NFL Players and Social Media: Obsessed with the "Me" Culture

Feel the power, with all eyes on you or at least on your words.

Social media has allowed the commoner a voice, a presence and increased the power of our individual words and images.

Now let's combine the exposure from social media with the stardom of pro ball.

Double Whammy!

Watch me play on the field, follow my tweets, FB friend me, watch me on You tube, read my blog. It makes me want to sing an aria of the "ME" culture: 'Ahhhhhhh ME ME ME ME ME, follow, watch, read' (notes here come to a high crescendo)'.  

Social media can be an excellent way to build your brand, interact with fans, educate, celebrate accomplishments, promote charity projects and show team pride.

Social media can also be a person's downfall.

One only has to review the past few years of twitter fouls for ample evidence.  Recently, Rashard Mendenhall experienced a social backlash after tweets concerning the death of Osama Bin Laden. 

The tweet was about as controversial as it gets, leading Champion to end their business relationship with Mr. Mendenhall.  Rashard's tweets received a lot of coverage with fan, team, and sponsor reaction, yet other players have also been in hot water.

Larry Johnson, Washington Redskins Running Back, tweeted homophobic slurs directed towards a taunting audience which cost him $600,000 in wages.

Antonio Cromartie, New York Jets Cornerback was fined $2,500 for negative statements regarding the food provided at training camp.

The Cincinnati Bengal boys have received fines for tweeting too close prior to the start of the game and even during (Terrell Owens- $5K, Ochocinco $25K).

The allure of constant attention is strong. The impulse to type a quick 140 character response is common place, yet the consequences can make or break a players career.

Ochocinco's recent tweets inspired me to write about social media and football athletes. Yesterday alone he tweeted 26 times. This morning his tweet statistics were: 2,033,068 followers with a total of 27,410 tweets sent.  

Two million followers!

I know this might not compare to Lady Gaga's over 10 million followers, yet it is a lot.  A lot of people reading the players tweets, what they find important and what they want to share.

 Ochocinco felt it important to share the following yesterday: "I think I'm gonna take a hot shower. Its like a normal shower, but with me in it. #AWESOME."

"I'm tweeting while taking a shower, voice recognition is awesome, to send the tweet I say tweet twice n it sends the message. Twit pic;)"

"I'm focused on football, soccer, bull riding, n exotic DVD's." [source: Twitter]

Ochocino must have felt it important to share showering, the prospect of seeing him nude in a twit pic and the multitude of things of which he is focused.  He needed to include "twittering" to his "focus group".

"Ralph Cindrich, a sports attorney and agent, who said he advises his clients to a) not drink and tweet; b) ask team leaders if you're not certain; and c) "tweet only what you know." (Los Angeles Times, May 15, 2011).  

I would suggest 10 guidelines for tweeting:

1) Limit tweets: if your tweeting more than one uses the bathroom in a day, its too much. There are approximately 55 million tweets per day, you are not filling a shortage.

2)Limit TMI -"too much personal information": if we wanted to know about your grooming habits, we would have your personal number and request the information.

3) Keep some things private: sexual overtones are meant for private conversations, if we wanted to see you nude, we'd privately tell you or request a Playgirl spread.

4) Pay attention to your ego: yes it feels good to know so many people want to know what is happening in your life, yet your ego can become greater than fans interest.

5) Show humbleness: noting a recent success is one thing, saying that you in the shower equals #Awesome is a whole different category.

6) Stay focused on a message: charity, athletic accomplishments, education, team pride, fan relationships and recommendations; too much of a good thing is....just too much.   

7) Tweet Sober.

8) Exhibit Impulse control: Think before you tweet. Words are powerful—and costly. 

9) Ask yourself a few questions: Would you want your parent or coach to read the tweet? Is this the message you want fans to receive? Is it respectful? Does it reinforce your brand? Is the message worth the fine or other consequences? 

10) Connect to fans: Social media provides a direct pipeline to your fans. Connect with fans in a respectful manner and they will reward you with their loyalty, pride and support.

Social media and its controversies are in no way limited to NFL players, but to all popular figures and even the average Joe. Its allure and the attention received can be mesmerizing.  Its one's ability to boast about the self in our "ME culture."

Yes, we do want to know, so lets do it in ways that work. Remember to follow my tweets, read my blog, visit my site....because I too am fully engulfed in "ME!" Ahhhhh behold the power.