How Social Media Has Changed the Sports World
Today, I want to examine the question of whether social media had more of a positive or negative effect on the world of sports. I think the two most crucial aspects of this debate are from the perspective of the fans and the perspective of the athletes.
As for fans, social media has completely changed the game. You can interact with fans all across the world, whether to find people who like the same teams or debate with rivals. For me personally, apps like Instagram and TikTok have exposed me to other sports, like Rugby and Formula 1, that I would have never thought of watching. Aside from exposure to other sports and connections with other fans, people can see any replay at the click of a button, check stats, and place bets while watching the game mainly due to the rise of social media. Not only this, but many fans have also created a career from social media and have used it as an entry way into larger organizations, such as ESPN. From a fan perspective, social media has created a sports utopia.
For athletes, it has boosted their business and financial opportunities more than they could imagine. With social media, nearly all of the athletes in major sports have some sort of brand deal which they tend to promote on their social media pages. This allows some to generate more money than they even make playing their own sport, and also once they have retired. These athletes can also increase their exposure and reach to fans exponentially depending on how active they are on social media.
However, this brings in problems. This increased fan engagement means that every move a player makes on and off the field is being watch. There is no longer a sense of privacy for athletes and that can have negative results. Many players in the NBA have talked about developing depression, partially from the negativity they see in media. Russell Westbrook, who currently plays for the Clippers, even said that he stopped letting his kids come to games while playing for the Lakers due to fans chanting a mockery of his last name “Westbrick”, which was a name developed on social media. Many fans have even restored to hatred in the form of racism and homophobia if a player has a bad game. Fans will push false narratives, make up lies, and much more, sometimes for no reason at all. This is largely due to the sense of security they feel when on social media.
I think that it is difficult to make an overarching claim of if social media is good or bad for sports. Like I said before, for a fan it is pure utopia due to all the access you have to other fans, athletes, sports and more. From a players point of view I would say the bad outweighs the good. Yes, you get more exposure and brand deals because of it. On the other side, though, you have virtually no personal life and are constantly ridiculed due to small mistakes you make.
Social media will constantly be tied together with sports for as long as sports are a thing, but I believe that fans need to do a better job at using it so that we can keep a healthy engagement with athletes. Its a privilege not a right.
