stillers4me
05-06-2011, 08:02 PM
The fallout over Rashard Mendenhall (http://www.nfl.com/players/rashardmendenhall/profile?id=MEN393702)'s controversial Twitter post (http://www.nfl.com/goto?id=09000d5d81fabcfd) after the death of Osama bin Laden intensifies the spotlight on the subject of how pro athletes use social media.
It's easy to say that athletes fall into the same category as entertainers, treating this extremely powerful and influential means of communication as a way of helping to elevate their profile and fortify their brand.
But team sports, such as football, make that approach a little trickier because whatever an athlete (or any member of the organization) says publicly reflects on the team. Sometimes, wielding all of that power and influence without a filter can impact a player far differently than he intended. And the next thing he knows, he has tweeted his way right out the door.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not only a fan and user of Twitter, but that I also embrace the idea of players using it to the hilt. Through the years, pro athletes' accessibility to media and fans has become more limited and carefully managed. Social media has, to a great degree, reopened those doors by creating more opportunities for interaction in a less-guarded environment. It empowers players to control their message and say what they want to say without worrying about how it might be translated when given to reporters to give to fans.................
Read more @ http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81fac9ba/article/players-learning-that-social-media-needs-to-be-used-responsibly?module=HP_headlines
It's easy to say that athletes fall into the same category as entertainers, treating this extremely powerful and influential means of communication as a way of helping to elevate their profile and fortify their brand.
But team sports, such as football, make that approach a little trickier because whatever an athlete (or any member of the organization) says publicly reflects on the team. Sometimes, wielding all of that power and influence without a filter can impact a player far differently than he intended. And the next thing he knows, he has tweeted his way right out the door.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not only a fan and user of Twitter, but that I also embrace the idea of players using it to the hilt. Through the years, pro athletes' accessibility to media and fans has become more limited and carefully managed. Social media has, to a great degree, reopened those doors by creating more opportunities for interaction in a less-guarded environment. It empowers players to control their message and say what they want to say without worrying about how it might be translated when given to reporters to give to fans.................
Read more @ http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81fac9ba/article/players-learning-that-social-media-needs-to-be-used-responsibly?module=HP_headlines