Athletes and their use of social media to raise awareness
Every day, people flip on their television sets, turn the nob on the radio or open up a browser on their computer or tablet to watch or listen to their favorite athletes play sports. Nowadays, it’s not uncommon to find those same athletes on social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.). This allows the fans to keep up on what those athletes are doing. It’s an easy way for fans to keep up with what’s going on in that athlete’s life.
Social media allows people to reach others quickly and effectively.
Some athletes like to post things poking fun at one another. After game one of the second-round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs, Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith posted a photo of teammate LeBron James with the caption “ Get yo old ass up we ain’t done yet!!!!! We got this big ass mountain to climb!!! It ain’t going to be easy or pretty but let’s get it done!!!! #whateverittakes.” The post garnered over 317,000 likes.
Some post things that end up having serious consequences. Back in January 2012, Yuri Wright, a former four-star recruit was expelled for posting sexually graphic and racial tweets to his personal Twitter account. Wright would end up going on to play for the University of Colorado Blouder Buffaloes football team.
And while there are people that post things without knowing, or caring, of the repercussions, some use it for good by calling attention to issues in their community or in society.
Twitter has become a popular platform for athletes to raise awareness of causes or foundations important to them. Athletes like former All-Star shortstop Derek Jeter, soccer icons Mia Hamm and Hope Solo, and pro-bowl quarterback Russell Wilson have all used Twitter and other social media outlets to help bring recognition to their causes.
On August 27, 2017, J.J. Watt, of the Houston Texans football team, tweeted out a video with a link asking people to donate money to help relief efforts for the disastrous Hurricane Harvey. Initially, the defensive end was asking for $200,000. But according to Watt, that mark was surpassed within two hours. The original tweet has been retweeted over 16,000 times and ‘liked’ over 36,000 times. Overall, the YouCaring fundraising effort made $37,068,102 from 209,312 donors. Watt continuously thanked his followers/donors by posting videos ‘upping’ the goal every time they reached a substantial mark.
While Watt used social media to help raise awareness and money for damages caused by a hurricane, others used their platform to get people talking about social injustices.
During the national anthem of a Sept. 1, 2016 preseason game for the San Francisco 49ers and San Diego Chargers game, quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt in protest of the treatment of African Americans and other minorities by police around the country. Teammate Eric Reid and former Seattle Seahawk and Green Beret Nate Boyer joined Kaepernick in kneeling (Boyer stood). The moment was met with ‘boos’ from around Qualcomm Stadium, and social media quickly became topic on social media.
It was quickly met with both criticism and praise; from both fans as well as other athletes.
Even the former president of the United States Barack Obama weighed in.
Kaepernick used his platform as an NFL quarterback to reach a massive audience to bring attention police brutality and social injustice among minorities in the United States.
The QB has since pledged to donate 1 million dollars to “charities that aid communities in need.”
The kneeling conversation still goes on today, and both Kaepernick and Reid (as of May 1, 2018) remain off any NFL rosters. Reid believes that it is because of the fact that he kneels is what is keeping him off an NFL roster right now.
It’s not just professional athletes that use social media as a way to get the word out.
Lizzy Farrell, a marketing assistant in the athletic department of the University of Minnesota Duluth knows all too well the importance of using social media to promote causes.
“[It’s] super important, especially with our generation because most of us look at social media every day.”
Farrell is responsible for helping to put together and promote events such as Kicks for Causes, Dig for a Cure, ALS Miracle Minute, Nothin but Net, and Udac’s Walk-a-Mile, for UMD. She uses Twitter and Facebook to help get the word out.
“For Walk-a-Mile, that one is really important because we end up kind of running that one. We partner with Udac. … So we do a lot for them by helping promote it; We have a digital billboard, and we tweet about it.”
The University of Minnesota Duluth’s Twitter account boasts more than 14,200 followers. They use their account to help promote events.
Social media is a quick and easy way for people to get the word out about things. One tweet could be retweeted and seen by many in a matter of minutes.
Worldwide sports icons such as LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo have millions of followers on Instagram and Twitter. James uses his social media to promote the LeBron James Family Foundation. The foundation has a twitter account of its own, which has just under 30,000 followers
Of the top-100 most followed accounts on Twitter, eight are athletes, and nearly a dozen are either professional team accounts or sporting channels (ESPN, Sports Center, etc.) Sports has become one of the biggest topics on Twitter and other platforms.
Social media has the power to help spread the word, good or bad, to many in an instant. And athletes have been some at the forefront of using that power to help promote causes and help make for a better tomorrow.
