with mitch albom a little about kevin hart. If the whole world didn't make such a big deal about recruitment he wouldn't have gone through all the trouble to fake it, but he faked it and that's what counts so really it is his fault because he is the one who went through all the trouble to lie to everyone about what college he was going to. Kevin Hart is to blame for lying but everyone else is to blame for not noticing what was going on.
I agree with Mitch Albom's assertation somewhat, but I also think that Kevin Hart should take most of the responsibility. After all it was Mitch's idea, and he had to think of everything to do all by himself, no one made him. So in that sense I think it is his fault. But then again his family, and parents must have known he was doing it and went along with it and never said a thing. That's why I think they should take some of the blame also because they could have stopped it but they didn't. I also think that it was pretty dumb on his part to make all of that up. Yes he would be popular and liked more because of it but once everyone finds out its not true he won't be repsected and he will be seen as a liar. I think he, and his family should have realized that and helped him not make that mistake.
I partly agree with Mitch Albom.The whole signing day system in College Football is ridiculous. It can give football players like Kevin Hart crazy ideas such as fake signing with a Division one school. He wanted the glory that the players that really were signing with those big schools had. Students who do receive athletic scholarships get more attention then students who get accepted into an ivy league school for academics. You cannot blame all of that on the system though. What Kevin Hart did was absolutely irresponsible and he should be disappointed in himself. It's one thing to tell your friends a little lie like some Division one school sent you a letter. You shouldn't go all the way to calling a news conference though. A lot of people want to be like those guys on TV signing with schools like University of California, but everybody can't have that.
I think the only person to blame for this immature and inappropriate act is Kevin Hart. This high school senior knew exactly what he was doing when he faked the scholarship signing in front of hundreds of people. Hart was fully aware that he was lying to his parents, friends, teachers, coaches, and classmates. I think that Mitch Albom is incorrect when he says that Kevin Hart is not the only person who should be blamed for his actions. Albom says that someone should have checked to see if Hart was really telling the truth and if he really had been accepted to all the colleges he said he had. However, why would anyone suspect that he had lied about where he was going to college? They saw him as a respectable student that would not lie about something as important as a college scholarship. Albom says that other people are responsible for Hart’s action because we give them too much credit and praise for just playing sports. I do agree, that people who have academic achievements or excel in other areas should be mentioned as well but I do not think that our excitement teen’s great ability to play sports should make put us as the blame. I think what Kevin Hart did was wrong, and I think he should be ashamed of what he did.
I have a split decision over the Mitch Albom commentary. On one hand, I think that Kevin Hart should not be fully blamed for his actions. He made up a spoof in order to be accepted into today's society. He wanted the glory and acceptance that many major sports teams have today. I also do not think it is entirely his fault because even though he made up this whole thing, no one ever questioned him once. No one asked about recruitment scouts or trips. No one took the time to talk to coaches and figure out why Hart was picked. I think it is partially other's people fault that this went as far as it did. Maybe the dream of having an all-star student made others want to believe it was true. On the other hand, I think Kevin Hart should take the blame. He lied to his school, parents, friends, and most importantly, himself. Instead of making up a recruitment acceptance, he should have spent that time actually pursuing his dream. He should have worked hard in order to fulfill his desires. Now, I'm sure no one will want him to represent their schools because of his lie. He made a big mistake in his life and now he'll have to pay for it.
I disagree with Mitch Albom's article. I feel that Kevin Hart should not of lied to his friends, family, classmates, and teachers. Kevin Hart should take full responsibility of his actions and he should not try to cover it up or blame it on anyone else. I do not understand how Kevin Hart did not get caught with this hoax earlier. I do not get how some one would not see him on TV or the internet. In a way I also feel bad for Kevin Hart because now he is looked at as a liar and will probably never get a decent job. The only way I think Kevin Hart would redeem himself is if he gave a public apology to his classmates, friends, family, teachers, and the colleges he faked he got into.
I agree with Mitch Albom's article. I believe that Kevin Hart should not take the full blame for his actions. He is absolutely correct when he questions where the parents and other responsible adults are in his life. There should be no way a kid can fake being recruited and fake getting into a school without the parents or even a high school coach knowing. When kids get recruited they usually go on visits and the scouts will call the parents and sometimes the coaches. This obviously never happened and the adults most likely knew it never happened. They should have never let this incident go as far as it did and they should take partial blame for this problem. Kevin Hart must still take most of the blame for his actions because you should never tell a lie that is that big and you should never let it go as far as he did.
