Opinion: Should future scouts pay to learn?

The scouting profession has grown in popularity in recent years, especially with the explosion of college football personnel jobs.  Today, there are a number of “scout schools,” usually led by current or former NFL personnel, that teach aspiring scouts how to watch film.

It has me asking: Is it worth it?  Should people who want to grow and thrive in this profession spend their hard-earned money on these scout schools?

I see some good arguments for going to one, preferably one that is reasonably priced.  The knowledge taken from the course is directly applicable to scouting.  You also get a chance to sit down, watch film, compare notes, and present your opinions.  Typically the instructors will study a player and point out qualities while asking students to take notes.  These are all good things.

There are some downsides, too.  Some of these schools are very expensive and cost thousands of dollars for knowledge that you can get cheaply, perhaps even for free.  Growing up in the game, nobody ever sat down with me – either in-person or online – and taught me how to study tape.  Most of my knowledge base came from sitting in during positional meetings at teams I worked for.  I also went to coaching clinics, such as Glazier, and took a bunch of notes from coaches at every level of the game.  I would really go to sessions that discussed position fundamentals.  I took notes, recording practically everything that was said.  I would organize and input my notes into an Excel file, sorted by position, to have the details and techniques required for each position.  I still do that today.

Regardless of whether these schools are worth it, I believe nothing can replace actually doing it.  No matter how much you know, self-discipline and dedication are absolutely necessary.  Nothing can replace sitting down with a paper, pen, taking notes, film study and producing a high-quality evaluation.  Nothing can replace going to games, practices, camps, and getting eyeballs on players.  The only way to get better at it is to continuously do it.