Almost
everyone is on social media these days.
Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, social media has become a
big part of people’s lives, even NCAA student athletes. Although social media can be used in a number
of good ways, it can also have negative impacts on college athletes, their
teams, and coaches. The bottom line is
that athletes need to be careful about what they put on social media sites. As far as Facebook, there are a number of
programs that prohibit their athletes from having a Facebook. Those athletes that do should consider
reviewing their privacy settings and being careful of who views their page,
pictures, and posts. The same goes for
Twitter. It is wise to set your Twitter
to private so only those you approve can see your tweets. As an athlete, you never know who could
follow you or see your tweet, and turn around and send it somewhere else. The content of what you tweet is also very
important.
In recent
months, the NCAA has used social media to find universities that were violating
NCAA rules. The University of North Carolina and University of Alabama are two
schools that recently were under investigation by the NCAA that resulted in
sanctions. UNC’s sanctions came about
after pictures were found on Twitter, and UA’s sanctions were due to illegally
using Facebook for recruiting. An
article by Charles Bowles of “The University News” describes how the new age of
social media can impact the sports world.
An athlete
may think that because their social media site is blocked and only their
friends can see it means that they are safe.
With the Internet, no one is safe.
Social media spreads like wild fire.
One must think before posting something because you never know who is
going to see it or share it. Some
institutions even have set people who monitor social media sites just to make
sure their athletes are no posting any questionable content. As a result of UNC’s sanctions, they informed
their athletes that by violating social media policies, they could face a
number of penalties.
Social
media can seem to have a negative impact on some areas of the sports world. However, when used properly, social media can
be helpful in recruiting, marketing, and promoting college athletics. The only problem now is how do we find a
happy medium for the athletes, coaches, universities, fans, and the NCAA.
I absolutely agree that the use of social media for athletes can have immense positive outcomes, but there is also a side that can have negative results if not used correctly. A player using social media for the greater good can help build relationships with fans, stockholders and do wonders for an organizations/team’s reputations and image. I think one of the best things social media can do is help humanize athletes, giving them ways to connect with their fans on a personal level. Like you mentioned, there are some organizations that have social media bans for their players to help protect themselves from crises that may damage their image and reputation. However, I’m not so sure this is the right move. While weighing the possible benefits and withdrawals of athlete social media use, I think there’s a certain need for transparency. I agree with what you said about how athletes need to be careful about what they put on social media, that’s a given. However, I’m not so sure that organizations banning their players from using it is the right move. It sends the message that they cannot trust their players with this personal and social outlet. Athletes abusing their right to social media is the exception, not the norm, so any one incidence of misusing it probably won’t have a long-lasting effect on the program. Therefore, I say, let the players express their right to tweet, Facebook and Instagram until they prove they cannot be trusted with it.
ReplyDeleteNCAA athletes might not get paid, but they are role models in the sports community. Role models to young fans, and they represent once facet of a University that most students, alumni, and donors rep a lot of pride for. It is an honor and a privilege to be an NCAA athlete no matter how hard you worked to get there. So I absolutely agree, athletes should remember that they are local public figures and that they have a responsibility to not use social media inappropriately. I don't think that they should just make their accounts private so that the NCAA can't catch them. It is their own free-will to privatize or not, but regardless they should be acting accordingly. As a student attending a Big 10 school, I admire the athletes here for their hard work and dedication, and I am proud to cheer them on. But I would not be proud to cheer on an athlete who is disrespectful or inappropriate in anyway on social media. When they sign that letter of intent, they sign on to being a role model, and they should take pride in that privilege. Great post! I definitely think this is a topic that should be in the public discourse.
ReplyDeleteI think that social media can have an immense impact on a a person's life whether it's with work, friends, or athletes. As a college athlete you should always strive to put out a positive persona. You are a role model for many young fans and a face of the community. The problem is is that that is a lot of pressure to put on someone of such a young age. I agree that privacy settings can be an athletes best friend when it comes to their social media. This past weekend Penn State girl's soccer was playing Boston College. A sophomore at Boston College began to tweet very degrading and rude comments about the Sandusky scandal. Issue is that her profile was public and word spread like wild fire. There is nothing worse than having thousands of hurt and angry Penn State students after you. The girl took down her Twitter but not in time for many students to get a hold of Boston College's athletic department. The girl was suspended from the game for her social media posts. It just goes to show that your social media presence can have an impact on you. I don't blame the NCAA for using social media to find rule violators. If you post it for everyone to see you should take the consequences.