I both agree and disagree with what he said. He should take responsibility for what he has done, and apologize for lying to everyone including his family friends, his teammates, coaches and everyone in his school. He should take responsibility because it was him who told the lie and no one else made him do it. I disagree with what he said because it is his parent’s fault for not confronting him about it, and for brining him up in a way that would allow him to lie to everyone. Even his coaches should have known because of no one coming to recruit one of his players. Basically it was everyone’s fault for believing such a lie when there was no evidence to support that he was actually recruited by any of those colleges. From the list of colleges that he gave there probably would have been a line of recruiters out of the door to get him to go to their college.
I think this whole situtation is outrageous; a highschool senior deciding to lie his way into acceptance. I agree with Mitch Albom that it was not only Kevin Hart's fault. Who taught Kevin to do this, and who allowed it? What is being taught to us children/young adults? I certainly hope we are not being taught that lying is a 'plan B.' I believe Kevin is the most at fault in this situation. He should have had made the smarter choice to not have followed other people's bad examples, as he said that he had seen this happen before with other people. Kevin should have thought ahead; "Wouldn't I get caught at some point and time?" People would have eventually found out that Kevin was a 'phony' as Holden Caulfield would have said; a liar just because he didn't get his own way. Kevin disappointed his family, friends, and America with this horrid act of immaturity. The worst part is that Kevin is not the only one who has done this before. Are we promoting pathelogical liars by letting events like these to happen? I think Kevin needs to take responsibility and accept the consequences of his actions; hopefully there will be consequences for this national upset
I somewhat disagree with Mitch Albom because I think that the high school student, Kevin Hart, should take full responsibility for his actions. But I also agree with some of Albom’s statements, I think it was quite bizarre that not one person even questioned his recruitment into some of the best colleges in the United States. Not even the colleges contacted him asked him what is he talking about. I also think that it is absurd that his parents had absolutely no idea that their son was lying to the whole country. However, even though it is unusual that not one person knew he was lying I still think he should take the blame entirely. He is not a kid anymore; his parents don’t need to be taking blame for his stupid actions. If Kevin truly wants to be a football star maybe he can go to a division two college and slowly work his way up to the NFL. This option would probably be much more successful for Kevin and he wouldn’t have to deal with the embarrassment. Now he has to feel with the guilt of disappointing his parents. I do think that Kevin needs help if he would go to such extent to prove he is not a failure.
Albom's opinion is very believable, but I do not completely agree with it. I understand that there is a lot of pressure to get into colleges these days, but I do not understand how someone could make up a fantasy, let alone follow through with it. Did Hart actually think he could get away with making up his life? Would everyone just play along and the colleges decide to let him in? Life is not a game where you can build the ideal lifestyle just by the click of a button. If Hart actually tried, he might have been able to get into those colleges. Some people's laziness is absolutely despicable. There is obviously a searching for the scapegoat of this situation. One could blame Hart's parents, that they did not push Hart hard enough to follow his dreams and abide to the rules. One could blame the media, for making this gold-plated dream that Hart wanted to obtain. I feel that it is slightly unfair that the media become so obsessed with these athletes. I know it is more interesting and entertaining than watching a genius state their opportunities, but it is really not right to blow up these egotistical jocks' heads anymore. A pat on the back is fine, but a full-thrown party media celebration is a bit far. I personally think that Hart is mainly the only one to blame in this situation.
Just like any situation, there are two sides to the story. I can not make a decision on whether or not Mitch Album is correct in his opinion unless I know the reason Kevin Hart faked his scholarship signing. The cause of his irresponsible act of fraud could be one of two things. It could have simply began because he lied to impress a friend and it go out of hand, and Kevin was to proud to tell the truth. He could have let his pride lead him to that conference; his pride cold have been the cause of his never ending chain of lies. Praise from the media did nothing to help him tell the truth. It only increased the size of his ego and made it harder for him to accept reality. If that were the case, I feel Kevin was one hundred percent to blame. He should take full responsibility for his actions and suffer the consequences.
However, if Kevin felt the need to lie to everyone he knows because he felt neglected, then I have compassion for him. Kevin’s charade could have easily been a desperate cry for attention and acceptance. There was obviously no responsible adult in his life who cared enough to find out the truth. It is ridiculous that no friend, coach, teacher, or parent felt the need to question his integrity when he had no evidence that his recruitment and scholarship were legitimate. Regardless of Kevin’s cause for lying, his family, the media, and his inability to swallow his pride and accepted reality all played their role in this deceitful act.
