Social Media is a thing
Another week and another professional athlete in trouble for Twitter rants made when they were younger.
What to make of this.
I've worked with some coaches who proudly declare themselves to not be involved with and not understanding social media. They don't have Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. and it's almost a point of pride that they don't.
I find that hilariously stupid.
Social media is a reality in our daily lives as coaches and we must have a handle on it. For a good while I did not have a Twitter account till some of my football coaching friends told me this was a mistake. It was less about having an account and more about what having an account said to an athlete. It was a sign that you could understand them or relate to them.
Have a social media presence is a responsibility, one that isn't shared when you agree to the terms and conditions of an account. There might be some language buried in the contract about social decorum, but few people read through them, and fewer 12 to 19 year olds will. They see social media as an outlet for frustrations and venting and stand behind the Freedom of Speech as an excuse to post and say whatever crosses their mind at the moment.
In a day and age where you can say nearly anything online or in music or movies, it's difficult for someone with less maturity to understand that simply because it's said so freely doesn't make it acceptable. There are serious implications that go with posting words or lyrics, and while one might argue that it would be the same as quoting an author, times have changed to where you must know your audience and know the current events around you.
I won't get involved in race, gender, religion or sexual orientation and how those tie into what you post on social media. I understand that context matters, and that it's not a simple open and shut case when it comes to who posts what. That is beyond the scope of this post.
What I'm saying is that as a coach, it is our responsibility to be aware of social media outlets, and what our athletes are posting, and teaching them that there are going to be real consequences, both positive and negative to the things they say. Posting in a moment of crisis, or emotion is possibly the worst time to post.
Does this mean we should police their accounts? Absolutely not. While I have heard of coaches and programs doing this, and while it may seem like the "best" way to limit social interactions, I find that this is more an invasion of privacy. It's too "big brother" for my taste, even if you're working with high school students.
Instead, I believe the article above, and the articles discussing the Twitter accounts and old posts from athletes are a great discussion point to bring forward. Let's have a talk about why social media is a good thing - I truly believe it is - but what the ramifications are of going off on a rant without pausing to think.
In grad school we learned about acronyms such as STOP, or having a 1-minute pause. These are lessons that would be excellent for athletes and younger individuals who are heading out into the real world of social media. Let's pause for a minute, let's allow our emotions to cool down to a point where we're not thinking with our "fight or flight" center of the brain, but instead using all of our faculties to make logical, rational, informed decisions.
I believe you're neglecting your responsibilities as a coach by saying, "I'm not going to bother with social media." I believe you set yourself up for fallout and incidents that could have been mitigated or avoided. I also believe that you should not police your athletes, looking for mistakes or limiting them to zero social media access. Instead I believe you should embrace the role of a coach as a teacher, and use your experiences and those happening around you to inform your athletes.
You can't prevent every single incident, but educating athletes is a far better solution than ignoring the program or attempting to bury it.
What to make of this.
I've worked with some coaches who proudly declare themselves to not be involved with and not understanding social media. They don't have Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. and it's almost a point of pride that they don't.
I find that hilariously stupid.
Social media is a reality in our daily lives as coaches and we must have a handle on it. For a good while I did not have a Twitter account till some of my football coaching friends told me this was a mistake. It was less about having an account and more about what having an account said to an athlete. It was a sign that you could understand them or relate to them.
Have a social media presence is a responsibility, one that isn't shared when you agree to the terms and conditions of an account. There might be some language buried in the contract about social decorum, but few people read through them, and fewer 12 to 19 year olds will. They see social media as an outlet for frustrations and venting and stand behind the Freedom of Speech as an excuse to post and say whatever crosses their mind at the moment.
In a day and age where you can say nearly anything online or in music or movies, it's difficult for someone with less maturity to understand that simply because it's said so freely doesn't make it acceptable. There are serious implications that go with posting words or lyrics, and while one might argue that it would be the same as quoting an author, times have changed to where you must know your audience and know the current events around you.
I won't get involved in race, gender, religion or sexual orientation and how those tie into what you post on social media. I understand that context matters, and that it's not a simple open and shut case when it comes to who posts what. That is beyond the scope of this post.
What I'm saying is that as a coach, it is our responsibility to be aware of social media outlets, and what our athletes are posting, and teaching them that there are going to be real consequences, both positive and negative to the things they say. Posting in a moment of crisis, or emotion is possibly the worst time to post.
Does this mean we should police their accounts? Absolutely not. While I have heard of coaches and programs doing this, and while it may seem like the "best" way to limit social interactions, I find that this is more an invasion of privacy. It's too "big brother" for my taste, even if you're working with high school students.
Instead, I believe the article above, and the articles discussing the Twitter accounts and old posts from athletes are a great discussion point to bring forward. Let's have a talk about why social media is a good thing - I truly believe it is - but what the ramifications are of going off on a rant without pausing to think.
In grad school we learned about acronyms such as STOP, or having a 1-minute pause. These are lessons that would be excellent for athletes and younger individuals who are heading out into the real world of social media. Let's pause for a minute, let's allow our emotions to cool down to a point where we're not thinking with our "fight or flight" center of the brain, but instead using all of our faculties to make logical, rational, informed decisions.
I believe you're neglecting your responsibilities as a coach by saying, "I'm not going to bother with social media." I believe you set yourself up for fallout and incidents that could have been mitigated or avoided. I also believe that you should not police your athletes, looking for mistakes or limiting them to zero social media access. Instead I believe you should embrace the role of a coach as a teacher, and use your experiences and those happening around you to inform your athletes.
You can't prevent every single incident, but educating athletes is a far better solution than ignoring the program or attempting to bury it.
Comments