Articles

Tricks or Tweets?

Tricks or Tweets?
As the social media craze expands, the ability for athletes to air their thoughts can be a two-edged sword
It’s official: Larry Johnson makes Terrell Owens look like Mister Rogers.
INSERT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXzqVjlmmQE
I’m sure you’ve all heard about the recent Larry Johnson fiasco by now, but if not, check out these pages:
http://www.everyjoe.com/emqb/larry-johnson-blasts-head-coach-on-twitter/
http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2009/10/chiefs_larry_johnson.php
http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=capress-fbn_chiefs_johnson-272928924&prov=capress&type=lgns
It’s a shame that many of the stories involving athletes and Twitter only come to light when something negative happens. Everyone seems to ignore the athletes who DO understand social media. Athletes like Shaquille O’Neal, who have truly mastered the art of promoting their brand through sites like Twitter. It’s also a shame that some teams and leagues have tried to prevent athletes from tweeting because all of this.
Prevention is not the answer. Education is.
Twitter has given athletes the opportunity to connect with fans. Check out how active Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, Terrence Williams and Candace Parker have been. They all love answering fan questions and being able to communicate with fans without traditional media barriers. On Twitter, Shaq had made posts telling fans where he was located and if they were one of the first people to find him that he would give away free tickets to his game. How cool is that?!?! (And I looked, the people that found him ACTUALLY got tickets from Shaq).
Being active on social media platforms also makes players more attractive to endorsement partners and opens up opportunities for direct monetization online. As well, the blogs and mainstream media are also more apt to cover someone that has an engaging Twitter account. I truly believe that Terrence Williams wouldn’t be as popular as he currently is with the NBA bloggers if he didn’t have a social media platform to showcase his unique, outgoing personality.
In today’s world, one wrong action online or offline can severely damage an athlete’s brand and earnings. Athletes need media training on how to use the Internet to protect and enhance their brand, connect with fans and take advantage of new monetization opportunities.
How many more stories like this are we going to see before we start giving athletes access to better training?
Pro athletes must now be as careful as a political candidate or a company CEO. Say the wrong thing, and your reputation or approval rating will drop quicker than a Brad Lidge sinker (when he’s Lights Out).
Media training should become a necessity with periodic workshops throughout the season and offseason.
In the meantime, they should teach athletes these basic PR rules:
• Always talk in good times and bad (Mitch Williams himself will tell you this);
• Never say “no comment;”
• Don’t lie;
• Never say something you do not want to see in print;
• Remember to speak in 10-second sound bites, which means simply to keep in mind a long answer (or the preceding question) may be left on the cutting-room floor.

As the social media craze expands, the ability for athletes to air their thoughts can be a two-edged sword

larryjohnson

by Saira Husain

It’s official: Larry Johnson makes Terrell Owens look like Mister Rogers.

Larry Johnson commentary

I’m sure you’ve all heard about the recent Larry Johnson fiasco by now, but if not, check out these pages:

http://www.everyjoe.com/emqb/larry-johnson-blasts-head-coach-on-twitter/

http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2009/10/chiefs_larry_johnson.php

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=capress-fbn_chiefs_johnson-272928924&prov=capress&type=lgns

It’s a shame that many of the stories involving athletes and Twitter only come to light when something negative happens. Everyone seems to ignore the athletes who DO understand social media. Athletes like Shaquille O’Neal, who have truly mastered the art of promoting their brand through sites like Twitter. It’s also a shame that some teams and leagues have tried to prevent athletes from tweeting because all of this.

Prevention is not the answer. Education is.

Twitter has given athletes the opportunity to connect with fans. Check out how active Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, Terrence Williams and Candace Parker have been. They all love answering fan questions and being able to communicate with fans without traditional media barriers. On Twitter, Shaq had made posts telling fans where he was located and if they were one of the first people to find him that he would give away free tickets to his game. How cool is that?!?! (And I looked, the people that found him ACTUALLY got tickets from Shaq).

Being active on social media platforms also makes players more attractive to endorsement partners and opens up opportunities for direct monetization online. As well, the blogs and mainstream media are also more apt to cover someone that has an engaging Twitter account. I truly believe that Terrence Williams wouldn’t be as popular as he currently is with the NBA bloggers if he didn’t have a social media platform to showcase his unique, outgoing personality.

In today’s world, one wrong action online or offline can severely damage an athlete’s brand and earnings. Athletes need media training on how to use the Internet to protect and enhance their brand, connect with fans and take advantage of new monetization opportunities.

How many more stories like this are we going to see before we start giving athletes access to better training?

Pro athletes must now be as careful as a political candidate or a company CEO. Say the wrong thing, and your reputation or approval rating will drop quicker than a Brad Lidge sinker (when he’s Lights Out).

Media training should become a necessity with periodic workshops throughout the season and offseason.

In the meantime, they should teach athletes these basic PR rules:

  • Always talk in good times and bad (Mitch Williams himself will tell you this);
  • Never say “no comment;”
  • Don’t lie;
  • Never say something you do not want to see in print;
  • Remember to speak in 10-second sound bites, which means simply to keep in mind a long answer (or the preceding question) may be left on the cutting-room floor.

After receiving a degree in Business from the Schulich School of Business specializing in Marketing and Human Resources, Saira Husain is currently attending Humber College’s postgraduate PR program. She is an aspiring Sports PR professional and has made it her mission to promote sports from a woman’s perspective. Check out her great blog at http://sairahusain.wordpress.com/