I agree with Mitch Albom's assertion that someone else should be put to shame. This kid wanted to have a news conference to publically announce that he got recruited to the universities of California and Oregon. He may not have wanted that if so many other kids were not doing it. It doesn't matter to people to see high school seniors they don't know up in front of a microphone proclaiming that they were recruited by a college, but so many students are doing it. This is what caused Kevin Hart to want the same fate, even if it meant faking it. Whoever makes these kids end up on the news, whether it was themselves or someone else, should be blamed for shame. And the kids themselves should also be ashamed. No matter how proud they may feel at the time of the conference, they are really putting ideas into other students' heads that they need to be on the news for a college announcement. If they get recruited, they should let their parents know and they can tell everyone they want, but broadcasting it on the news is just a waste. And the fact that it's sports players doesn't help either.
I think that Mitch Albom is partly correct. I do think that we make to big of a deal about the college recruitment process. Sure, talented athletes deserve to be recognized for the achievements they have made, but I think that sometimes it can be to much. However, even if the college recruitment process has been turned into something way bigger then it probably should be, that doesn't make what Kevin Hart did any better. He still lied to his family, friends, and coaches and made them look like a joke. I think he should take responsibility for what he did. All children are taught at a young age not to lie, and although we all slip sometimes and a lie comes out hear and there, this one was taken way too far. At some point Hart should have realized that he would get caught. Eventually nobody would see or hear anything about him and realize that it was all a scam. I think the fault is with Hart, and nobody else.
I disagree with Mitch Albom's comment on this whole situation. Mike Hart should take full responsibility for this stupid action that hurt his family, coaches, and teammates. The mystery to me is how nobody ever found out about it until he told people about the lie. With no letters, calls, or visits for Mike Hart, the parents and coaches should have been suspicious about what was going on.Also I think there should be lots of celebration and happiness for these high school athletes who have worked so hard in order to obtain this status of being recruited into a D-1 school.
KNH yellow
I agree that someone else deserves some of the shame and blame for the actions of this teenager. I think what he did was wrong, but what scares me most is that no realized that he was falsifying everything. No one realized what was going on. Not even his parents knew what he was doing. His school even held a ceremony in the gym for him to “choose” from one of the colleges that “recruited” him. Why would he do this? He did this to get attention of ‘course. But why did he choose sports, in particularly football? He chose football because he played it and it is highly publicized. People care more for the athletes than for those who do well in academics. Perhaps he felt that in order to be part of his community he needed to be recruited. Why else would he have faked a scholarship from a college that “recruited” him? However, what does this say about our society. Society has chosen bronze over brains. I am not making excuses for what Hart did. What he did was wrong. He should not have fooled everyone into believing that he was “recruited”. But the question is how did he get so far with the lie? Perhaps everyone wanted him to have been recruited that no one bothered to check to make sure he was telling the truth. As I said, I think that he should hold most of the blame and shame, but society should hold a fraction of it with him.
mb yellow
I disagree with Mitch Albom's article. Although some of the stuff he is saying has some truth and makes a good point, Kevin Hart needs to take the resonsibility for what he did. Sure they is a lot of emphasis and people make a big deal about the recruitings of high school students, but why should there not be? These students who are recruited to college school deserve it. They have worked extremely hard to get where they are and they should be rewarded for their work. Of course most of the time students who recieve collge scholarships for academics do not get all of this attention, but that does not mean the attention should be taken away from the athletes. Kevin Hart should take the responsibilty for lying and carrying on his lie for so long. He obviously knew people would eventually find out the truth, so why would he lie to his family, friends, and many other people? He may never gain the respect and trust he had before back.
I think Mitch Albom has a great point and that society is to blame because of all the build up and excitement that is created from the media and gossip. People who receive athletic scholarships should be praised but I think with all of the media and Sportscenter that it becomes so important to people that I can kinda see why Kevin Hart felt the train leaving without him because that's a big achievement and I guess he couldn't not take going to a big school like Cal or Oregon to play D1 football. For Kevin Hart I can't believe he went through with the whole thing it must have been total shock and bewilderment to all who knew about him and his situation and the face that he just lied to everyone because he didn't achieve his goal.
I agree with Mr. Albom's statement. Like he said where are the role models and guides in his life to teach this kid how to act. Obviosly the guy neeeded some attention, and he got it. A huge news conference, and an article writtten by Mitch Albom. Kids in high school need guidance more now than any time in our lives. However most of the blame should go to Kevin Hart. He lied to his friends and family, which is unacceptable. Kevin betrayed the trust and probably emabarressed many people for going along with his charade. Everyone would love to be famous, but people don't just make up a huge lie like this to live their dream. They work hard at what they want and do or don't get it, but at least they gave it their all. Kevin Hart didn't even do that. He just made up some bogus story to live like he wanted to for a while. Maybe if he wanted to go to a school for football, he should have worked harder to get there.
