Jake
Carleton
The advancements of
technology has changed the way that people can communicate with athletes
through one major vehicle, social media. Athletes now have the ability to put
their thoughts out to the public through platforms such as Twitter, they can
promote the products that they are spokespeople for through Instagram, and they
can share photos from their private lives with their fans via Facebook. Coaches
are even taking note of this as depicted in the article titled It’s Not Just What Athletes are Tweeting,
but How Much They’re On Social Media, “they are
also keeping an extremely close eye on how often their prospective athletes are
tweeting, too, a concern which is emerging as just as pressing as what the
athletes are focused on.” Athletes
are now sharing more than ever with sports fans, and these interactions that
they are creating between the two groups can have both positive, but also
extremely negative reflections on a player’s image and that player’s
marketability moving forward.
Just like a
celebrity, or any famous person in the public’s eye, athletes can post some
pretty bonehead things online, and it can come back to haunt them. Some
athletes just do not think about what they are saying and how it can negatively
affect them before they send out that tweet. In an article for Sporting News, by David Steele, Steele
recalls, “Just this year, the
Browns’ Tank Carder, the Knicks’ Amare Stoudemire and
Minnesota Wild minor-league Justin Fontaine have been busted, all for anti-gay
slurs sent on Twitter. Two
athletes were kicked off their respective national Olympic teams last summer for racist tweets.” These are athletes
who have worked their whole lives to make it to the big stage, and idiotic things
that they are tweeting out are coming back to haunt them and possibly derail
their careers, as they could be looked at as tarnished goods. Moving forward,
it will be interesting to see if professional organizations start to limit
athlete’s social media use. An example of this happening occurred with New
England Patriots defensive back Kyle Arrington was asked by the Patriots to
refrain from tweeting after some back-and-forth on Twitter, but this leads
someone to question, are these organizations breaking the First Amendment
rights of these players? Or, as employees of the organizations, does the
organization have a right to do this?
However, there is not all bad publicity that can come from
social media for athletes. A prime example of this comes with a player like NFL
wide receiver Julian Edelman. Edelman is an up-and-coming athlete in the NFL
and has taken an interesting approach to social media, and has been utilizing
it to increase his marketability. In an article titled How the Patriots Julian Edelman Scores Social Media Touchdowns,
author Samantha Kelly discusses some of the things that Edelman does and how he
becomes branded with things that will build his brand along with the brand of
that business, she writes, “He's also among the growing list of sports stars turning
to digital agencies to build his brand during the off season. Although it's
common for brands to seek out social assistance from third-party providers,
more athletes are doing the same. Boston-based Superdigital handles
everything from his endorsement deals with PUMA to strategic partnerships with
Burberry and, yes, Google Glass.” Here is a video of the interesting way
that Edelman utilizes social media to promote the brands that he endorses, this
is a look at him using Google Glass to field punts, something he is known for
on the field:
Edelman also does a great job of creating fun platforms for
his fans to see what he is like off the field as well. He created a YouTube
series in which he makes hamburgers and concocts smoothies in a cooking
show-like set and he often has other famous athletes on the set to cook with
him and eat with him. Here is a video of him whipping up a batch of smoothies
in the kitchen, but keep in mind the PUMA shoebox behind him, and other
products he is endorsing throughout the video:
What Edelman is doing is a very interesting approach of how
to utilize social media and the various platforms that people use in order to
build your own personal brand. He has a great series of interactions with his
fans on Twitter, he has a tremendous following on Facebook and Instagram, and
found an innovative way to utilize YouTube to promote brands in a fun way.
Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if more athletes use digital
companies to take over their social media profiles and have them come up with
fun ways to promote the athletes brands. However, does Edelman having someone
come up with these strategies take away from the social interaction that social
media is supposed to be?
Social media is something that will remain a part of our
lives for a long time moving forward. Leagues and professional organizations
have become very aware of the use of social media. Due to this leagues have put
in place rules against the use of social media for a time before a game, to
during the game, to after the players have fulfilled the media obligations. An
interesting publication by PR Week
has a different take on these rules though, it is written that, “But the NFL is
missing the whole point of social media. It is social -- you're not supposed to
control it, you participate in it. The ban also misses out from leveraging the
excitement of those who are most likely to be their best brand ambassadors
because of their investment in the sport: its employees.” Yes, there are some
bad things that can come from athletes utilizing social media platforms, but
the leagues cannot go overboard in the future and take these abilities away
from players, because these abilities promote positive interactions often
between athletes and fans, which in turn provides positive interactions between
the professional leagues and their fans.
Works Cited:
- · Steele, David. "Many Athletes Still Haven't Learned to Avoid Trouble on Twitter." Sporting News. 19 Dec. 2012. Web. 4 Apr. 2015. <http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2012-12-19/twitter-gay-slur-noah-syndergaard-racial-bradley-patterson-obama>.