ReplyDeleteLauren,
ReplyDeleteI thought this post was most appropriate to comment on especially this week after hearing the disturbing news coming from a Boston College women’s soccer player. She was suspended after word got out that she was firing off tweets about the Jerry Sandusky scandal ahead of an NCAA tournament game against Penn State. Ever since the tweets were discovered, she had deleted her twitter handle following extremely disturbing posts such as: "I wonder if well get into the visitors locker room at Penn state…" and "Raping at penn state to getting raped in state penn…#beatPennState #santouchsky #legggooeags." Like you stated in your blog, like as an athlete, you never know who could follow you or see what you tweet. No one is safe on the Internet. This example showcases what it’s like to have poor sportsmanship as well as poor lack of judgment. This athlete has to deal with the embarrassment and shame of someone who abused twitter to say hurtful comments toward a community she doesn’t even know.
-Tracey
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteThe use of social media by NCAA athletes has become a serious problem as of late. From the Ohio State player tweeting about how he didn't go to Ohio State to 'play school' (or something along those lines) to the Boston College soccer player that Tracy mentioned above, the reckless use of social media by NCAA athletes reflects poorly on not just the individual, but the university as well.
I'm taking Comm 412 (Sports, Media, and Society) and a few months ago, Jay Paterno came in to speak to us. One of the questions someone asked was about this exact subject. Social media within the NCAA is still a new thing, so many universities struggle with what decision to make. They want to make sure, for the student's and the university's sake, that they both are represented in the best possible light. I believe that student athletes have a right to free speech, of course, but along with the contract they sign to play for the school, the student should understand that they know are a representation of the school. Perhaps giving incoming freshman media training as part of orientation might alleviate some problems.
I agree that social media can play both positive and negative impacts on NCAA athletes. In general, I believe that everyone should be aware of what they are posting on social media websites especially when representing a company or band. Like companies monitor the online presence of their employees, I believe that the NCAA has a right to oversee their athletes’ social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. These athletes have the honor and privilege of being part of the NCAA and should maintain high standards of respect and integrity on social media. I thought this was interesting after the incident with the Boston College student who tweeted inappropriate tweets about Penn State and consequently was suspended from the team. I believe that she did not positively represent her team and should have penalized for her actions.
ReplyDelete- Kim Schmohl
Lauren, I too have a similar post about what athletes post on their social media sites. Mine, however, is more focused on professional athletes than NCAA athletes. I know a lot of NFL teams have social media guidelines for their athletes, so I could imagine collegiate athletes having an even stricter set of guidelines in some universities. One interesting opinion I have about this is simply that they are our age. These athletes are around the same age as we all are (18-23 years old), so they have the same social needs as we do. They grew up with this social media, all the way from AIM and MySpace, to Facebook and Twitter now. Asking them to suddenly stop using seems like it would be hard for them compared to a professional athlete. Those athletes are mostly late 20s into their 30s, so they did not grow up with it quite the way that people our age did. Nonetheless, good article, and I enjoyed reading your take on it!
ReplyDelete-Anthony Plocinik
Laruen, first of all great blog topic! Really interesting! Recently, a Hofstra wrestler coming to Penn State for a meet tweeted rape jokes. He made several awful comments and guess what... he actually lost some of his matches here! What really go to me was that he is majoring in Public Relations and it seems like someone needs a career change. He is not the first athlete to make comments about coming to Penn State and I am sure he will not be the last, however, it really only makes them look like the idiot at the end of the day.
ReplyDeleteYou can read the story here:
http://onwardstate.com/2012/12/02/hofstra-wrestler-russell-benner-makes-penn-state-rape-jokes-on-twitter/
Lauren-
ReplyDeleteWith the growing influence and reach of social media, it is vital to censor yourself. We are in a time where you can't just say whatever you want and expect it to be ignored or only picked up by your friends. Onward State has even made it a point to expose student athletes who make rape jokes when on the Penn State campus. One of their writers, Kevin Horne, tweeted, " Time to ruin another jerk athlete's life for making Penn State rape jokes on Twitter. Stay tuned." As Deaven said, the Hofstra wrestler who made rape jokes on Twitter was actually suspended from the team. There are very serious consequences for stepping over the line on social media. We are in an age where there no longer is anonymity.
