Social Media: A Gift or Curse to Sports?

            I’m sure if you found your way to this article, that you have a pretty good grasp on what the term “social media” means.  If for some reason you still don’t or would like a refresher, social media are all the new ways people interact and socialize using certain websites or mobile applications on their phones, iPods, tablets, etc.  Chief among these are facebook and twitter where millions of people from all age ranges can share their ideas and thoughts on whatever they wish.  Sounds pretty amazing, right?  For the most part it is until the inevitable took place. 

All forms of media are subject to the same thing: censorship.  Now the extent of censorship naturally depends on the form of media.  Newspapers and television must adhere to certain standards ranging from language to content because of how public they are.   Social media’s standards are far less strict because they benefit from the internet’s less strict censorship; that is, until you enter the domain of sports.

In that regards, there are two sides of the coin.  On one side, fans have the ability to be as vocal and outspoken on their opinions as they desire.  From praising their favorite athletes or team on a brilliant performance to directing swears or sometimes even threats to those who in their eyes, underperformed to some extent.  And then there are of course the fans that are what we would simply refer to as “haters”.  If asked to make an intelligent argument on why they dislike a team or player, they simply fire a barrage of unrelated “facts” or opinions at you.

The other side of the social media coin is for the players themselves.  Having a facebook or twitter is an amazing way for them to connect to their fans and really reach out to a community.  But in the past few years we have seen a growing trend among athletes’ social media accounts.  They’re ultimately subject to perhaps the strongest censorship of all.  No, not from the sites themselves but instead from coaches, agents, front office executives, or even owners.  Now this is where things get a little tricky because you can’t just divide the sports up and say “alright, baseball players get more freedom than football players” because it doesn’t work that way.  It truly is a team by team basis regardless of the sport.

Let’s take a couple of interesting examples and show you how far apart the two ends of the spectrum really are.  On one end, let’s take a look at the Dallas Mavericks from the NBA.  This is probably the only example right now in the whole world of sports, where the players might ask the owner to tone it down on his social media accounts.  Currently there is no more vocal an owner in sports than the Mavericks’ Mark Cuban.  If he isn’t fined during the course of an NBA season for breaking down every which way one poor official or another blew a call, then it doesn’t feel like a real NBA season.  One would think that the players in that locker-room would have more leeway than most others because they can merely state that they’re following ownerships’ lead.  I for one think it’s great when an owner has such invested interest in their team that they’re its biggest cheerleader and publicist (as long as they don’t overshadow the team itself).

Now as an example of that opposite side of the spectrum, let’s take a look at today’s New York Giants.  The defending Super Bowl Champions from the NFL have taken a real conservative, business-like approach for quite some time now but never as much so since Tom Coughlin became head coach.  He brings about an air of professionalism and expects his players to conduct themselves accordingly.  If one of them steps out of line, as players tend to do from time to time no matter the team or sport, he is quick to show that he still is in total control and the situation is handled.  The true mark of a conservative, professionally run organization is when a situation arises and you hear the phrase that it’s “being handled in-house”.

It’s amazing but not really surprising how teams adopt the personality of those in charge, whether it is the owner or the coaches.  Just look at the wide range of coaching personalities in sports right now.  For every Ozzie Guillen, who once a month puts his foot in his mouth and brings ownership crashing down on him, there’s a Bill Bellicheck, who has got to win the award for least entertaining press conferences (unless you find one sentence answers in a monotone voice entertaining).

For all the statistics available out there on the internet, there is one statistic that I would love to get my hands on more than any other.  I wonder how much players, coaches, executives, and owners across all sports have been fined for certain postings on social media websites.  Whether it was venting about officials after a game through twitter or posting a comment on facebook about an ongoing labor dispute which is a violation, or any number of other possibilities.  The amount must be staggering considering the previously mentioned Mark Cuban has alone had over $1.5 million in fines levied against him.  At least this wealthy owner has taken the opportunity to turn negative publicity into a positive venture.  Mark Cuban matches the amount he’s fined and donates it to charity.

For all the talk about the new age we live in with social media, it seems people get so wrapped up in the world of it and forget its real impact.  I chose to merely focus on its impact in sports but imagine the much larger implications everywhere else.  In my honest opinion, I see nothing wrong with the use of social media as long as it’s in moderation.  I’m not only for allowing athletes the use of social media, but giving them more freedom with what they say.  More times than not, it’s the fans that are the ones that abuse this gift to sports.  When else could we have said we in some way were connected with an athlete?  Sure it may have only been a few words in the form of a tweet but before social media, not even that small of a connection would have existed.

As things stand right now, all that can really be said is, “to each their own”.  Let athletes express themselves as they wish.  Sure they’re role models and yes, to some extent they have to be held to a higher standard but they’re still human.  If it makes them feel any better, why not let an athlete express his real thoughts on a bad call?  Hey ownership, it’s still getting you publicity and probably going to sell a few more jerseys or tickets anyway, right?