- · Kelly, Samantha. "How the Patriots' Julian Edelman Scores Social Media Touchdowns." Mashable. 3 Feb. 2014. Web. 4 Apr. 2015. <http://mashable.com/2014/02/03/julian-edelman-patriots-social-media/>.
- · "NFL Social Media Ban Shortsighted." NFL Social Media Ban Shortsighted. PR Week, 4 Sept. 2009. Web. 4 Apr. 2015. <http://www.prweek.com/article/1270348/nfl-social-media-ban-shortsighted>.
- · Smith, Cameron. “It’s Not Just What Athletes Are Tweeting, But How Much They’re on Social Media that Scares Off Coaches,” Prep Rally (Yahoo Sports Blog) 16 April 2013. Web.
- · "Smoothie Tyme II with Julian Edelman, Shane Vereen and Ryan Allen Using Nutri Ninja®." YouTube. YouTube, 27 Jan. 2015. Web. 04 Apr. 2015.
- · "FIRST EVER Google Glass Punt Return with Julian Edelman." YouTube. YouTube, 15 Oct. 2015. Web. 04 Apr. 2015.
Social media can be a positive for an athlete but it can also be a negative as well. Sometimes it creates more of a burden for athletes as it does for celebrities and other times it can help with someone’s image or help them promote the brands that are sponsoring them. Everyone has to be careful as to what they are posting on social media but people in the spotlight especially athletes must be extra careful because their content is going to be seen by a large amount of the public and for athletes, that could affect their careers.
ReplyDeleteHaving the public’s eye on you constantly must make you very aware of what you, as the athlete, are posting on social media. You don’t want to ruin your reputation or lose your career over something posted to a website, yet some athletes make that mistake. They post things that could potentially get them kicked off the team or at least suspended for a certain amount of time. Things that they may consider harmless comments can turn into something huge. As mentioned in the original blog, Olympians were banned from their teams after making racist comments. They probably thought they would be able to get away with what they were posting but soon found out that was not the case. They had just thrown away everything they had worked for just because of a comment on social media.
Not only does social media pose a threat to current athletes but prospective athletes as well. Many of these people are being watched by coaches to potentially be picked for teams but are still in college. The mind of a college kid tends to think that nothing can stop them and the things they are posting are harmless. What they don’t seem to realize is, that coaches can see everything that is being posted to social media. “When they are feted at a party, they tend to tweet about it. Those tweets then tend to get noticed by coaches and, big surprise, the athletes suddenly look a lot less driven and promising than they did before those tweets and photos surfaced.” (Smith 2013) Coaches are watching to see what these potential athletes do in their time off the fields as well. They don’t want to recruit someone who could be a potential publicity risk to their team. They do not tolerate these types of things well. Johnny Manziel was a good example of this. He was constantly watched for his off the field lifestyle in college. He was always seen in pictures at parties and this made for some controversy over him being drafted. Coaches were hesitant because they didn’t want to take someone that could potentially get into trouble later on if their lifestyle kept up.
Even when the posts by athletes to social media seem harmless, there will always be some controversy. This was seen when Big Papi visited the White House. As seen in “Ortiz-Obama selfie may be 'end of all selfies' at White House” David Ortiz, or Big Papi, took a selfie with the president holding one of his jerseys. The picture was then posted to social media by the player. The White House took this as a problem though. They were hesitant about it because they didn’t want the president being used for any type of endorsement without permission. Ortiz maintains though that it was honestly just a proud moment for him and he wanted to be able to share it on social media for everyone to see. He honestly thought that it was a harmless use of social media.
Smith, Cameron. “It’s Not Just What Athletes Are Tweeting, But How Much They’re on Social Media that Scares Off Coaches,” Prep Rally (Yahoo Sports Blog) 16 April 2013.
Stableford, Dylan. “Ortiz-Obama selfie may be 'end of all selfies' at White House,” Yahoo News. April 6, 2014.
As you can tell from reading the majority of these articles, the world of sports is a lucrative business and every time some kind of new technology comes out that makes access to sports fans’ favorite content easier, the following gets stronger. Like Nielsen reported, "Sports fans' passion for their favorite athletes and teams continues to grow, as fans tune-in to TV, computers, tablets and mobile screens to follow them," ("2014 Year in Sports Media Report") and with so much exposure, why wouldn’t athletes be the perfect marketing outlet? The simple answer is social media. We see it again and again with all kinds of celebrities, social media is one of the quickest ways to make or break a celebrity and the key to honing social media success is balance.
ReplyDeleteThis balance comes from knowing when to share and when to show digression; when to promote a company and when to promote yourself. Like we learned from our readings last week, when fans engage with celebrities through social media they want an authentic experience. This experience is being marred by the marketability of athletes because as their popularity grows, so does, it seems, the number of pockets they have their hands in. This can prove to be a negative for athlete, fan, and marketer if balance is not found.
