Size matters - but why???
 

I've often thought about this, and today sitting on the crapper I was reminded of my puzzlement: Why do teams (pro and college, prolly high school as well) inflate the heights of their players?

I mean, everyone's in on the joke, right? Newspaper columnists. TV and radio play by play guys. They all make remarks frequently about "so-and-so is listed as five-eleven, but that's if he's standing on a phone book. Yuck yuck yuck har harrr."

So anyway there I am on the crapper and I'm reading SI and there's a short article about OJ Mayo. "...listed as 6'5", but he's closer to 6'2..."

Why is this done? Is it universal? Do other countries do it? What possible advantage can it be?

I READ THE SAME ARTICLE ON THE SHITTER AND THOUGHT THE SAME THING TOO! YAY!

Definitely happens to some extent in high school, seems to really go into overdrive at the college level. Psychological advantage over opponents has always been the reason I heard it attributed to.

Despite the fact that we have been successful in Football, we routinely add 5-10 pounds to linemen (Depending on their actual weight) and always grade up to the nearest inch on height (never adding more than an inch though)

It is pretty much commonplace and as Jon says done for a psychological edge and sometimes it almost gets mythical.

It was really funny reading a newspaper article going into one of our games this past season, where opposing Coach mentioned they were concerned with our big, physical line. Now our kids did play very physical, but here are the actual sizes of our starters on the varsity O-line.

T - 6' 195
G - 5'10" 225
C - 6' 250
G - 5'9" 210
T - 6'1" 265 or 6' 210
TE - 5'10" 220

Not big at all, even by high school standards.

Now this is how they were listed on the Roster that other teams got.

T - 6'1" 205
G - 5'11" 230
C - 6' 260
G - 5'10" 220
T - 6'1" 270 or 6'1" 220
TE - 6' 225

That looks a little better doesn't it :)

I was listed as 6'1 in high school although my actual high was 5'11 coach said it would help me get recruited.

Aaron Gibson was the inverse of this.

I am surprised that 6 posts in we have yet to have a parody on this, either in post or thread form.

SI

I'm listed at 8.5" but in actuality I'm 6.5".

Damn SI...I quick-replied right from the original post.

Uh-huh, reading SI on the crapper for the articles...

:redface:

I can understand it at the high school level for those who want to be recruited. I'm 6' but listed myself as 6'2 in high school for better interest from colleges. But outside of that, it makes no sense. You aren't going to get drafted or signed by a team without them knowing your real height.

Thickness is more important, everyone knows that.

Don't the colleges figure out your real height as well?

I've often wondered the same thing. If everyone knows that listed height is always fiction, doesn't that also include the recruiters?

No one on my high school varsity team was listed lower than 6' 180 pounds. Personally, I was the starting strong safety at 5'8" and a buck 55, and I was bigger than the free safety. Someone said that the coaches didn't want the other teams to pick up on our weaknesses or some shit like that. I think it's absurd.