Today, the New York Times ran a story about Twitter and the NFL: “The N.F.L. Has Identified the Enemy and It Is Twitter.” Seems that some teams in the NFL have gone so far as to fine their players if they tweet from camp or coaching sessions.
Why all of this worry? More than any other organization, the NFL is well-known for its team-based secrecy; from injuries to game strategies, information is withheld to give every advantage to teams and their players. It’s also no mystery that professional athlethes aren’t always the most media-savvy bunch. And we all know the media actively monitors Twitter; so the risk involved in the casual tweet turning into a leak is far too much. Bottom line, they can’t trust that players can handle it with responsibility.
What bothers me is the idea that if they stop players from using Twitter, that will solve the problem. The truth is that our life is going to be Twitterized by way more than Twitter. This is likely only the beginning. Perhaps an investment in media training would be wiser?
The funniest quote from the NYT article … “Twitter has become a source of fascination for the sports world…” I love that they call it a “fascination.” Seriously? Why can’t they just “like” it, or “enjoy” that they can share with their fans, or “bring awarness” to the causes they support? Fascinated? Silly.
I think it’s great that people like Lance Armonstrong and Shaq are on Twitter, or film and music celebrties for that matter. For those that I follow (which are admittedly few), it allows me to peer into their personalities and see them as more than a bike rider, or a basketball player, or a singer. In Lance’s case, I see his passion shine through in his mission to fight cancer; his gritiness about the strife between he and Contador in the Tour this year; and his soft side when he speaks of his family and his friends. Following Pink has allowed me to see just how funny – and at times, serious – she can be. That they are willing to share this with their fans makes them real, which in turn makes the connections with their fans stronger.
For arguments sake, let’s say that everyone who enjoys Twitter shares my sentiments, what does this do for their careers? Seems possible to me that it might sell more tickets, or more CDs, and that it just might make atheletic sponsors really really happy. Maybe if the NFL could see it this way, it would change their minds?
For the record, not all teams issued policies regarding Twitter, including the Giants and the Jets. That’s good news for followers of Jay Feely. The NYT points out that he “often sticks to a safer topic than football: politics.”
(Oh, and thanks to @lancearmstrong for pointing out this article )
NFL Deems Twitter a Threat …
Today, the New York Times ran a story about Twitter and the NFL: “The N.F.L. Has Identified the Enemy and It Is Twitter.” Seems that some teams in the NFL have gone so far as to fine their players if they tweet from camp or coaching sessions.
Why all of this worry? More than any other organization, the NFL is well-known for its team-based secrecy; from injuries to game strategies, information is withheld to give every advantage to teams and their players. It’s also no mystery that professional athlethes aren’t always the most media-savvy bunch. And we all know the media actively monitors Twitter; so the risk involved in the casual tweet turning into a leak is far too much. Bottom line, they can’t trust that players can handle it with responsibility.
What bothers me is the idea that if they stop players from using Twitter, that will solve the problem. The truth is that our life is going to be Twitterized by way more than Twitter. This is likely only the beginning. Perhaps an investment in media training would be wiser?
The funniest quote from the NYT article … “Twitter has become a source of fascination for the sports world…” I love that they call it a “fascination.” Seriously? Why can’t they just “like” it, or “enjoy” that they can share with their fans, or “bring awarness” to the causes they support? Fascinated? Silly.
I think it’s great that people like Lance Armonstrong and Shaq are on Twitter, or film and music celebrties for that matter. For those that I follow (which are admittedly few), it allows me to peer into their personalities and see them as more than a bike rider, or a basketball player, or a singer. In Lance’s case, I see his passion shine through in his mission to fight cancer; his gritiness about the strife between he and Contador in the Tour this year; and his soft side when he speaks of his family and his friends. Following Pink has allowed me to see just how funny – and at times, serious – she can be. That they are willing to share this with their fans makes them real, which in turn makes the connections with their fans stronger.
For arguments sake, let’s say that everyone who enjoys Twitter shares my sentiments, what does this do for their careers? Seems possible to me that it might sell more tickets, or more CDs, and that it just might make atheletic sponsors really really happy. Maybe if the NFL could see it this way, it would change their minds?
For the record, not all teams issued policies regarding Twitter, including the Giants and the Jets. That’s good news for followers of Jay Feely. The NYT points out that he “often sticks to a safer topic than football: politics.”
(Oh, and thanks to @lancearmstrong for pointing out this article
)