An example of handling these relationships the wrong way is the Obama-Ortiz selfie incident. Red Sox fans were probably excited to get a glimpse into this impromptu and relaxed moment between someone that they feel they have a kinship with, Ortiz, and the President of the United States. This illusion of being let in on something special was degraded, though, when word got out that it was a pre-planned publicity stunt for Samsung: "Ortiz later tweeted the selfie from his Twitter account. Samsung retweeted the photo, saying it was 'thrilled to see the special, historic moment David Ortiz captured with his Galaxy Note 3 during his White House visit'"(Stableford). By companies trying to profit off of personal moments, it turns the followers off because now they are always wondering if they are being told the truth or being sold something.
This is the same effect that would happen if athletes were knowingly censored or monitored over social media by their teams. I agree that some people just don’t know how to present themselves to the public and it can be damaging not only to their own image, but to the team’s image as a whole. In this situation, however, I think they should make the decision on their own to lay off social media for the sake of their careers because once media professionals get involved in monitoring their personal content it just makes them unlikeable anyway. I think it would definitely impede on athletes’ first amendment right to forbid them from using social media, but I also think that it is perfectly acceptable for teams, as businesses, to make penalties for individuals who continue to damage their reputation with that right. It might not be ideal, but it is the truth of current American culture that certain careers strip you of certain privileges through your loss of anonymity. Athletes can complain about their loss of free speech and try to defend it, but the truth of the matter is that their livelihood relies on their likeability and their marketability and in a lot of cases their free speech is their biggest downfall.
Works Cited
"2014 Year in Sports Media Report." Nielsen.com. Accessed 29 March 2015. Web.
Stableford, Dylan. "Ortiz-Obama selfie may be 'end of all selfies' at White House,"
Yahoo News. 6 April 2014. Web.
Nice job Jake! It is true how much the interaction between athletes and the general public has increase since the implementation social media platforms such as Twitter. I truly believe that there are both positive and negative aspects of this new trend. One of the best things about it is that it allows for fans and the general public to learn more about their favorite players. Since it is commonly the player posting, it adds that personal interaction that fans love. The fans are able to learn more about what they are doing, things they like, and about their game. The issue on the other hand is that it is not only the fans looking at these Tweets it is also coaches and scouts.
ReplyDeleteCouches and scouts keep a close eye on what their current or potential players are saying online. What they are posting can impact whether or not they will be playing for their team. Assistant coach from Big East said “We see everything from Twitter conversations to friend requests on Facebook to pictures from last night’s part on Instagram” (Smith). And it is true. All of the public has access to see what is going on with their social media sites both the fans and the coaches. From the coaches view excessive posting shows almost less drive from the athlete because they are spending so much time telling the world what they are doing and sharing things instead of doing it themselves and doing their school work! According to the article coaches will stop recruitment a player because of things that they have posted online. (Smith). If that does not tell you something about the importance of posting online, I am not sure what will! But the same goes for getting any job when you think of it. It is important to keep a clean Facebook and Twitter page to give the public a well-rounded perspective of who you are. No employer wants someone who is lazy, does not speak well about others, or does not hold themselves to a high standard.
Although many athletes are just posting their interests, interacting with their fans, and talking to their friends, some on the other hand can be making a profit from what they are positing on their social media accounts. For example the photo that Big Papi from the Boston Red Sox he took with his Samsung phone. In a follow up post after Ortiz posted the picture online, Smasung tweeted, “Thrilled to see the special, historic moment David Ortiz captured with his Galaxy Note 3 during his White House Visit”(Stableford). Although Ortiz denied that the original picture was not anything promotional for Samsung and instead just a fun selfie with the president, the fact of the matter is when a famous athlete or even actor or actress has a labeled item in a photo or posts online is automatic advertising. The label can then use the photo to their advantage just like Samsung did. It is actually quite smart on the advertisers part it is just not always what the athlete or actor wants!
Works Cited
Stableford, Dylan. "Ortiz-Obama selfie may be 'end of all selfies' at White House," Yahoo News 6 April 2014. Web. 6 April 2015
Smith, Cameron. "It’s Not Just What Athletes Are Tweeting, But How Much They’re on Social Media that Scares Off Coaches," Prep Rally (Yahoo Sports Blog) 16 Aoril 2013. Web 6 April 2015
Brittany Berg
ReplyDeleteJake, I really like your blog. “Just like a celebrity, or any famous person in the public’s eye, athletes can post some pretty bonehead things online, and it can come back to haunt them. Some athletes just do not think about what they are saying and how it can negatively affect them before they send out that tweet” (Carleton). Athletes are celebrities/ famous people just a specific niche target within. I believe that social media has impacted athletes tremendously, both positively and negatively. It allows for these athletes in interact with their fans, as well as their enemies. Twitter and Instagram are just two popular platforms that athletes engage in.