I think that others are to blame for Kevin Hart's inmature action. Obviously, this high school student was thriving for attention, and must have been lacking attention at home. However, this student should take some of the blame as well. He is old enough to take accountability for his actions. I think that college football is blown out of proportion in today's society. People put too much pressure on high school and college athletes, which leads to stress and anxiety. It seems that in today's society, anyone would do almost anything to become known or famous. For example, Kevin Hart faking a scholarship.
I think Kevin Hart is an obbessive luney. What kind of person would make up a fake football recruiting. Kevin wanted this so bad that he "he dug this big hole". And when everything was said and done "He couldn't climb back out". Do I agree with Mitch Albom? Do I agree that we (the society, his family, friends, etc) created this problem? I do agree partially. I believe that it's Kevin's own stupidity that put him in this predicament. When Mitch says that our society today builds these things up to be the greatest accomplishment known. I mean if you achieve the goal of being recruited by a major D-1 school everyone looks up to you and your family is proud of you. People look at you and say "Now there's a guy that really worked hard and made it". I think Kevin Hart wanted people to look at him and say those exact words. Although, I don't believe that Kevin should be let off the hook. Being recruited is a great accomplishment, but you do reach that, then you don't make up a lie that you did. You work harder. Kevin took it to the extreme and there should be consequences. I'm just amazed that nobody question his sources or asked him any details that would debunk him.
I think Mitch Albom is correct in is theory that Kevin Hart should not take full responsibility for his faking of recruitment. i think his parents, coaches, and high school administrators should have seen this coming before it got started. since they did not receive any word from colleges about recruitment they should have contacted the school themselves to see what the real story was. i think the school should have seen right through his disguise of putting on the cap and made sure that he was qualified and recruited to the University of California. this just goes to show how simple-minded the coaches and adults of today can show to be.
I am somewhat in the middle of Mitch Albom's assertion. On one side, Kevin Hart obviously has some type of delusional mind disorder, because if he didn't he would not have gone through with this entire hoax. With this is mind, you can somewhat sympathize for Kevin's actions. But when do you draw the line? I mean he is an 18 year old high school senior. I could expect this from a 6th grader who didn't make his grade school baseball team, but there is something clearly wrong all in all with this entire story. I don't think there is anyone else to blame besides Kevin himself and his family. How could you not question just once about where the phone calls are or the mails in the letter? Can you really be that clueless. Maybe thats the way it is in Kevin's hometown.
Albom has a good point. In the world today too many people pay more attention to things like excellence in athletics rather than in the intelligence of the mind. Someone could have an A+ in every single class for their whole highschool career and they would not get any attention. While adolescents who star in athletics, barely maintaining a C average, could get news reels and entire magazine articles made up just for them. Therefore, I can see where Hart, who is an athlete, craves the kind of attention that realistically, not many highschool athletes experience. Sometimes that need for attention is so great that we will go to great lengths to get what we want, which is reasonable. But I also think that Hart, as a highschool student having a conscience, knew that what he was doing was wrong and deserves most of the blame.
In my opinion Mitch Albom is right and wrong. He is right that not all of the blame should be placed on Kevin Hart. It is partially society’s fault for creating the recruitment process and making these kids out to be super star athletes, which sometimes they do not even turn out to be. Even though some blame is placed on society, not all the blame should be placed on it. Most of those kids worked hard to get to be a top college football prospect, and they do deserve some recognition. They shouldn’t be criticized for celebrating an important moment I their lives. Hart needs to take the blame and realize that is actions were careless and ridiculous. He needs to realize that he is responsible for being the one who came up with this plan, and thinking it would be okay for him to do this. He needs to take responsibility for his actions, even if he might not be the only one to blame.
I think that Mitch Album is partially correct. It is true that people have gone overboard with making a big deal out of things that are not that important. I do think that they should be paying more attention to, as Album said, chemistry majors and other people like that. I guess people expected this to happen and were to excited to be suspicious about it and consider the possibility that this might be a hoax. The blame on the people is that they should have stopped Kevin from doing this and embarrassing himself, but I guess they didn't care too much. I think most of the fault lies with Kevin Hart, though. If he wanted this thing so much he should have tried harder at applying himself for colleges then leading himself into this act. It was bound to blow up in his face. Instead of wasting time elaborately planning this scheme, he should have been planning the many different ways that he could make at least some of his dream still come true. The "megalomaniacs" just made it worse for him, though. I have to agree with Album on that fact.
