From Smarter Social Media
http://smartersocialmedia.com/the-nfl-and-nba-vs-twitter/
By: Andy Hayes
The $2500 tweet? Well it’s no longer a figment of your imagination thanks to Antonio Cromartie, starting cornerback for the San Diego Chargers. Cromartie recently tweeted that the “nasty food” in the Chargers training camp is to blame for the Chargers perennially underachieving in the NFL playoffs, resulting in a $2500 fine levied by the team.
This fine continues the trend of NFL teams and coaches cracking down on players tweeting during team functions such as practices and games. Despite a policy that forbids players from using mobile electronic devices during games, players such as Shawne Merriman and Chad Ochocinco continue to tweet. In order to completely stop the use of Twitter during games, the NFL is currently working on a policy to ban any type of social media during games.
This is in stark contrast to the NBA’s free for all Twitter scene. Players such as Shaquille O’Neal and Charlie Villanueva are famous for tweeting every chance they get, even during halftime. For example, Villanueva posted this during halftime of a recent Milwaukee Bucks game. “In da locker room, snuck to post my twitt We’re playing the Celtics, tie ball game at da half. Coach wants more toughness. I gotta step up.” First of all…um what? Second; if you’re going to let Twitter distract you from battling Kevin Garnett you probably don’t deserve the win.
So what’s the big deal?! Twitter is another avenue for big-mouthed athletes and owners like Ochocinco or Mark Cuban to parade their boisterous personalities to thousands of people. Personally I couldn’t agree more with the NFL for creating a policy specifically banning the use of Twitter during games. The NBA should follow suite. Players and owners should be focused on the game, not self-promotion.
On the other hand, I’m all for athletes using Twitter during their free time. Their names are essentially a business and they should be allowed to market themselves just as any company does. What’s important is that athletes don’t abuse the site during games. Besides the fact that Twitter distracts them from their jobs, both the NFL and NBA are concerned that players will divulge information such as injury statuses and game plans through the public forum. Because of this, there definitely needs to be policies instituted in both leagues to regulate the use of Twitter. After all, shouldn’t Mark Cuban be focused on building a consistently winning team rather than complaining about referees?
Note: Twitter has been banned in training camps for both players and reporters by the Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins.
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