You pose the question, “Are organizations breaking the First Amendment rights of these players? Or, as employees of the organizations, does the organization have a right to do this?” I believe that yes, they are breaking the First Amendment rights of these players because they should be able to say what they want, freedom of speech. But, as an athlete on a professional team, these players are under contract and in which case they are not able to speak (or tweet) freely. I do not feel that the organization is breaking the First Amendment because they have a reputation to uphold and they need to make sure that their players are being just as respectful. “We see everything from Twitter conversation to friend requests on Facebook to pictures from last night’s party on Instagram,” a Big East assistant football coach told Edgy Tim. “We see it all and we share that information back and forth in a moment’s notice” (Smith). The coaches clearly are aware of all activity that is occurring on social media sites and they share it with one another. Current athletes and also perspective athletes need to be extremely careful and cautious of what they choose to post.
I believe that Edelman is not the only athlete that uses digital companies to promote certain brands. Edelman, having someone come up with these strategies, does not take away from the social interaction that social media is supposed to be. “Sports fans, hungry for new content, have wholly embraced this newfound on-the-go convenience. And as rabid consumers of content, this group leverages the array of options to continue increasing the amount of time they spend with sports content year-over-year” (The Year in Sports). These strategies only benefit Edelman in the way that his fans, and audience, get to see different sides of him.
Works Cited:
"The Year in Sports: Digital Steps Up to the Plate." Nielsen.com. 5 Feb. 2015. Web.
Smith, Cameron. "It’s Not Just What Athletes Are Tweeting, But How Much They’re on Social Media that Scares Off Coaches," Prep Rally (Yahoo Sports Blog) 16 April 2013. Web.
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ReplyDeleteErika Almanzar
ReplyDeleteJake,
I think you made some great points when it comes to discussing the positive and negative aspects of social media the world of sports today. In a digitally-driven society, it seems nearly impossible for anyone to notice social media, especially in the cases of public figures. While the idea of social networking can be great in creating a personal brand, such as in the case of Julian Edelman, producing the wrong status or tweet can also be detrimental to one’s career. However, in recent years, college athletes, potential recruits, and even professional players have been under fire due to offensive social media posts surfacing.
According to Chicago Tribune columnist, Edgy Tim, it turns out that many coaches are keeping track of athletes’ social media use, such as Facebook friend requests, Twitter conversations, pictures from parties on Instagram, and even the amount in which they use social media (Smith). Additionally, coaches are also taking prospective student’s social media into account before even recruiting them, which has led to a number of schools turning down athletes over what they saw online. While I see the issue at hand on both sides of the debate, I believe that coaches may be taking it too far if they are accessing private social media accounts in order to obtain information. However, it is also up to prospective student-athletes to keep their social media clean, or at least adjust the privacy settings if they are trying to be recruited. Just as college students are encouraged to use their social media responsibly in the event a potential employer searches for them, potential athletes need to keep this in mind as well.
While I believe there are some ethical issues when it comes to potential and current collegiate athletes and social media, I also think that professional players are more likely to be held accountable for their actions online. According to Yahoo News, Boston Red Sox player, David Ortiz (aka ‘Big Papi), received some controversy after sharing a selfie with President Obama on Twitter after the team was invited to the White House to celebrate their 2013 World Series win. While the picture and tweet seemed harmless, Ortiz had recently signed an endorsement deal with Samsung and it was later discovered that the photo was part of a promotion for the company, although President Obama was unaware of that at the time. According to reports from Sports Business Journal, Ortiz was informed to send and tweet pictures of the White House celebration on Samsung’s behalf, although the player denied taking the selfie for promotional reasons (Stableford).
Lastly, it seems as though nobody is safe from the negative implications of social media these days. A single tweet, post, picture, or video can be the difference between a job offer, team recruit, and much more. While athletes are seen at a higher standard when it comes to what they publish on their social media accounts, it seems as though everyone needs to be held equally accountable for what we post. In the case of athletes, there are some ethical issues that need to be settled, such as how far coaches can go in controlling social media use. However, I believe that the example of athletes just shows how careful we, as media consumers, need to be when using our social media accounts in the future.
Works Cited
Smith, Cameron. "It’s Not Just What Athletes Are Tweeting, But How Much They’re on Social Media that Scares Off Coaches," Prep Rally (Yahoo Sports Blog) 16 April 2013. Web.
Stableford, Dylan. "Ortiz-Obama selfie may be 'end of all selfies' at White House," Yahoo News 6 April 2014. Web.
Brittany Joyal
ReplyDeleteAs with celebrities, professional athletes are similarly affected by both the negative and positive repercussions of being in the limelight. Furthermore, just as social media can elevate a star to the next level, it also can serve as a catalyst to the detrimental dissemination of non-professional information. When social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. are most often widely used by individuals to share personal anecdotes, the lines become blurred between what’s appropriate for a “public figure” (i.e. professional athlete) to post, and what isn’t. Positively however, social media allows for deeper allegiances between athletes and fans to emerge, as well as serves as a marketing platform for both self-promotion and promotion of athletic endorsements.