MR Yellow
I think that Kevin Hart needs to take most of the responsibility since he did lie. But I also think that some of the blame needs to be put on the people that put so much emphasis on where somebody goes to college. If espn and Sports center didn't advertise and put so much publicity then Hart never would have tried to do what he did. Kevin Hart should realize what he did and admit to the wrong he did and be ashamed about it. Hart went through the biggest lie of his life just for a couple seconds of fame. Now everyone knows that he's a liar and he may not end up getting into a good college just because of one little prank. I don't think that he intended for this prank to become nationally known he just wanted his friends and family to think that he was going to a good college to play football. unfortunately for him he was caught and nationally humiliated. And even though he was the one who lied to everyone it wasn't entirely his fault.
I think Mitch is right, and also wrong in a few ways. He is right because it is true that college athletes do get alot of praise for their ability. And high school students do work hard to get that point in their life to try and be one of those college athletes. But i mean, Kevin Hart just did something thats pretty ridiculous, i mean its tons of work, and i understand he wanted that scholarship more than anything. But obviously he didnt work hard enough to achieve that goal. He just ruined his chances of ever even acheving such a goal. This could have even possibly ruined his sports carrer because no one wants a lier on their team. Mitch is wrong though because Hart shouldnt have done this, and 99.9 percent of the blame is on Hart for doing something so childish, just for the attention and to feel good about himself. To a certain degree its very immature, and right there in my opinion, he just doesnt deserve a second chance.
I disagree with Mitch Albom’s opinion on this incident with Kevin Hart. I think Hart should take full responsibility for his actions. Hart was a graduating high school senior which makes him about eighteen years old. At eighteen, most people would consider him an adult. Mitch Albom on the other hand is making it sound like Hart was a child who didn’t know any better. As an adult, Hart should definitely be able to accept the difference between reality and a farfetched fantasy. If he wanted to be signed with a college so badly, he should have worked harder. I do agree with Albom on one point though. It is true that if this achievement wasn’t celebrated, Hart wouldn’t have made up the hoax. At the same time, no one told him to do this. I don’t understand how Hart couldn’t see that there was nothing good that could come out of this hoax. It is as basic as knowing right from wrong. If someone has to make up a huge story like this just to get attention, they should probably get psychiatric help. There are probably underlying reasons as to why Hart would go to such an extent to be noticed. One thing I would like to know is what was Hart going to do after graduation? How far was he planning to carry out this fraud if he wasn’t caught in the act?
I have to disagree with Mitch Albom’s allegation. Kevin Hart should take full responsibility for his actions; lying to his teachers, teammates, and family. His family didn’t tell him to make up his “recruitment,” it all came from him. He made all of this up so that he could live his dream “in his mind,” not in reality. If I could I would ask him how long he really thought this would last. I do not know why the local people believed him when they had not even seen any proof. The coaches and teammates had to have been a little questionable about his “recruitment.” If he was really that great of a player to be believed to be on a recruiter’s list, why didn’t anyone ever see him talking with an agent. He shouldn’t have been able to take this that far and make everyone believe him. Someone should have looked into it to make sure that he was telling the truth.
This well-written story, in my opinion, can go both ways but I lean to agree with Mitch. Today society greatly affects the people we are and will become. Society publicizes a lot of un-needed things, such as Mitch says, foot ball on ESPN and CSTV. Coming from the big leagues is expected but I think society has gone a little “over the edge” on things that are not important. They over-exaggerate the importance of becoming famous or being a “big shot”. Different TV shows and reports can influence one to do something that is wrong because they make it seem you are worthless if you are not a famous big shot. Some people in this world have a need to be accepted and popular, and will go to great extents to be accepted. I believe that if society was not as over-exaggerated, then Kevin Hart would not be as influenced to do something like this. I do not just blame publicity in society. I also believe his family may take a little responsibility. Kevin Hart’s parents must have known what he was doing, and they let it happen. Kevin was old enough to know what he was doing was wrong, but his parents are wiser and should not have let it happen. Lastly, I believe the majority of the blame (not all of the blame) should go to Kevin Hart. He is old enough to know what he did was wrong and that he should have never have done what he did.
KB Yellow
I disagree with Albom's assertion. Although Kevin felt desperate and wanted that ticket so bad he had to fake one he did take advantage of people. You have to give him credit to the extent of which he took the lie though. Many people could try this but i have high doubts that they would get even close to where Kevin took it. You also have to question what he was going to do after the spring. I think that the lie would catch up with him and he would be so involved with the lie that he missed his chance to search and find a college that was right for him. He should definitely be accountable on the grounds that he made the school take time out of their schedule and took time to organize the assembly. Also i believe that he owe a huge apology to his teammates. I would be pretty mad if i was deceived by someone on my team. I think that me may have got what he deserved after the school found out because i bet he was disliked by many people for the deception.