Fair Game: NFL's Replacement Refs

My first real insight into what it takes to officiate a sport came when I was in college.  I signed up to officiate flag football games and had to go through training that lasted 2 days before the season kicked off.  It was one of the most challenging experiences I’ve ever faced because there are so many subtleties and intricacies that the average viewer doesn’t even realize.  Referees and officials are undervalued for how much responsibility falls on their shoulders and how consistent they usually perform.

            That being said, I am NOT defending the replacement officials but rather making my case for appreciating the regular crews.  This NFL season has had a lot of negative headlines and scandals surround it dating back before the NFL Draft in April.  From Bounty Gate to lawsuits by former players over player safety and concussions, the NFL has stayed among the top headlines in the sports world for months.  Bounty Gate was still at the forefront when Week 1 kicked off with the officials lockout not even making front page news but instead being an afterthought.  The replacements were poised in as perfect a position to succeed as replacement officials ever could be.  The attention was off of them and they could just go out there and let their weeks of training from over the summer kick in.  They could show the league they could fill that role, give them leverage in their negotiations with the NFLRA, and let fans forget there was even an officials lockout.

            Fast forward three weeks later and the league has spent each of the last three weeks working on damage control to preserve their image.  It’s becoming a weekly tradition that every Monday or Tuesday the league issues AT LEAST one statement defending one replacement crew or another for a highly publicized mistake in a game.  Each week there’s the mentality that “it can’t get much worse than it was this weekend” and yet each weekend they find a way to lower the bar.  The league’s worst nightmare is coming true as they see their last bit of leverage against the Referee’s Union slipping through their fingers. 

The current apex (and I use that term loosely because I’m sure next week they’ll find a way to blow an even simpler call in even grander fashion) came on national television.  Monday Night Football on ESPN with millions watching a close battle between the toast of the NFC, the Green Bay Packers, and the surprising upstart Seattle Seahawks who thus far this season, just keep finding ways to compete and win.  With 8 seconds left in regulation and the Packers winning 12-6, rookie QB Russell Wilson heaves a hail mary up into the endzone and at that moment, you could feel everyone in the stadium as well as at the NFL League Offices collectively hold their breath.  And as Packers safety M.D. Jennings and Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate came down with the ball, three weeks of debating and arguing about this experiment of replacement officials was meaningless.  With Jennings pulling the ball with both arms to his chest and Tate merely clinging loosely with one arm on the ball, 2 officials converged on the scene and in the epitome of this now failed experiment, one signaled for a touchback and the other a touchdown. 

Two officials, two different calls, and one commissioner back in New York shaking his head as he sees how his week is going to consist of trying to end an officials lockout while convincing fans that the integrity of the sport is his highest priority.  But he still had hope.  Hope that the officials would come together, use God’s gift to replacement refs (instant replay), and make the right call and save face for an otherwise farce of a primetime game.  Getting the call right would allow everyone to forget the 24 penalties called in the game, the 1 penalty on that play that WASN’T called when Tate body checked a Packers corner to the ground before his leap, and for at least 1 day, slow the criticism of Roger Goodell’s experiment.  Too bad for Roger that even after using replay, these replacements grasp of the NFL’s rules is so weak that they upheld their blunder.  It was a touchdown for the Seahawks, handing them a 14-12 victory.  The officials used instant replay to confirm that the Packers were just robbed of a victory, that fans should have no faith in the replacement officials, and that the league would be spending Tuesday issuing statements regarding this failed experiment. 

Let’s even forget the fact that it took another 10 minutes to kick the meaningless extra point because the officials didn’t realize it was required and focus on the consequences of their blown call and non-call.  The fallout is far reaching, from the League Offices on Park Ave in New York City to the strip in Las Vegas.  Minutes after the tragic ending of this game the social media world was overwhelmed with an outpouring of sentiments surrounding this game.  7 of the top 10 trends on twitter WORLDWIDE in some way involved the NFL or that specific game.  That has continued through the day Tuesday and more reports and statements issued haven’t helped put out this social media wildfire.  Economic and business analysts estimate that the blown call at the end of that game shifted $15 million in bets from one side to the other…and that’s just bets in Las Vegas.  If you take into account online bets and estimated off the books gambling and such, the conservative estimate is one replacement officiating crew shifted over $250 million in bets.

I’d like to see how Roger Goodell is going to spin this scandal.  All the defending the league has done for these officials is now moot in the court of public opinion.  These officials are now, more than ever, fair game.  The time for “they’ll improve given time” argument is now past.  The fans no longer want to hear how hard these officials are trying or how the league will continue to work to better the officiating.  The only way to improve the officiating is give the NFLRA whatever they want at this point in order to salvage what’s left of the league’s integrity.  There’s no debate to be had here on what the call should have been or how this experiment of replacement officials is panning out.  The only debate now is what this scandal is going to be called.  I’d put my money on Ref Gate (as long as my bet can’t be influenced by a NFL referee).