As Nielson’s 2014 Year in Sports Media Report states, “As you’ll see inside these pages, sports fans’ passion for their favorite athletes and teams continues to grow, as fans tuned-in to TV, computers, tablets and mobile screens to follow them” (Neilson). With this growing admiration for professional athletes the responsibility to act in accordance with organizational standards grows as well; in other words, you pose the question of whether or not organizations should be able to have a say in what athletes are posting on social media and whether or not it infringes on First Amendment rights. In my own personal opinion, while some may say the regulations cause a chilling effect, I believe that under the sanctions of professional organizations athletes are not only representing themselves but their team and the league as whole. As Smith states in his Yahoo Sports article, “…athletes need to know that coaches see everything that they’re posting … and yes, they are keeping track” (Smith). Thus, said athletes need to be mindful of the digital footprint they’re leaving behind or be prepared to face the consequences if they are to not present themselves up to standard online.
When it comes to athletes who are using third-party digital companies to help promote their personal brands via social media, I personally think it’s brilliant. Take Julian Edelman, as you mention in your post, for example: Edelman has hired Superdigital to aid him in self-promotion via social media during the offseason (as stated in Jake’s post). This creative approach integrates the use of professionally crafted material with the latest marketing platforms (social media sites). Some may hypothesize that this degrades the authenticity or candidness of social media, however if done organically (and with the direction of the athlete or celebrity) then I tend to think it can only further prompt engagement and followership.
I agree with you Jake when you state, “Yes, there are some bad things that can come from athletes utilizing social media platforms, but the leagues cannot go overboard in the future and take these abilities away from players, because these abilities promote positive interactions often between athletes and fans, which in turn provides positive interactions between the professional leagues and their fans” (Carleton). Social media can generate exposure for athletes and further prompt fan engagement; as with any situation said athletes must simply be cautious with the nature of their posts.
Works Cited
"2014 Year in Sports Media Report." Nielsen.com. Accessed 29 March 2015. Web.
Smith, Cameron. "It’s Not Just What Athletes Are Tweeting, But How Much They’re on Social Media that Scares Off Coaches," Prep Rally (Yahoo Sports Blog) 16 Aoril 2013. Web 6 April 2015
Lindsay Goldstein
ReplyDeleteAn active social media presence has become common, and even essential, for a celebrity to maintain their popularity. Fans want to be able to relate to their favorite actor or musician, or even just keep up with them, and platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram make that happen. But these celebrities also have to be careful when it comes to social media because as we’ve learned in seemingly all of our media classes is that image is everything and one wrong move on social media can literally be career-ending. Athletes are no different, especially when it comes to social media.
You bring up a really interesting point when you ask whether teams regulating their player’s social media activity is a first amendment violation. It’s a fine line, but in the end, I really do believe that a player represents the team he or she plays for in every sense of the word. For example, Michael Vick became a controversial athlete because of his history of dog fighting. When he was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles there was a lot of backlash, which reflected on the entire team. Similarly, when an athlete posts something controversial or inappropriate on Twitter, headlines in the news don’t simply list their name, but also the team that they are affiliated with. Because athletes have become synonymous with the team name that their jersey reads, it is important for the team to keep their image as clean as possible, including on their individual players social media accounts.
As you mention, social media can be extremely beneficial to athletes, especially when it comes to endorsements. While Julian Edelman has obviously done a great job at using his online presence to help increase his marketability, it was interesting to read about others who are not as successful. The article, “Ortiz-Obama Selfie May Be ‘End of All Selfies’ at White House, Senior Adviser Says,” was a great example of why some athlete’s social media accounts should be monitored. The selfie seemed innocent enough until you learned of the endorsement deal behind it. As a public figure, taking a picture with an even more important public figure, Ortiz and his team should have known that the picture would be highly publicized and the apparent endorsement deal would have come out. As the article says, “The White House isn’t forgetting, either,” (Stableford 2) and one simple Tweet from an athlete on social media became a huge problem.
Obviously another important part of sports and social media is fantasy leagues. Nielsen explains that sports fans in particular have greatly benefited when it comes to technology. “The Year in Sports: Digital Steps Up to the Plate” explains that these fans “have wholly embraced this newfound on-the-go convenience,” (1). When it comes to fantasy leagues, these new forms of media have become especially popular when it comes to keeping up to date with players and stats. Nielsen explains, “Daily fantasy sports games barely existed one year ago. Now, they comprise a rapidly growing industry fueled by people’s love of the NFL and fantasy football – and facilitated by the proliferation of mobile devices,” (“The Year in Sports: Digital Steps Up to the Plate” 2). If these sports fans are using their mobile devices more and more for fantasy purposes, it’s just a matter of time before social media becomes a huge trend, just as it has with many other aspects of sports and the entertainment industry.
Works Cited:
“The Year in Sports: Digital Steps Up to the Plate.” Nielsen. 5 Feb. 2015. Web. 6 April 2015.