After reading the article by Mitch Albom I disagree with him. I think that Kevin Hart should take responsibility for the huge lie. Kevin Hart made up a lie that went too far. He knew that eventually people were going to find out when he did not end up playing football at the University of California. Kevin Hart should have told the truth in the beginning before the media and his school became involved. To receive a college scholarship for football means that you have worked very hard and you deserve it. The kids that work hard should receive the media's attention not some kid who made up a lie to get attention. The people that lived in the little town that Kevin Hart came from probably looked up to him for all the effort he put in at practice and games. The people of Fernley, Nevada are most likely embarrassed to have believed Kevin Hart. Personally, I think it is crazy that someone would take time out of their day to make up a ridiculous lie that people who love to watch sports frown upon.
After reading this article, I cannot fully agree, nor disagree with Mitch Albom. Mitch has some very valid points about how “maybe the joke is on us.” However, we cannot all be put to blame because of the acts of one high school senior and his poor choices. It is not the fault of a single person who does not support this attention to these recruitings by the fans and media. However, those who support this kind of thing being televised and other media attention but think unfavorably of this incident, are only helping to cause this problem. Also, the biggest cause of this incident, is no doubt the high school senior, Kevin Hart. He alone, could have stopped this entire thing, he could have had the reasoning to see that when the University of California hears about this, its all going down the drain. Without a doubt, or denial, it could not be possible to blame this incident on the general public. The fault is on the shoulders of Kevin Hart, in my opinion, most football players do not fake things like these, I dare say, why should he have done so?
I disagree with Mitch Albom’s assertion that other people were responsible for Kevin Hart’s error. I am tired of society blaming other people for one person’s mistake. Whatever happened to personal responsibility? This teenager is not an infant. He knew his graduation was coming. He knew right from wrong. He knew he was lying, yet he ignored all moral conventions to savor his empty moment of popularity. This would be short-lived because it was a complete fantasy. Dreaming is an admirable trait. Great people dream, but they follow their dream with hard work and tenacity. Parents cannot prevent their children from making mistakes. They gift their children with values and life lessons, but it is up to the child to follow his conscience. Kevin Hart showed his disrespect for his family, his friends and his fellow schoolmates and should be ashamed of himself.
I believe that Mitch Albom is correct in some of his assertions. Kevin Hart should feel bad for faking an entire recruitment. This dream of Hart’s was blown way out of proportion. That’s where this should have stopped, just as a dream. Kevin probably wanted to fit in with his friends. They had all been admitted into a college, and Kevin was missing out. He then decided to make up an entire pep rally for himself, and recruit himself to a college that had never heard of him. This fake recruitment probably reached the University of California, ruining his chances of ever getting into the school.
On the other hand, I believe the media is also to blame for this incident. This would have never happened if Kevin had not seen all the recruitments on ESPN. This image of what his college career should look like was embedded into his brain. He practiced over and over for this event. He probably watched numerous clips of famous athletes’ signings and recruitments. By the time of the fake assembly, he even had the hat gestures memorized. ESPN should not stop showing these events, but they should definitely show a lot less of them.
In my opinion, Hart should take all the blame. I don't care how much hype there is over college recruit ordeal, if your 18 years old, you have a pretty good sense of reality. Unfortunately, Hart didn't see reality before he started this huge lie. The media should not be blamed for Kevin lying to his friends, family, coaches, and teammates. I know kids today are really starting to be pressures to do something with their life, but I guarantee, most of the kids at St. Mark's would not choose this way to get attention and look successful. Really this was just a horrible idea from the start. He probably lost all of friends and families' trust, made a fool out of himself, and didn't gain anything from this acting performance. Since he was in 12th grade, he should be smart enough to know this decision was going to bite him later, someone would eventually find out. so Mitch Albom was wrong in saying someone else should be blamed for this. Kevin knew what he was doing despite the consequences.
I partially agree with Mitch Albom. I believe that society does place to much attention on athletes. Today if your a high school super star athelete you are much more known then the super star math league winner. And I think that people should start to pay attention more to the other great things that people are doing everyday besides just sports. On the other side, Hart is completely responsible for lying. He lied to his parents, coaches and friends, the people that cared about him the most. Even though some people believe that the more athletic you are the more popular you are, it dosent make it right for kevin to lie. So Kevin is fully to blame for his actions but maybe he would'nt have lied if society didnt place so much pressure on athletes.
I agree with both viewpoints, although it is his parents fault for leading him into a world of pre-destination and constant work ethic without Kevin actually agreeing or enjoying some of it, he still didn't deserve the right to lie to everyone. He had the opportunity to say to no to his parents, or not follow the expected footsteps. He also had no right in lying to people, especially those closest to him. He must have realized things were going to get back to him , and begin to get worse than they were to start. His decision were his own, and his parents are not to blame for that. I do hold his parents guilty for going to far, and trying to control him, but they didnt literally make his decisions for him.
