Russia Euro 2012: Why Dick Advocaat Allowing Squad to Tweet Is Hazardous

Dick Advocaat—who is the Russian Euro 2012 Squad coach—announced that members can use Twitter during the tournament. Advocaat made his announcement in an article published by RIA Novosti after Vicente Del Bosque forbade the use of the social media for the Spanish squad.

Advocaat said that he trusts his players not to abuse Twitter during the tournament. While Advocaat may have good intentions, the idea of social media use during a tournament does not help a team.

Antonio Cromartie

A notable example was the case of Antonio Cromartie of the NFL (American Football) team San Diego Chargers. According to a report from the Associated Press h/t to ESPN NFL, Cromartie twitted about the food in the Chargers training camp in the year 2009.

The comment by Cromartie was a question of whether the food hurt the Chargers possibilities of making it to the Super Bowl. The result was a $25,000 fine from the Chargers for Cromartie and a lesson for all.

Positive Aspects for Twitter In Sports

The social networks such as Twitter and Facebook have their good points. Melinda Travis of PRO Sports Communication (in an article published in NBC Sports) considers Twitter to be great for promoting a sports team or an athlete as long as there is no abuse.

Negative Aspects of Twitter

The fear is that during a tournament, an athlete can make comments about fellow athletes, coaches, or members of the opposing team which could receive immediate publicity. The athlete could also make disparaging comments about the fans who insult them during a tournament.

The result could be a need for damage control on the part of the coach, the athlete, and the team. Vicente Del Bosque does the right thing in prohibiting the use of Twitter by the Spanish squad.

Conclusion

It is hoped that Advocaat is doing the right thing in allowing the use of Twitter by the Russian Euro 2012 Squad. The last thing Euro 2012 and Russia needs is another scandal which can affect the tournament and the team.