Wins and Losses: Athletes and Their Relationship With Social Media
Athletes have long been amongst society’s most prominent figures. With the rise of social media, the focus on them and their actions has intensified.
Sports culture has always been a big part of society, and with it, athletes have captivated fans. For decades, regular people only knew what an athlete was doing based on what they read in the newspaper, saw on TV, or if they were actually at the game. Yet as our world moved into the age of social media, people began to see more of the players’ personalities and lives on and off the playing field. Now, with a few taps of a screen, people have been granted instantaneous access to aspects of these athletes that would never be seen in the past. Not only can this affect the way we view these athletes, but it can affect the way these athletes go about their daily lives as well.
Before we examine the different ways in which athletes and social media are intertwined, it’s important to understand the sheer popularity that some athletes have on social media. While people have long looked at musicians, actors, and political figures as some of the world’s most influential people on social media, athletes have appeared right up there with them. In fact, one or more athletes are within the top 10 most followed accounts for each of the most popular social apps Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. That means they have accumulated millions of followers from around the world in the relatively short time that these apps have existed.
With so many people tuned in to what these athletes post, the influence that they hold is extraordinary. However, there are pros and cons that come with having that power.
Since the broadcasting of sporting events began in the late 1930s, people have been able to see athletes in action even when they aren’t actually there. Early on, however, the only time people could see these athletes was when they were on the playing field. Now, with the rise of social media, people are able to easily see these athletes in different settings, from the locker rooms to their homes. Often times, athletes have opened their lives up to their fans through their participation on social media. For example, former NBA star Chris Bosh once posted a video of him and his Team USA teammates eating at a gas station, which garnered 3.5 million views:
Simple moments like these on social media are enjoyed by fans because they can see the more normal side of these superstar athletes, and see that they’re real people just like them. However, social media coverage of athletes when they’re not playing is often captured by a third party. While seeing the good sides of these athletes is cool, social media has allowed the bad sides to show just as much, if not more. In 2018, a video of NFL player Adam “Pacman” Jones fighting in an airport went viral.
So while social media makes it easier to see good moments from popular athletes outside of the workplace, the bad moments come out as well. However, social media not only allows their actions to be seen, but it allows for their emotions to be understood as well.
Post-game interviews have long served as the best way to understand what athletes are feeling or thinking. As social media became a bigger part of life and athletes joined the platforms, their accounts began serving as a vessel for them to express their emotions. While what they are willing to share certainly depends on the athlete’s personality, many athletes have used Twitter to express their highs and their lows.
This was what NBA star LeBron James tweeted after winning his 4th NBA title:
In contrast, this is what NFL player Dez Bryant tweeted after learning he had tested positive for COVID-19 before playing his old team:
Athlete participation in social media has allowed us to see more than just what they do, but what they feel. When we see what they feel, we can relate to them more. However, sometimes their publicized emotions can have repercussions that harm their relationships with their teammates, coaches, or the organization as a whole.
Ranting on social media is a popular pastime for its users, and athletes are not excluded. There have been many times in which athletes have expressed their displeasure with their teams via social media. Last month, Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown took to Twitter to convey his frustration with his lack of usage in games:
While there was no fallout from this incident, there have been plenty of angry social media moments from athletes that have resulted in them being released. In 2019, New York Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins was cut by the team after an inappropriate exchange with a fan on Twitter:
It’s easy to judge these athletes from the outside. As normal people, we are not in their shoes and we don’t know the kinds of pressure that they face daily. Yet they still don’t have the freedom to do and say whatever they want without consequence.
That being said, it's important to understand the ways in which social media can weigh on athletes mentally. Constantly seeing negative comments directed at them for the smallest mistakes can disrupt their mental approach and affect their performance even more.
Social media can be a distraction for athletes, plain and simple. Sure it can provide release from the stress of the grind, but the easy access to tons of hate can be harmful to the athlete. It’s essential for athletes to learn how to use social media properly in a way that will limit their exposure to distraction and negativity, especially when at the workplace. In fact, many organizations in major sports have placed limitations on social media use in the locker rooms to avoid disruption on game day. On my podcast, “THE ATHLETE LIFE”, I spoke to Minor League baseball player Jack Suwinski to get a first-hand account of the different ways in which professional athletes approach social media:
Social media has many sides to it. There are aspects that make us happy, and some that make us sad. There are aspects that motivate us, and some that demoralize us. At the end of the day, athletes are humans just like you and me. They deal with these same emotions, yet they are limited as to what they can say and do off the field for the sake of protecting their jobs and reputations. As social media provides access to these athletes’ lives in ways that were not attainable before the likes of Twitter and Instagram, it becomes clear that tremendous mental strength is required to be successful as a professional athlete in today’s digital age.
