Social Media Influence On College Athletes

Along with the game, or match, as a whole being a factor in the social media changes, social media sites also help connect the athletes themselves with their fans. Social networking has become a large part in recruiting athletes at the collegiate level, along with their behavioral decisions while being a student athlete on campus. At the University of North Carolina, the scandal of a couple of football players posting inappropriate photos on Twitter became public due to UNC failing to monitor social media posts by their student athletes (Bowles np). Similarly, social media resulted in trouble for the University of Alabama after their decision to accept friend requests of potential recruits prior to the allowed date of contact (Bowles

Social media has made a massive impact on our culture. One of the areas that has not been affected is professional sports. In today’s world, professional sports teams and players from around the world use social media to connect with their global fan bases. Sports teams attempt to build a larger, stronger fan base by engaging fans through social media sites. Additionally, social media sites allow professional athletes to increase their marketability. However, they can also severely damage their career, personal life, and their ‘brand’ if they do not handle their social media interactions with care (Van Schaik). Twitter and Facebook allow teams and

inspire young people to work hard so that their efforts can pay off, but no one

Athletes have been protesting in ways which are frowned upon by the government. Athletes should use their fame to promote a political agenda because everybody has an opinion.In the article, “The athlete as agent of change,” by Lonnie Bunch and David Skorton, athletes use their fame to promote a political agenda. In this article, Bunch and Skorton list the ways that athletes silently protest in sports. Ways that listed include athletes turning their back on the flag, kneeling during the national anthem, and refusing to salute the flag. These actions show that the athlete may be opposing America and by doing this, their opinion is shown. Athletes’ opinions are very powerful because athletes are often mentors or inspirations to their fans which

Although they’re famous, professional athletes should not be using this status as a way to make people protest. You can make a difference too, no matter what your status is. Together, we can make the world a better

“The number of coaches and teams who don't allow players to use social media has decreased in recent years[…]as coaches realize that many players will use them anyway(Deshazo 2).” Social media has become one of the easiest ways to speak your mind and have your voice heard. However, with power comes responsibility, if athletes are not extremely careful about what they choose to announce, it can be dangerous for their career. There has been a numerous amount of cases where an athlete post or says something that they should not have and it costs them their career. Social media can be dangerous for athletes because it can ruin their good reputation and it can become a huge distraction to their career.

While there is definitely plenty of blame to go around, the Pacers-Pistons brawl has raised more than just questions over who is the culprit. Media pundits want to know who are the victims? Are the victims America's families who can no longer attend a professional sporting event without the fear of it erupting in violence? Are the victims teenagers and adolescent children who wear number 91 Artest jerseys because they idolize him as a player? Are the victims those professional athletes who have worked hard to promote sportsmanship and integrity in their sports, only to see one of their own tarnish the whole profession? The Pacers-Pistons brawl has all the right ingredients for a good debate. The incident is squarely at the intersection where sports, culture, values and politics all meet. In this age of mediated sports stars it is hard to push aside the action of our athletes. We can no longer view them as being trivial to our society, especially when their actions are as visible and as jarring as the ones that occurred last November. The visibility of our athletes is unquestioned. With multiple 24-hour cable sports channels, national sporting magazines and nationally syndicated call-in sports radio shows, sports have become a dominate fixture in American society. We worship our athletes. What's not to worship? More than their Hollywood counterparts athletes get tagged with the role model

Protesting is one of the most elevated forms of patriotism and for some time, athletes have been using their fame to protest and promote a political agenda. This is mostly due to the high population that follows them and listens to athletes. In the opinion article,”Athlete as Agent of Change”, written by Lonnie Bunch and David Skorton, it describes how athletes are basically representatives and the voice of the people. It is because of their fame and accomplishments that people look up to them for inspiration. It is because of this that athletes should use their fame to promote a political agenda.

Professional athletes making political statements and sharing thoughts on their viewed social issues has been around since games were first being broadcasted and gave these athletes a stage to make a stand. Along with those actions entered debate for sports fans who are stuck between whether athletes should or should not share their views on things “bigger than sports”.This has been missing from professional sports in recent decades but is now slowly once again becoming relevant. The presidency of Donald Trump along with Colin Kaepernick’s taking a knee to protest the national anthem are the two main reasons for the

Pro athletes have not gone to far because it is good to keep in conversation. The article states, “the important thing that Kaepernick and others have done is to keep it in conversation” (Wendel 2). President Barack Obama recently said that what Smith and Carlos may have been controversial at that time. To explain, people are

Athletes should use their status to protest current events.Athletes shouldn't use their status to protest current events.Professionals athletes have rights to protest what they feel strongly about.

In addition, athletes in the past have been a positive role model for athletes and young people, today. Just like President Barack Obama recently said about Tommie Smith and John Carlos holding black fists up during the award ceremony, “What Tommie Smith and John Carlos did may have been controversial at the time, but it created opportunity for future generations.” This means that the athletes, in the past, that spoke out against their disbeliefs, set an example for present athletes, and how to get their point across, but at the same time being a role model for young people. Furthermore, since athletes are already on a bigger stage, when they speak out, they are allowing us, as a nation, to see our flaws, so we can unite together and change it. When Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the national anthem, it was part of the Black Lives Matter movement, and it helped our nation come together to find a solution. By doing this, our

Not only has the media created celebrity heroes they have made then seem untouchable. For example, Ray Lewis superstar linebacker of the champion ship team Baltimore Ravens. Lewis portrayed as a staunch, Christian, and an example for other to follow. This stands in contrast to the same person who was charged with homicide in 2000 after a club brawl in Atlanta left two men dead (Bisciotti,S 2013). The charges against Lewis were ultimately reduces as part of a plea deal. Families of the victims received over one million dollars in compensation from Lewis. Lewis has been a role model since this incident. It goes to prove that although everyone can change their lives, the label of hero, is too readily dished out to athletes and sports figures.

Are we becoming less human with the passing of each day? Have we become too dependent on technology, specifically social media? In this day and age, people have different views on social media. They question its true purpose and its effect on society as a whole. With that said, although there are many thoughts concerning the topic/trend of social media something that is undoubtedly true is that social media plays an active role in the lives of the majority of people. Whether in a positive or negative way, social media influences the lives of all people. However this paper focuses on the effect of social media on college students. It addresses both the positive and negative effects of social media on those in college; focusing on a student’s academic efficiency, social interactive skills, and overall productivity.

"Politics has come to be considered not only inappropriate in the arena of sports, but actually antithetical to it," Zirin says. "We want so much to see sports solely as an arena of play, not seriousness. But here's the thing, this can cheapen not only the greatness and relevance of sports to us as a society, but also the courage of the athletes" (The Nation). The pursuit of fame, wealth and status can blind the human conscious, which is why it is important for us to encourage athletes to speak their minds. As a nation, we should not silence the athletes, because it is the truly courageous athletes who have the audacity to stand up when it’s not popular. Sports should be used as a platform for a certain kind of politics: militarism,