After reading this article, in a way I agree with Albom’s assertion that other people should take the blame for this kid’s fate. The fact that Kevin Hart got so far with his lie shows something about the people who surround him. His parents never suspected anything. This perhaps shows that his family life was not too good and his parents did not care enough to check up on his college applications. Also, if he was getting into all these colleges for his sportsmanship the coach would have definitely talked to this school about what a good played Kevin was. However, not all the blame can go to other people. Kevin was a senior in high school and if he could not see the stupidity of faking college applications then maybe he did not get accepted to college for a reason. Also, he did not think he plan through very well. Did he not think about what would happen once the school year started? I truly believe that some people lack common sense.
I don't entirely agree with Mitch Albom's accusation but I do agree with some things he said about the situation. I belive that Kevin Hart is the one who should be blamed, but for all those people to not have a clue what was going on is ridiculous. Not only did Kevin Hart embarras himself, he also humiliated his family, friends, coaches, and everyone he went to school with. What he did was completely outrageous and unacceptable. I think it's unbelieveable that no one around him realized what he was doing, but that doesn't make it their fault. It was all Kevin Hart's doing and he should accept the consequences of what he did. He made a fool out of everyone around him, and everyone around him let it happen to themselves. I think it's careless how noone found out about this hoax but personally, I fully put all the blame on Kevin Hart.
tvyellow
To be honest I don't know what side I stand on. In some cases I agree with Albom and others I don't. For example, I can relate to Kevin as to why he would want to fake a signing with UC, because I'm an athelete myself. What student athelete doesn't want a full ride to a D-1 school to play the sport they love? That is where I think it was partly Kevin's fault. But also, his parents and coaches should of been able to stop this mess before it started. His parents could of asked him to go visit the college to see if he liked the campus before he went. His coach could of called the universities to see how interested they were in him and to give them information on him. This is wear I believe it wasn't all Kevin's fault. But, in the long run it was wrong to do what he did no matter whos fault it is.
Do you think someone would notice if a high school senior misled his parents, coaches, and school into believing he received a sports scholarship to a prominent university? Although this sounds far-fetched, this was possible for one high school senior, Kevin Hart of Fernley, Nevada. Although this hoax was finally uncovered, one question still remains, “Does someone else deserve some of the shame and blame for the actions of this misguided teen?”
My response to the question that Mitch Albom’s assertion presents is, “Yes, others do deserve some of the blame.” I feel that this hoax would never have occurred if society didn’t make such a big deal out of sports recruitments and scholarships. First, Kevin Hart probably would not have misled everyone if he was not going to get that “five minutes of fame.” Secondly, I cannot grasp the fact that Kevin Hart’s family, coaches, and school did not care to ask for any confirmation regarding his scholarship. The one and only reason I can think of is that everyone got so caught up in the “frenzy” that they didn’t even realize the hoax. In the end, the joke is on us and our society. We have made such a huge deal of sports scholarships, we sometimes forget to stop and ask, “Can this really be true?”
I disagree with Mitch Albom's response to this event. Kevin Hart only has himself to blame for what he did. By the time you are in high school, you can clearly distinguish whether most decisions are good or bad. Kevin new what he was doing and his parents trusted him. Neither the coach nor the parents should take any responsibility for Kevin's actions. It is human nature to be happy for someone when they tell you good news. One does not get suspicious and ask questions about it. Albom also criticizes how athletes are more publicly celebrated than those who excel in academics. This is true because sports are meant to entertain. The average American would never watch a show about chemistry before watching a football game. Albom is forgetting that sports are simply more popular than school. Unfortunately, Kevin did a terrible thing that stereotypes the ego of every athlete as a cocky jerk who thinks that they can get away with anything. Albom may have fallen into this stereotype before writing this article. Albom's view on almost the entire situation is wrong in my eyes simply because Kevin should take full responsibility for his actions.
I agree with Mitch Albom's assertation to an extent. I believe that high school recruting has gotten way out of hand. Atheletes are being hailed at the schools as "gods" just because the accell in a sport. I agree with Mitch Albom when he said "What about the chemist majors?" In the end though it is Kevin Harts fault. He was the one who commited the action. He was the one who lied to his family, friends, and neighbors. No one made it out that he had to be recruted. He wanted to make his dream a reality and has to pay the consequences for going about it the wrong way. If he truly wanted to be recruted he should have practiced harder in his previous years in high school. The he could have had his recruting dream and have it as reality, not as a lie.