Stableford, Dylan. “Ortiz-Obama Selfie May Be ‘End of All Selfies’ at White House.” Yahoo News. 6 April 2014. Web. 6 April 2015.
Margaret Thompson
ReplyDeleteJake, I agree with a lot of what you said in this post. There are definitely a lot of positives to social media, but the positives seem to often be overshadowed by the negative. Young athletes who are being recruited from high school for college programs are in my opinion in the toughest position when it comes to social media. At that point of their career their Twitter or Facebook can make or break their future. In an article written for Yahoo Sports, author Cameron Smith talks about the emphasis college coaches are placing on monitoring their prospects social media habits. “ ‘It's really honestly as disturbing seeing how often a kid will post/tweet out messages than the actual content,’ a Big Ten recruiting coordinator said. ‘Some kids, I swear never put their phones down. I know you have different programs where you can load up posts, but we know the difference right away’ “ (Smith). For college prospects this could make or break their career. That is why I say they are in the toughest spot. Professional athletes are in trouble all the time for their social media presence, but at the end of the day they just pay a fine or have limitations placed on their social media usage. You mentioned Kyle Arrington. The New England Patriots aren’t going to fire one of their better defensive backs because of some inappropriate back and forth on twitter. The team will just place restrictions on it like you said. I also see how this could be violating a persons first amendment rights, but I am sure Arrington signed something in his contract about abiding by a social media policy, because most professional athletes have to. This is the teams way of ensuring that their franchise and reputation will not be affected by it’s athletes who do not have a filter on social media. That is the biggest negative, but a positive is what you pointed out about Julian Edelman. Like you said he is an up and coming athlete for the Patriots, but he is also making his mark on social media. He is engaging with the fans and keeping them involved in his life on and off the field. In my opinion, his social media presence is one of the leading reasons he is quickly becoming a fan favorite of the Patriots. But like I said before the good always seems to outweigh the bad in social media amongst celebrities, athletes included. When David Ortiz presented President Obama with a jersey that led to a “selfie”, I doubt Ortiz expected it to be so controversial once posted on social media. This is an example of something that appears to be a positive social media posting, but because it was retweeted by Samsung as a promotion the White House had a problem with it. " ‘As a rule, the White House objects to attempts to use the president's likeness for commercial purposes,’ White House press secretary Jay Carney said during his daily news briefing on Thursday. ‘And we certainly object in this case’ " (Stableford). This case is an extreme because it also involves the president, but it shows the chain reaction that comes with social media. An athlete can tweet/post something controversial and the responses can spiral down from there. Social media is going to continue to affect high school athletes as far as their career goes. So the question I have is, is it worth it?
Work Cited:
Smith, Cameron. “It’s Not Just What Athletes Are Tweeting, But How Much They’re on Social Media that Scares Off Coaches,” Prep Rally (Yahoo Sports Blog) 16 April 2013. Web.
Stableford, Dylan. “Ortiz-Obama selfie may be 'end of all selfies' at White House, senior adviser says,” Yahoo News 06 April 2014. Web.
Tyler Speed
ReplyDeleteJake, I think you picked a very interesting topic for this week discussing the role that athletes and sports stars take on social media. Although you were very optimistic about where the future of athletes on social media is going, I personally think that unless things change athletes are in for a rude awakening with their fans. Why do I say that? Well, I say that because in my mind there are several things happening with modern day athletes that are basically aiding them in making poor decisions when it comes to social media.
The first major part of this issue comes before the athletes even make it to the big leagues, when they are in college, and yes-even high school. The problem is that while these younger athletes are in these typically younger aged programs they are literally being watched through microscopes by coaches and parents. Because of this these younger athletes do not learn right from wrong on their own, they are physically told what is okay to post through an outside means. This in and of itself causes huge issues for coaches because now they have to not only look at a players skillset in the particular sport but they have to look into their personal lives and what they are saying on social media as well. As stated in an article written by Cameron Smith,
“ ‘We see everything from Twitter conversations to friend requests on Facebook to pictures from last night's party on Instagram’ a Big East assistant football coach told Edgy Tim. ‘We see it all and we share that information back and forth in a moment's notice.’” (Smith 2013).
So as you can see college coaches in particular get invested in what is going on in their player’s lives on social media. But what does that mean for players once they leave the protection of the coaching staff and their parents? In my opinion, it leaves the athletes confused with way too much freedom to do what ever they want. Most of these young athletes will get their first pro contract around the age of 22, and as 22 year-olds they seriously have not learned what is right and wrong in terms of social media on their own.
