How Lebron's Decision Relates to Sorority Recruitment

Last night, Lebron James made the “Decision” that will impact his basketball career and life forever. In a one hour special on ESPN, Lebron was asked a variety of questions on how his decision was made, how tough it was, and what ultimately helped him made the decision. After great anticipation and with the world watching, Lebron selected the Miami Heat as his new team.

For those of you that don’t follow sports or the NBA, Lebron had quite the media attention. Why? To put Lebron’s decision and impact on the basketball landscape into perspective, this decision had the attention of every NBA player, six NBA teams (New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls), and hundreds of thousands of people nationwide. Financially, teams had fired coaches, fired general managers, cut players, and had planned for this day a year or two in advance in order to court Lebron to their team. Why? Lebron is widely considered one of the top three basketball players in the world at the ripe age of 25. He is a physical specimen for basketball standards (6’8’’, 260 pounds) and has the ability to take over a basketball game at any point. He is known for being a team player and he has the ability to change a team from nothing to something in a short amount of time. To put it simply, Lebron James is a once in a lifetime athlete.

Personally, this was a tough decision for Lebron for various reasons. First, he had loyalty to consider. He had been a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers for seven years and made the Cavs relevant as a basketball team. Second, Lebron had to think about his options economically. For Lebron, he was looking at a future contract of either five year/$96 million dollar deal or six year/$125million dollar deal give or take depending on the team he would choose to join. Next, Lebron had to think about his family. He had grown up in Ohio, played high school ball in Ohio, and his family lives in a small town in Ohio. Lebron was Ohio. Finally, Lebron had to think about himself. He made it quite clear that winning NBA championships was his goal and in the end, he determined that he had a better chance of winning in Miami then he did at any other team. In the end, Lebron had made his decision and one city was crushed (Cleveland), four teams were bummed (Knicks, Nets, Clippers, Bulls) and one city rejoiced (Miami).

In my unique mind, I began thinking about how this decision reminds me of NPC recruitment. Let me explain…

First, let’s take the aspect of the media attention. On most campuses, the world stops for Panhellenic recruitment. Greek Advisors, graduate assistants, and Panhellenic officers spend months coordinating, organizing, and tweaking every aspect of recruitment. At the same time, hundreds and possibly thousands of anxious PNMs and parents of PNMs wait for the day registration opens. As if their life depends on it. Furthermore, chapters wait anxiously on the updated rules while also determining their outfits and intricate details of each day to put their best foot forward for the PNMs. Much like Lebron’s ESPN special, is this fanfare for recruitment needed? Do we feed into it as professionals? As students?

Second, let’s look at the loyalty notion. Some PNMs that go through recruitment will be legacies of a certain organization. For some, their decision to join the same organization as their sister, mother, grandmother, etc. will be easy while for others, it will be difficult. A decision so difficult that PNMs will shed tears due to an overwhelming pressure to please their respective family members which will in some ways, hinder their recruitment experience. Is this the experience PNMs should face? How can we do a better job of supporting whatever decision the PNM makes instead of turning our back on a future fraternal sister or burning their jersey in the case of Lebron?

Financially, there are many similarities to recruitment and Lebron’s decision. To start, joining a sorority is a lifetime investment. Many PNMs and parents will analyze the cost to join a sorority with a fine tooth comb. How much does it cost for dues? How much to live in the house? How much for initiation fees? How much to buy matching t-shirts and bump-its? Are there payment plans available? These are legitimate questions that should be asked by the PNMs.

The negative aspect of finances in recruitment is the notion of frills. As it relates to Lebron, something I neglected to mention during Lebron-mania was that each team courted him in outrageous and in some cases, over the top fashion. Teams brought in musicians (Jay Z), Fortune 500 leaders, printed challenging ads, and tried to wine and dine Lebron in any way possible. They also told Lebron about the money he would make and that he would own whatever city market he ended up at. What I think most teams failed to realize is that Lebron wanted to win championships. He wanted to be a on a team that would compete for not just one, but multiple championships. He wanted to be around players that would make him a better person and a better player.

This relates to frills during sorority recruitment because frills take away the main focus that the PNMs should be centering their attention on throughout the recruitment process. The focus should be on the values, relationships, and potential fit the PNM feels toward an organization. The focus should not be on the balloons, the decorations, the clothing apparel, the custom designer purses, and any other materialistic item that could be showcased. Why? Much like Lebron’s situation, materialistic materials shouldn’t matter. A PNM should want to join a sorority because of the principles and belief system that organization showcased during recruitment, not the enticement of fantsy shoes or earrings. PNMS want to have a sense of family, a home away from home, the feeling that they will become a better woman by joining a respective sorority. To a PNM, that is their “championship.”

Finally, I relate the Lebron experience to sorority recruitment in terms of making the decision for himself. During his interview special, Lebron acknowledged that God, his mother, and close friends all played a part in his decision but at the end of day, it was Lebron who made the decision. This relates to sorority recruitment in that, the PNM should feel a sense of peace in knowing that if they are offered an opportunity to join an organization, they will be able to do so without any pressure from external entities. Sometimes I think friends, parents, recruitment counselors, or even current members in chapters try to sway a PNM to vote or select an organization based on what THEY think, not what is in the best interest of the PNM. This is not say that people close to the PNM can’t provide their thoughts or input but it must be unbiased and with the understanding that it’s about the PNM, not about me. There should be an overwhelming feeling of tranquility for the PNMs knowing that their decision was theirs and that they made it for themselves.

In conclusion, as we get closer to sorority recruitment time, I think we can all reflect on what recruitment should be about. As you plan, remember to ask yourself, “how will the PNM feel” or “how will this affect the PNM.” Furthermore, everything that is planned should be around the notion that we are doing this for the PNMs. Lastly, as Lebron stated, “You become a superstar individually, you become a champion as a team”, I think the same can be said for a sorority. You become a strong chapter individually, but you become a powerful sorority as a sisterhood.