Social Media and Professional and Amateur Athletes: Is it a positive or a negative?

Pittsburgh Steeler safety Mike Mitchell didn't mince words with fans recently in a Twitter rant after the fan said he was the worst free agent signing in team history. Mitchell understandably didn't agree with the criticism and had a few choice words that culminated with Mitchell telling the fan to "kill himself." I'm not the PR director for the Steelers, but I'd have to say that whoever that is couldn't be happy with Mitchell's course of action in the situation as it's sure to cause quite a mess.

Mike Mitchell's comments are just another case of a professional or amateur athlete taking to social media with a lack of control and posting inappropriate content. Whether it's Mitchell, or Brandon Marshall of the Chicago Bears offering a Detroit Lions fan $25,000 to go the rounds with him or Stevie Johnson formally of the Buffalo Bills cussing out the Almighty after Johnson dropped a game winning catch the negative publicity seems to heavily outweigh the positives of social media when it comes to connecting fans to their favorite players.

Social Media has transcended how players interact with the public nowadays. There is no filter. There aren't team officials saying, "He isn't available for comment," well maybe there still are but then the players are just going to Twitter and commenting there. There also isn't any filters when it comes to content. Players, whether good or bad, can say literally whatever they want. For instance former Cardinals running back Rashard Mendenhall had some comments that caused a lot of controversy when Osama Bin Laden was killed. In a time of national pride Mendenhall tweeted angrily wondering why anyone could celebrate death in the manner that Americans were. An idea, which honestly carries some validity to it, but no the less the public viewed Mendenhall's comments as unpatriotic and as a representative of arguably "America's sport" that was no way to think.

So essentially social media is a lose-lose situation, at least the way I described it. Well it isn't all bad for the athletes as long as they keep control of the content they are created or curating. A great example in my opinion is LeBron James. The newly returned King of Cleveland and his new merry band of followers aren't off to the start that most Ohioans had hoped for when their prodigal son came home and they shipped the number one overall picks from the last two drafts for Kevin Love to form the new "Big Three" in basketball. I don't know if fans were calling for heads, but they were close. The King took to twitter to put a friendly reminder in all of his subjects' ears. His message was simple, everyone relax and it'll all be fine. Time will tell if the Cleveland crazies do as their King asks, but at least they are getting positive feedback from their superstar.

Whether it is healthy updates about the team, a friendly message or a retweet from your favorite player or a picture from the life of American sports royalty the chance to connect with these athletes that we as a population have anointed as Gods is very appealing. So when it's done in the correct manner social media can not only be fun, but a great way to connect athletes and fans together.

Soccer: The Rise of an "Obscure" Sport

America was founded on three principles: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, principles that have defined our country for generations and impacted how citizens act and pursue their dreams. The US was also found on three other significant things: football, baseball and basketball. These three sports have largely defined sport in America. Baseball that has been deemed “America’s pastime”, football and everything that goes with it (fantasy, Madden, etc.) and basketball has controlled media and attention in the US. The heroes of nation were the likes of Joe Montana, MagicJohnson, Larry Bird and Babe Ruth and events like the World Series, Super Bowl and the NBA Finals were the ultimate events in the sporting world. That’s what it meant to be an American sports fan; you loved football, baseball and basketball.

There have always been some understudies in the US sporting world like hockey or soccer, but those understudies have begun to steal some of the spotlight from the big three. Some obscure sports, for the US anyway, like soccer and rugby have begun to make a presence in the American culture. The World Cup has taken the nation by storm as fans of the United States don't just root for their national team, but make alliances with world players like Brazil, Spain and World Cup Champion Germany. Professional soccer in America, though not as strong as the leagues in Europe or South America, has been growing in popularity and competition over the last several years. Major League Soccer was established in 1993 and had ten teams. Now, 21 years later, MLS sports 20 teams in both the US and Canada. Despite being consider a lower competition league, MLS has been able to lure big names like David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey to play in the Northern American based league.

Why is soccer becoming more and more popular in the US? No doubt the concussion crisis related to football at both in amateur and professional levels has made parents more interested in having their children playing a sport that has less contact, but is there more to the story than that? High schools are communities are offering more options for soccer across the country. When I graduated high school there weren't any soccer teams in the 2A classification in Utah. Not, even three years later most 2A schools have soccer teams and the level of competition is really great. The opportunities are more numerous and therefore there are more participants. Now, instead of Derek Jeter or Peyton Manning being the only sports icon and sports "heroes", youngsters dream about being Tim Howard, Christiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi.

Soccer being more available isn't the only factor in the sports rise in America. The international factor brings in an element of patriotism, even if the US isn't winning the world cup. You also have to consider the state of profession and amateur sports in the US. On both the collegiate and professional level the big three sports in America are riddled with controversy, desperation and dishonesty. Poor character has led to the devaluation of athletes that once stood out as role models and now are perceived as pompous, spoiled and arrogant babies. Soccer provides a fresh take, and though soccer isn't without it's faults, it's a new aspect and option for the American sports fan.