Twitter is now an extremely useful and informative application. Any celebrity or popular personality has their own account and they tweet to thousands of followers everyday. In a very politically sensitive world where every word, whether spoken or written, is repeatedly scrutinized, everyone must be careful about what they are tweeting. While this is important for all users, it is especially critical for public figures. Politicians, journalists, and other authoritative figures have their credibility on the line. However, when it comes to athletes, they are held to the same high standard. To me, this is certainly puzzling. Why do their tweets really matter? Athletes do not inherit the responsibility of being role models to little children. In a world where everything is available online, numerous police records and other personal information are accessible. Twitter is an application that allows users to share their everyday thoughts. Most athletes do care about their image, but some of them certainly do not and that only jeopardizes their marketability, not their ability to perform on the field or court.
Some athletes choose to be funny on Twitter. Other choose to be extremely opinionated and voice their thoughts on everything. In the end, isn't this what their followers want? Twitter users follow particular athletes because they want to pretend they are their personal friend. This application is a way casually to tell your users what you are thinking or doing. If athletes choose to be that revealing on Twitter, good for them. There are always consequences but in today's world, can you really hide anything? A particular example is this Fox Sports Ohio article describing a backup quarterback from Ohio State and his recent scrutinized tweet. He tweeted about how school does not matter to him and he was brought to the school to play football. This enraged many supporters and administrators of college athletics. While this is certainly not a flattering view on college athletics, why is this such a big deal? Those who really care about what Cardale Jones thinks are following him. They are getting what they asked for. I do not see why any action should be taken by the football team coaches or university. Professional sports organizations certainly encourage their players to be active on Twitter and engage with their fans. The whole point is to make the players seem like everyday people. Everyday people say stupid things and are not punished for them every time. Punishing athletes for stupid tweets is placing them on a pedestal. Athletes only have better physical abilities than ordinary people. They are not paid to think; they are paid to run fast and catch the ball.
I certainly understand why journalists and politicians are heavily scrutinized. They are in the business of being responsible to the public. In no way is it excusable for them to post something stupid or ignorant. Their job is to be careful and considerate. Athletes do not belong in this same category of respect and responsibility. If the argument is that young kids need someone to look up to, they should stay off Twitter. To punish a backup quarterback for his tweet showcases that athletes are held to a higher standard and are, therefore, supposed to be looked up to. In today's world, that is most definitely not the case. Drug scandals, arrest records, and other factors are abundant in today's professional sports arena. We all must be selective in who we follow and look up to. Athletes are people; they will make mistakes. No matter how racist or ignorant an athlete's tweet may be, they are just an athlete. It does not cause anything substantial. It just makes them look stupid. That is all it does. All in all, we should not care what these guys are tweeting.
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