Growing up I always valued being a fan of my New York sports teams from the Knicks, Jets, Yankees and Islanders. It wasn’t because of the nice jerseys they wore or they always won every year. It was the love of my cities teams no matter if the team win, lose or draw. But now there’s a new age in sports, fans now or may I say the millennials, have changed the value of routing for a specific team to a star player. A lot of the reasons for the change has been social media. I know what your going to say, why would social media be the very thing that will destroy sports. My answer to that question is how many people that go to sporting events actually watch and concentrate on the games. In 2019 I attended at least eighteen games and realized more than half the people at those events were not even watching the game. I understand the value of the cell phone now, that you can take pictures that can last you a lifetime or seeing who is following you or posting something on facebook or instagram.
The real problem I believe is the fan now doesn’t really care about any one teams success, but what the one player they follow is eating or doing at that very time. When you research star players like Steph Curry, who has over 13 million fans following him on twitter or 28 million fans following him on instagram. I realize in the last two decades basketball is not about the five players on the court or the 56 players on a football team. Its really about how many fans are following a particular player on their social media’s. I can’t tell you how many times I heard in the radio industry they ask you for your social media handle, what does that have anything to do with your experience.
In 2017 Kevin Durant apparently tried to use a fake Twitter account to defend himself, slamming the Thunder. It started a backlash with the NBA and their players with social media and using it for personal reasons. In 2018 Bryan Colangelo, the ex general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, allegedly used several fake Twitter accounts to smear his own current and former players. This act eventually had Colangelo fired and because of this incident he hasn’t been offered a GM position. Im sure there are plenty of good things to say about social media, but I absolutely believe it has stolen the value of sports. Sports is a way for you to get away from your busy boring life, you don’t need social media and the problems it has brought to sports.
Agree ? it has. Now withso much access player amateurs & professionals alike, need have someone – many instances a team!, protecting ’em because reality is that the old days – like paid phones are long gone! They’re a “Name/Brand”.
Best current example is Antonio Brown.
He is all over Social Media making spectacul himself and this point his life, Antonio Brown appears to be more content in being a “Reality Show Character” than a pro8 football player.
Great article ?