ESPN Shows College Basketball Players Twitter Names During TV Coverage
Twitter and other social media sites are becoming ingrained in the media and advertising associated with college sports. In a giant leap forward with this integration, ESPN has recently posted the Twitter account names of the basketball players of the game they were covering.
I first read the story over on Fieldhouse Media, a company that seeks to educate college athletes and programs on how to properly use social media and Twitter. We cover a lot of stories about how athletes or coaches are getting in trouble because of Twitter. The facts is social media is not going to go away, and I genuinely like the approach of Fieldhouse Media. They teach you to embrace social media and learn how to use it properly rather than try and control it through restrictions.
Advice for Recruits on Social Media
I wanted to share some advice for recruits on social media and Twitter. Over on our Twitter account handle, @Athnet, we get a lot of questions from recruits, and we answer them as soon as possible. When we answer a good question, we try and follow those athletes. We are seeing so many young student athletes using Twitter like their own private conversation with friends, and you need to understand these conversations are broadcast to the world.
You might not end up with your Twitter handle on ESPN while you are playing college sports, but coaches and future employers are searching your online profiles to learn more about you. Making insensitive, abusive, or inappropriate comments will catch up to you. The solution is not to stay away from Twitter or any other social media but to apply some basic control.
Social Media Has too Many Benefits in the Recruiting Process Not to Use It
Following your potential teams on Twitter and Facebook can help you get to know them better. This will lead to you choosing a program that is the best fit for you. However, you have to treat your status updates and tweets like a college coach is going to read them.
If you have any questions about what you should be doing on social media, read some of the blogs over at Fieldhouse Media or ask for help in the comments section below. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+!