Social Media In Modern Sports
Many things have changed in sports, and one of the main reasons why it has is social media. Since making its start in the first decade of the 21st century, social media has evolved and expanded, starting from Facebook to its more modern though more toxic counterparts, Twitter and Instagram. With the colossal changes it caused, it’s made a diluted landscape, taking the focus off the game that fans and players alike love.
There have always been off the court/field rivalries between clubs, but they’ve reached new heights. Fans engage in profane, trolling rants on these platforms, inciting heated arguments between others. Many use social media platforms to ridicule players or whole clubs in a way that is fueled by the irreverent atmosphere caused before.
In the NBA, hate is intertwined with brands of many basketball teams, namely the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers. The rivalry between the two teams has blossomed into a pernicious one, aggravated by the media. Fans attack each other on platforms like Bleacher Report, as well as on Instagram and Twitter.
Many have painted these comment sections as “war zones” due to the volatility of the arguments. Social media has become a place for people to voice their anger in unsuitable ways, projecting it onto others like a bully with their victim. The vast majority of these attacks are in the comment sections of either professional teams or players.
On players’ accounts, personal attacks are prevalent, as well as profane insults and derogatory nicknames. The psychological cause of these can obviously be chalked up to a number of reasons, ranging from insecurity to jealousy. However, as much as these actions hurt the person doing them, the person they are directed towards mostly are hurt worse. A number of athletes have had to turn their comment section off due to the anticipation of these attacks, either due to a bad game, or something much worse, like sexual harassment lawsuits.
Many more have voiced their concerns about the pressure that comes with playing professional sports, which has been extenuated by their troubles with social media.
“ Stress-related illnesses are extremely common in professional sports, and they are becoming more so as the pressures on athletes increase. The expectations are enormous and sometimes people cannot handle it. ”
Dr Barry Cripps, chairman of the sports and exercise division of the British Psychological Society.
One of the main reasons why the sports world has become so toxic is comparisons. Either between teams or players, these debates have turned into digital yelling matches rivaling the tension of Supreme Court cases.
The prime example is between Lebron James and Michael Jordan, one that has become one that has come up any time the legacy of the current Laker is brought up, which is often. Social media has become, as stated before, a setting for these types of battles, usually never ending until one side decides they will continue another day. Digital platforms have connected like minded peoples, and that has brought great change many times, but has made harbingers of conflicts to come. In sports, social media has almost always caused an array of negative effects.
Looking at the Lebron v. Jordan debate, social media is a point discussed many times. The question how Jordan would face the hate and scrutiny brought about by social media is a hypothetical yet reasonable one. Lebron is repeatedly attacked by pundits and critics, either qualified or unqualified, for things not even remotely controversial, but when he meets the bar, the response is either overwhelming or unproportional.
While exploring this question, another question about how previous eras could’ve been impacted by social media needs to be considered.
How would the toxicity on these platforms affect the play and actions of Jordan, who was already hurt by the gambling and murder accusations facilitated by the press then, as well as many other star players such as Karl Malone,Dennis Rodman, Magic Johnson, or Wilt Chamberlain, all of which had spotty records?
We’ll never know, but social media like Twitter, which many retired players are on now, could have greatly changed the sports landscape back in their playing days.
Furthermore, social media has created a hypocritical atmosphere for sports. In the NBA and NFL especially, fans come together and laud players who are lovable figures, such as Chris Paul or Derrick Rose, but scrutinize the players once they have won a championship, a metaphorical buy-in to that sometimes unwanted group. The underdog narrative that fans love can easily be turned on a dime after that team or player is victorious. Social media has made that an action that is helped by peer pressure and herd mentality.
The dangers of social media and its damaging effects have been warned of repeatedly ever since it became a linchpin in the developed world, but sports learned it after it was too late.
