Use Of Social Media Continues to Create Controversy in Football, and Not Just Among Athletes

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

By Kris Knox
Featured NFL Writer


Over the past few years, social media sites have created a ton of controversy in the professional sports world.

With the use of popular sites like Twitter and Facebook, anyone in the world can reach out to the masses with the click of a mouse or the touch of a button. The use of such sites has become increasingly popular with professional athletes looking to connect with and expand their fanbase.

The problem with the use of social media to relay comments and messages is that there is no filtering process in place to ensure that offensive material is not released.

Unlike with traditional media, there is no editing or quality department looking over one's shoulder to keep controversial or questionable comments from reaching a worldwide audience. One click and the message is out there, and thanks to the hurried pace of internet information flow, there is no taking it back.

Controversial comments often come from professional athletes with mixed consequences. For example, you might remember Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall's comments regarding the death of terrorist Osama Bin Laden during this past off-season and the controversy they sparked.

However, athletes are not the only ones capable of creating controversy with the use of social media, which one member of the media learned on Saturday.

Cleveland area newspaper, The Plain Dealer, announced the reassignment of longtime Browns beat writer Tony Grossi after a statement made on Twitter caught fire and spread across the internet.

In a tweet that Grossi says he unintentionally sent, he called Browns owner Randy Lerner "a pathetic figure, the most irrelevant billionaire in the world."

The staff at The Plain Dealer made the decision that Grossi's statement brings into question his objectivity regarding the Browns, which could have an adverse effect on the newspaper's readership. Therefore, the difficult decision was made to reassign Grossi to another part of the sports department.

The issue of how to deal with the irresponsible use of social media in the NFL has often ignited as much controversy as some of the comments that have created it.

The NFL has implemented game day restrictions on the use of social media sites and several teams have their own individual policies. However, as the world of social media continues to evolve, policies and fines will not be enough to control it. Social media users are going to have to learn the rare art of self-censorship.

Some people argue that the use of social media should be protected by the first amendment. The problem is that while a person has a right to voice their own opinions, they must also consider the organizations they represent.

In the National Football League, as in all professional sports, players are under contract and therefore represent their respective teams when they speak or release statements. A player who voices an opinion or makes comments that his organization does not agree with deserves to be subject to discipline by that organization.

Many argue that professional athletes, while often subject to a different lifestyle, should be subject to the same consequences as people in a more traditional line of work. The argument has also been made that if a person in a more traditional vocation made some of the types of comments athletes have made through social media sites, consequences would come from their employer.

Thanks to Grossi's situation, we have proof that this is indeed the case and it is time for the sports world to take notice.

Players in the NFL and in other sports leagues certainly have a right to have their own individual opinions, but they need to learn when to avoid sharing them with the rest of the world.


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