Online taunting drives Nebraska football team captain to lash out at fans
Nebraska football team captain, Alexander Lewis, posted a heated post Sunday saying he was “done playing for Nebraska” and Nebraska fans are “fair weather fans.” According to an Omaha.com article, Lewis posted the rant on Facebook and Twitter after seeing disparaging posts in reference to a personal foul call he committed towards the end of a 36–33 loss to the Miami Hurricanes this week.
Here is a still shot of the foul Lewis committed which put Miami in favorable down and distance to win the game.
A few Nebraska fans left these posts for Lewis to read after the game. They suggest that Lewis was the reason Nebraska lost the football game.
Media outlets wrote about Lewis after Lewis posted his rant against the fan base on Facebook. According to ESPN.com, Nebraska’s head coach Mike Riley told reporters Monday that Riley had met with Lewis about the incident and said that Lewis was sorry for generalizing the entire fan base in his post and was not going to leave the team.
With social media guidelines provided to Nebraska players, one might wonder why a team captain would allow emotions to get the best of him. Here are a few explanations why this might have happened and what might be done about situations in the future.
An Omaha.com article points out that there is an incredible amount of pressure and stress on athletes to win from fans, coaches, and even family. Athletes are criticized constantly online and most athletes often look at what is said about them on social media.
The same article also points out that social media can be used for good but what ever you put on social media becomes “graffiti” that will permanently define the perception of you.
Sports psychologist, Dr. Robert Castillo says Lewis may have been implementing a “negative bias” after the loss to Miami that would have caused him to focus on many negatives in his life before he lashed out on social media.
Lewis’s prefrontal cortex is most likely not fully developed and could be another factor as to why Lewis made the decision to post on social media, said Castillo.
There are techniques athletes can follow to better control their emotions and lead healthier lives. Castillo said athletes should learn and use breathing techniques and use inner identity reflection (focusing on core values of the individual) to help deal with the stress that comes with playing sports.
Athletes also need time to rest and “rejuvenate” Castillo says. This is part of an important “rest and digest” stage when athletes can restore their strength and mental faculties.
In the Lewis case, he was not given time to “rest and digest” which lead to this result.
There are expectations for players in big time programs like Nebraska but there is no excuse for lashing out at the players when things go wrong says The Daily Nebraskan reporter, Nick Gebhart.
Fans and players need to breath and understand that sports are meant to be fun and entertaining. If we are threatening players for providing our entertainment, something is very wrong.
Maybe athletes are not the only ones who need to learn some breathing exercises.
