LJ Fizzles while Hasselbeck Pops.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 8:38AM I feel someone should teach athletes exactly how social media programs like Twitter work. I don’t mean to lump all athletes into the same category, but it’s increasingly obvious that the majority just don’t get it! In the latest example of incompetence of social media, Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson fizzled after the team terminated his contract. The latest incident in a long string of behavioral issues occurred after Johnson posted a derogatory comment on his Twitter as well as unnecessary criticism of his head coach and reporters earlier this season.
From ESPN:
His [Johnson] last brush with controversy came two weeks ago when he posted on his Twitter account a gay slur, insulted followers and questioned the competence of head coach Todd Haley.
I’m having a hard time trying to grasp what these people don’t understand about sites like Twitter, Facebook or to a greater extent the internet as a whole. Could somebody grab a hold of these guys and let them know that people are reading everything they write? It’s unbelievable.
Not all athletes are guilty, though. For an example of a really great athlete account look no further than Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. The leader of the Seahawks continually keeps fans involved by posting pictures, holding contests for tickets and merchandise and replying to his followers. Early in the season Hasselbeck was hospitalized with cracked ribs during a game in San Francisco. On his twitter account he posted a picture from the hospital with the message, “Going to be alright. Thx to staff at Stanford and Dr. McAdam for snapping this photo.”
Take note athletes! That’s how you use Twitter!
Reader Comments (2)
Maybe it's just for the best if athletes are banned from Twitter, for their own safety and to protect the identity and reputation of the organization they're a member of. Draconian, sure...
Yeah well... athletes and the majority of teenagers and the nameless, brainless masses who actually think hitting delete will erase bad decisions forever. Also, that is an unfortunately picture. Just sayin'