Watch Your Mouth On Social Media…Your Future Coach Is
Athletes need to be careful when using social media, because potential coaches, scouts, and recruiters are now monitoring prospect prowp-content/uploads.
Recently, Penn State University football coach Herb Hand made headlines for his comments about his schools recruiting tactics, which involve a throrough evaluation of a potential athletes’ social media presence.
“Dropped another prospect this AM due to his social media presence…Actually glad I got to see the ‘real’ person before we offered him,” Hand tweeted about his schools use of Twitter to rule out potential prospects.
You’re laughing? You’re saying “who cares?” Well guess what, I use Twitter and Facebook at CKSN every day. Every day I see a local athlete that scored a winning goal, won a major trophy, or is hoping to make the OHL, NHL, CFL, OUA, or whatever, smoking weed, funneling beer, making slurs or other derogatory comments, with an utter disregard for their own reputation, one which in some cased they’ll rely upon to advance in athletics.
Need another example, University of Albany men’s basketball coach told the Troy Record this, in a related story about recruiting athletes,
“If there’s a lot of questionable stuff that they’re posting, we’ll stop recruiting the kid,” Brown said. “We have had that happen two or three times, where we’ve read a kid’s Facebook page and we’ve wanted no part of it. These are kids that we were actively recruiting.”
Or how about in 2012 when Greek athlete Voula Papachristou was banned from the Olympics for a racist Tweet. How’s that for an athletic opportunity denied?
Although it hasn’t happened to a local athlete yet, if sanctioning leagues like the OHA, OLA, and OFC started monitoring player prowp-content/uploads, I could guarantee players would be suspended.
There have been examples close to home. For example, in 2012, then Chatham Maroons assistant coach Kyle O’Neil was suspended for remarks he made on Twitter.
I’m sure you’ve seen comments. I know I have. From racial remarks prior to games, to derogatory slurs after a loss, to photos of parties, and profanity like a late night saloon filled with sailors.
I’m not hear to preach, and I’m definitely not going to start naming names, or dragging athletes through the mud. Truth be told, the vast, and I mean vast, majority of our local athletes are kind, respectful individuals, who would likely cringe themselves and stand up against many of the things this article is about.
That being said, athletes be warned; others are watching, including the people you potentially want to sign you, commit to you, and ask you to join their team.
It’s awesome to see so many athletes using social media these days, but we’re just saying, use some respect, and be responsible.