I can't decide which side to stand on. I think that Mitch Albom's assertion is somewhat correct, but I also think that Kevin Hart should take some of the blame. I think Kevin is crazy for trying to lie to all of his friends, teammates, and teachers because they would eventually find out that he was lying. What would everyone think of him when they found out he was faking the whole thing? I think that Albom's article is partially correct when it says that athletes get too much attention, and people that get academic scholarships arent recognized even half as much. But, athletes work very hard to get scholarships and I think that they should get praised for what they do. Overall, I think it was mostly Kevin Hart's fault and he shouldn't have lied to everyone.
I think that this journal is absolutely great. A senior from a small town and a small school made gave them all their fifteen minutes of fame. The fact that this athlete was able to fool everyone in his small town is absolutely mind boggling. Maybe everyone was just so excited that something like that could happen that they just were too happy to try and question his truthfulness. My sympathy does not go out to the young man that made that terrible lie but to his family and all their relatives with the same name that may at some point try and get into those schools and may be rejected because of their bloodline. The best part of life is when one achieves something that one works so hard to achieve. Just how many people have tried to do these crazy things and failed this young man is a master of deception and perhaps the scariest part of this whole thing is far along this twisted little plot was able to go before it was stopped.
I agree and disagree with Mitch Albom's article. Although Kevin was not stopped by any coaches, teammates, or family, I'm sure that he would have been if they were able to have had figured it out. They were probably so caught up in all of the excitement that they automatically believed Kevin without thinking through the idea. I do agree that society has put an idea in many heads that students with athletic scholarships should receive special attention. This is obviously one of the reasons why Kevin made up the lie. But for many student athletes that reached their goal of getting a sholarship into a school for all of their hard work and dedication to their sport, I think that they deserve this attention. I do think that students with academic scholarships should be recognized as well. However, I feel as if most of the blame should be on Kevin. He came up with this lie and should have known everyone would figure out the truth. What would have happened in the fall when it was time to really go to college? He lied to his family, friends, coaches, teammates, and the press just because he wanted attention. Think of how angry student athletes who really reached their goal of getting a scholarship must be. I think that Kevin should take the consequences for his foolish actions.
I think that Mitch Albom has a valid point. I Know from experience that nationl class athletes get alot of attenion. This was just Kevin's deserate cry for attention. I do think though that Kevin took this scandel way to far. His family and friends must have been to the point of embarrassment. He is what some call a perpetual liar. He has a problem and should take the blame for his actions. Money was probally even wasted for the TV event and the assembly at his school.
I sort of agree with Mitch Albom. I think that Kevin Hart obviously deserves most of the shame and embarrassment. But I think that his coaches, classmates, and particularly his parents should feel ashamed as well. I mean of all people his parents should have been the ones to raise a question to the hoax. I am surprised that no body caught on to the act he was putting on. If someone had realized he was playing them all for suckers they probably would have blown the cover off the whole ordeal. Unless of course his parents and coaches where in on it and did it just for kicks. So if the "responsible adults" in his life where in on it then it was probably just a big joke and we are really the ones who got pranked. Because if he hadn't faked all that would we have ever known who Kevin Hart is? May the stunt was just to attract attention to himself. And if so then his plan worked perfectly.
I must completely disagree with Mitch Album's opinion on Kevin Hart and collegiate recruiting. First off, you can not possibly say one of Kevin Hart's influences for such an act like is the hype of collegiate recruiting. Album said it put to much stress on high school athletes, wanting to be that that superstar athlete. Of course almost all athletes dream of becoming that superstar surrounded by so much hype, the one every college in America would do almost anything to have playing for their football, basketball, or baseball team. But to blame this on recruiting? That's nonsense. Recruitment and scholarships are half the intensity of college sports, with fans becoming extremely excited when their team has a great national signing day. Album also saying that the blame can be put on someone else besides Hart himself. Of course his parents may influence these ridiculous actions, and the hype of national signing day may have greatened his lust for attention, but they did not fake their recruitment to nationally known colleges, he did. In the world today, the biggest problem may be people's lack of responsibilty, not taking fault for their own actions, mostly teenagers and adults. We must learn to grow up and mature, because this behavior is too childlike to be taken seriously.
I disagree with what Mitch Albom has to say about Kevin Hart. I believe that Kevin should take full responsibility for his actions and that he should get the punishment he deserves. It is not the lack of leadership in catching the mistake because they were happy for him and could only assume that he was telling the truth. He was not told to make up this lie and he did it in his own free will, which makes it his responsibility. Kevin Hart should be embarrassed for making up such a story and for taking it so far. In my eyes all he wanted was attention and now he has it in all the wrong ways
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