The other major issue that comes out here is the fact that athletes literally have unrestricted access to fans on social media. The reason why I think this is a huge problem is because Internet and sports “trolls” have become a notorious part of demonstrating fandom. So with this in mind fans choose to heckle and criticize these young athletes to no end, and these athletes having the ability to respond makes for a dangerous outcome. In the 2014 Nielsen report on sports it indicates that, “More than 70 million people consumed sports on either their smartphones or computer in the third quarter of 2014”(Nielsen 2014). Now, I understand that this is not specifically mentioning the number of fans who utilize social media with sports, but if there is even a fraction of that number it will be very substantial. Therefore with so many people tweeting and demeaning these young athletes, and with no guidance for what to retort back, athletes are going to continue to have a hard time with saying the correct thing on social media with out offending anyone.
Work Cited
Smith, Cameron. “It’s Not Just What Athletes Are Tweeting, But How Much They’re on Social Media that Scares Off Coaches,” Prep Rally (Yahoo Sports Blog) 16 April 2013. Web.
"2014 Year in Sports Media Report." Nielsen.com. Accessed 29 March 2015. Web.
Caroline Gaudet
ReplyDeleteJake, I thought your blog was quite eye opening to the affect that social media has on the world of professional athletics. I am not one to follow sports very closely, so I was unaware as to the great extent that social media has saturated the culture of major league sports.
The question comes down to, “Can you blame them?” Athletes, though frequently spotlighted and held on the pedestal of fame, are normal people that just happen to be particularly athletic. Many have grown up, just like we have, in a world of social media and technology. Just as people our age may attend a party and tweet something that may not be the best and brightest idea, they often do the same. The difference? We may have 325 followers while they have about 325 million followers.
Situations like this have led many coaches to monitor the use of social media by their team members very closely. In an article published on Prep Rally, author Cameron Smith explains, writing, “First, athletes need to know that coaches see everything that they’re posting … and yes, they are keeping track. We see everything from Twitter conversations to friend requests on Facebook to pictures from last night's party on Instagram,’ a Big East assistant football coach told [us]. ‘We see it all and we share that information back and forth in a moment's notice’” (Smith). Coaches have become a media gatekeeper for athletes, and many media professionals are beginning to question whether or not this conflicts with players’ First Amendment rights.
With issues like this becoming not so rare, athletes are beginning to make their voices heard with their rights as players and people in mind. In 2014, the College Athletes Players Association (CAPA) won its case in the National Labor Relations Board that college athletes should be considered employees and not student-athletes, meaning they can now form a union (Fornelli). Through this ruling, in the coming years we may see much less under the carpet regulation from coaching staff and much more of the athletes speaking their mind and actively practicing their first amendment rights.
However it only seems logical that athletes would feel major pressure to be present and active on several different platforms of social media. Sure, they may be well known due to their athletic ability, but athlete or not, they are still public figures. People want to know what they’re doing, what they’re thinking, what they’re saying. What better way to give the people what they want than through social media.
However, unlike celebrities who have been trained to walk, talk, and live in the public eye constantly with their image in mind, athletes usually don’t have as much training. Well liked or not, media literate or not, athletes can still do their job, for their job is not to be well liked by the public, it is to be successful in their game. Will being disliked decrease their endorsement deals and talk show appearances? Of course. But will being disliked end their career? Definitely not. Therefore, it would make sense that a pleasant and well-maintained media presence is not on the list of top priorities for many athletes today.
Works Cited
Fornelli, Tom. "NLRB Rules In Favor of College Athletes Players Association," CBS Sports 26 March 2014. Web.
Smith, Cameron. "It’s Not Just What Athletes Are Tweeting, But How Much They’re on Social Media that Scares Off Coaches," Prep Rally (Yahoo Sports Blog) 16 Aoril 2013. Web.
I think people generally tend to underestimate the power of social media and post things online without much second thought. The same is not true of professional athletes and other celebrities; for the average person, our social media profiles are the place to interact with our immediate circle of friends and family, or a space to post content related to personal interests. In other words, it’s very private and for the most parts reflects our individual personalities. Public figures are probably more limited in what they are allowed (or feel like they’re allowed) to post because social media serves a completely different function for them. Unlike my Twitter account, which is almost entirely just conversations with myself about things I find hilarious, celebrities and athletes are using social media to reach potential fans worldwide, and so they have to be on their best behavior so to speak. Unlike the average social media user, public figures do have to worry about protecting their image and improving their marketability if they want to continue finding success.
ReplyDeleteJake poses an interesting question; he says, “Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if professional organizations start to limit athlete’s social media use.” Personally, I don’t think this would be as much an infringement on the First Amendment rights of athletes than a way to avoid controversy. I don’t think censoring what someone says is always wrong, because by the time an athlete plays at the professional level, he is not just representing himself but an entire team, and whatever individual athletes choose to say online or elsewhere reflects the entire organization. No pressure. But that, I think, just comes with the territory of being in the public eye.
