Social media and sports a growing dilemma
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Steelers back Rashard Mendenhall might be the most infamous athlete on Twitter with his recent tweets after the death of Osama bin Laden, but it is an issue that all athletic teams -- college and pro -- are trying to handle.
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When it comes to pro sports teams, most organizations simply frown and bear it after one of their players causes a stir on Twitter or Facebook.
When it comes to college athletes, some universities have more stringent policies in place, including in-season social network bans for a growing number of teams.
Most professional sports leagues only ban tweeting while games are being played and for a period of time before and after games. They do not ban social media altogether, mostly because Twitter and Facebook postings are protected by the First Amendment.
Plenty of pro athletes, including Rashard Mendenhall of the Steelers and Tony Sanchez of the Pirates' Class AA affiliate in Altoona, recently have come under fire for posts on their social media accounts.
Mendenhall clarified his remarks and apologized to those he offended, and Sanchez apologized. In most cases, that is how pro sports teams deal with social networking missteps.
College athletes are under much more scrutiny by coaches and administrators.
Boise State football coach Chris Peterson and New Mexico State football coach DeWayne Walker ban their players from using twitter in-season. So does former Missouri basketball coach Mike Anderson and Mississippi State basketball coach Rick Stansbury.
Duquesne men's basketball coach Ron Everhart initially banned Facebook early in his tenure as Dukes coach, but he has since altered his stance. Everhart's players can use all forms of social media, but there are rules.
"Although I personally subscribe to an 'old-school' line of thinking, I understand social media has emerged as a primary form of communication for many people," Everhart said. "As a team, we strongly discourage the excessive use of Twitter and Facebook, especially in-season, and ask that posts not include team-related information."
While local Division I universities have not had major problems with Twitter and Facebook among their athletes, they have not been free of controversy, however minor they might seem in light of Mendenhall's epic tweets.
Pitt basketball player Ashton Gibbs tweeted the following after a loss to Louisville in February: "No way we shouldve lost to them bums smh [shaking my head]."
Pat Forde of ESPN.com saw the tweet within minutes of it being posted and wrote about it prominently in his game story. Gibbs removed the tweet from his account and apologized the next day.
First Published May 16, 2011 12:00 am