Whether an NCAA student athlete or a regular student it is important to watch what you put on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I have several friends who are NCAA athletes at Penn State and have strict guidelines on what they are or are not allowed to have posted on their social media sites. While some may find this to be too restrictive, I feel that all college students should be following these rules. Student athlete or not, we'll all be looking for jobs following college graduation and it is important to present ourselves as professional online. Social media is becoming increasingly more important in our everyday lives and as the word "social" states, everything we put online is public.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting case was one for BC soccer player Stephanie McCafferty who made Jerry Sandusky and Penn State rape jokes on Twitter. In her case, she was suspended from playing in the Penn State vs. BC playoff game. The Onward State article can be found here: http://onwardstate.com/2012/11/15/boston-college-womens-soccer-player-stephanie-mccaffrey-makes-rape-jokes-on-twitter/
This post is one that I can relate to well. Every single person who is using social media needs to be aware of the consequences and the far-reaching effects of using these forms of social media. As Jeannette mentions in the comments above, the Boston College Women's Soccer Player, Stephanie McCaffrey, was suspended because of her actions.
ReplyDeleteI had read her tweets, took screenshots, and emailed them to the President of Boston College, the Athletic Director, and all of the women's soccer coaches. Her jokes about rape were completely inappropriate and did not represent the values of BC, the school she is representing.
Her Tweets were completely inappropriate for anyone to make, let alone an NCAA athlete. While NCAA athletes may face more scrutiny than most, everyone should realize that their comments filled with hatred will not go unnoticed on social media.
Social Media, unfortunately, has become the new way to dig up dirt, uncover scams and generate controversy spinning news. I find it very sad because Social media networks are a fun and great tool to meet and reconnect within social circles. However, privacy settings cannot be emphasized enough and as you said sometimes taking those measures will not even block all your content. I noticed recently too that Facebook has even made it harder to change and update privacy setting, which is strange to me since it is a feature they should emphasize especially now that it is a publically traded entity. Perhaps this was done on purpose? Perhaps by convoluting the steps to make user’s information private they are gaining more information and analytics to sell to advertisers? Although the reason unknown I think Facebook is going downhill for now, until the next big social Media Platform crops up!
ReplyDeleteI agree that as great as social media has been in many aspects, it has been a burden on many student athletes. The first thing I thought about was the recent Boston College Girl's Soccer Player who was suspended for tweets she sent out. A few days before coming to Penn State, the BC player tweeted jokes about the locker room at Penn State and the Sandusky scandal. She received a huge backlash on Twitter and was eventually suspended for the game by her athletic director. Sometimes student athletes can be in a bubble and not think that anything they say can hurt them. Some college coaches, like Urban Meyer, have banned tweeting from their athletes. I believe this is a good idea and can avoid a lot of problems.
ReplyDeleteTwo things that I love are sports and social media, but when they are not together. Your post is really accurate when it comes to athletes on social media web sites. Anything you say online is free to the public, no matter if it is private or not, someone will find it. A perfect example is when the Boston College soccer player tweeted offensive jokes about Penn State and the Sandusky scandal. The athlete’s tweets were seen by a lot of Penn State students who tweeted on their own how this athlete should not play in the soccer game. With all the attention on the Boston College athlete for their insensitive tweets, Boston College suspended the player from the game and from the team as well. I think that shows how quick a tweet can backfire and put a team at risk with the NCAA. It’s great for athletes to use social media to interact with their fans and other students but they need to be careful!
ReplyDeleteI think that the blog that Lauren posted was a basic common sense blog. She stated that as an NCAA athlete you have to be careful on what you tweet and post. Yes, I agree with all this stuff. I’m an athlete and we get counseled on what we can and can’t post. Coach O’Brien every week talks to the team on what is appropriate and not appropriate to post.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! However, I disagree that you should set your twitter feed so that only those you approve can view it. The point of Twitter is public information sharing- setting yourself to private completely defeats that purpose. I agree much more heartily to your point that the athletes should think before they post (as should anyone else hoping to be on Twitter). Of course, what needs to be kept in mind for an athlete is that they are the face of the team, school or organization they represent and as a "public figure" unfortunately they are often held to a much higher standard than is oftentimes fair.
ReplyDeleteEllisse
COMM 497A