What I find more interesting is the efforts to keep prospective athletes off of social media. According to an article on Yahoo Sports, “Some coaches are now speaking up about high school athletes tweeting and the hidden dangers of the practice, namely that perpetual social media involvement is a sign that athletes aren’t spending any time studying or doing other worthwhile things with their time” (Smith). But ought coaches be concerned with what prospective athletes do online? These are high school students we’re talking about, so is it really fair to let their futures depend on what they put online or how often they check Facebook? I think that in this way, amateur sports is starting to look even more like professional sports (Fornelli). Coaches are holding young players up to the same standard of professionalism as they are with some of the most famous athletes. It’s similar to colleges and employees checking social media to look at their prospective students and employees; sure, I see the value in doing that, but at the same time, an individual’s ability to perform shouldn’t be measured by what he or she writes on the Internet. And if it’s not the ability to perform that counts, what does?
Work Cited
Smith, Cameron. "It's Not Just What Athletes Are Tweeting, but How Much They're on Social Media That Scares off Coaches." Yahoo Sports. N.p., 16 Apr. 2013. Web. 07 Apr. 2015.
Fornelli, Tom. "NLRB Rules in Favor of College Athletes Players Association." CBSSports.com. N.p., 26 Mar. 2014. Web. 07 Apr. 2015.
Antonia Jones
ReplyDeleteThis whole semester we have continued to learn that social media is a large part of everyone’s lives. And as we begin to wind down this semester, I am now fiercely aware to what degree. I believe that people truly underestimate the godlike power that social media has over our society. Nowadays, everyone is vulnerable to the positive and negative effects that social media can have. Athletes are no exception.
But the relationship between social media and athletes is particularly interesting because, I believe, there are different levels in which social media can affect them. And that is simply because there are different types of athletes. For example, there are differences between high school, college, and professional athletes. With that being said, social media can undoubtedly affect all these athletes in varying ways and has managed to push it’s effects into the very crevices of what is the sports industry today.
Before I get into athletes specifically, I think it’s important to consider a few key statistics on who and what people are doing on the Internet. According to the Pew Research Center, “89% of internet users ranging from ages 18 to 29 use social media” (Social Media Update 2014). Also note that we haven’t researched Internet users younger than 18. But I think it’s safe to assume that these young people have easy access to the Internet and social media considering that, according to the Pew Research Center, “70% of American adults ages 18 and older have a high-speed broadband connection at home” (Home Broadband 2013).
These statistics are important because they can truly put into perspective who and what people are doing on the Internet. And while celebrities and athletes live different lives than us average joes, we can all agree that each of us has equal opportunity to access these powerful tools.
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ReplyDelete(Jones Cont.)
ReplyDeleteWhile I was reading an article in the Washington Times, I noticed something particularly interesting that a high school, now college, basketball player said. Anthony Morgan explains, “Not everyone was on Twitter back then, and if your parents aren’t monitoring it - and most parents didn’t even know what Twitter was at that time - it’s like the world is yours” (Seip). This is important because a couple years ago the Internet, much less social media, was not as prevalent in society as it is at this very moment.
Some athletes start their careers at a very very young age. And their sports careers can truly make or break in high school and in college. According to the NCAA, “Of the nearly eight million students currently participating in high school athletics in the United States, only 460,000 of them will compete at NCAA schools” (Probability of Competing In Sports Beyond High School). This means 17.3% of American high schoolers actually become serious college athletes. And that fraction only continues to go down when we start talking about the pros.
So why risk any of this? I say the responsibility lies on two people. The adults in the athletes’ lives as well as the athletes themselves. Because of the widespread phenomenon of social media, I think it would be in everyone’s best interest to start teaching young adults how to properly use social media via the high school classroom. I also think that because there is such a large commitment to being an athlete, there has to be a line where athletes take responsibility for their future. Is an inappropriate Tweet worth risking not getting into your college of choice? I’d say no.
Lastly, I wouldn’t be surprised if we start to see social media clauses in high school, college, and pro athlete contracts. I like to think that it’s in the athlete's best interest. In fact, I think everyone could use some parameters on what should and should not be posted on social media.
And, as I said earlier, some athletes start at a very young age and in that sense, I don’t blame a kid for potentially messing up via social media. But I do think that as soon as a child turns into a “young adult” and goes to college or the pros, their actions are their responsibility. They represent something bigger than themselves, whether it’s a college or a multi-billion dollar industry. I don’t think social media should be this big a problem. Some would argue that pro athletes are often seen as public figures; therefore, as soon as they accept that role, certain “rights” -- the freedom to say anything they want on social media -- more or less are, or should be, taken away.
Work Cited
Smith, Cameron. “It’s Not Just What Athletes Are Tweeting, But How Much They’re on Social Media that Scares Off Coaches,” Prep Rally (Yahoo Sports Blog) 16 April 2013. Web.
"Social Media Update 2014." Pew Research Center. 09 Jan. 2015. Web.
"Home Broadband 2013." Pew Research Center. 26 Aug. 2013. Web.
Seip, Jim. "Social Media an Issue for Athletes, Coaches." The Washington Times, 4 Apr. 2015. Web.
“Probability of Competing In Sports Beyond High School.” NCAA. 07 Apr. 2015. Web.