Players walk fine line between branding and revealing too much. Jack Bechta
Just about every big name in pro football has an active Twitter account – Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, Commissioner Roger Goodell, Chad Ochocinco, Drew Brees, agent Drew Rosenhaus and others. I would estimate that many players also have Facebook accounts or their own personal websites. Tim Tebow has a Twitter account and website for his foundation.
As an agent, I’ve been bombarded lately with solicitations from companies wanting to build websites for my clients and manage their social media. More and more players are tip-toeing into the social media sphere trying to build their brands and images independent from their teams, agencies and the players’ union, which has its own marketing arm.
Even though more pro athletes are tweeting and sharing their every move via the electronic highway, it comes with risk. For one thing, coaches and GMs hate it. Although Carroll learned and mastered the ability to have fun, be social and run a winning college program, I’m not so sure how it will translate to the NFL stage. There are 31 other head coaches who don’t get it or care to get it (I’m unaware of any other coaches who tweet). Can you imagine how upset Patriots coach Bill Belichick might be if one of his players tweets that he’s hurt but is going to play anyway? Or the tongue lashing Steelers coach Tomlin would give one of his players who gave the upcoming opponent some bulletin-board material? I guarantee you that Dolphins president Bill Parcells would cut a player or fire a coach who said too much about his team’s private business.
All of my rookie clients who just returned from their first minicamp were briefed on what they should and shouldn’t say to the media. One team even told its players that they should “think twice” before tweeting or talking about their experiences in minicamp. Twitter, Facebook and other outlets makes coaches and GMs a little nervous. I know of one GM and ownernship group who have grown so irritated and tired of their top players’ social efforts that they decided to clean house of those individuals. The team has already recently parted ways with three players and has its sights set on several more it would like to see go. The brass simply feels that their players’ focus should be 100 percent on winning and not be distracted on building their own brand.
From an agent’s perspective, I advise my young clients to keep a low profile initially until they’ve proven their value in the league. I’m a big believer in personal exposure, but it has to come in a form that’s beneficial to the fan base first. Give to the fans and they’ll give back to you.
As my clients get older and more established, I encourage them to start building their brand by leveraging their NFL status so it will help them segue into another career such as broadcasting. One player, not my client, who has done a great job of this is Redskins tight end Chris Cooley with chriscooley47.com. Although Chris may ruffle the feathers of the ‘Skins front office once in a while, his content is a reveal to fans and for the fans, so he’s forever embraced and appreciated by them.
There’s no doubt that social media is here to stay, but it’s just a matter of time before the NFL looks to muzzle it once a player has crossed the line and gone too far.
Follow me on Twitter: @jackbechta
Its funny cause at the end of this article you say, "Follow me on twitter..."
Thanks Jack!
I HATE marketers, branding, twitter, ads, commercials, logos that are on everything,any company that uses the word "experience" in their commercials cause things like talking on the phone or searching the web, etc....is not an experience, having an experience is like running a marathon, vacation to another country or going to see the Pope. It isn't eating at a restaurant or driving a car to work or to the store. Most of those social medias are for 14yr old girls who use aol & is in love w/the Jonas Bros.. Who cares if you & your g/f had a fight or who cares if you're making pancakes for the first time, who cares if you're not happy that you're not getting a $30 million bonus & because of that you can't feed your family & you feel dissed. Who cares if you're being cyberbullied & you & your parents don't know what to do so they might go on the news to make people aware. How about ignoring it as if it was spam & deleting the emails & messages, is it really that difficult, snowflake? We just don't care.
I agree that there should be some rules for social media when you are part of a big business. Sports leagues and any other big business should start laying down some guidelines right now. How about imposing fines on players when they go against one of these rules, just like any of the other fined rules? No social media 24 hours before game day and until the game is over. Let the coaches and other personnel say who's injured and what the status of their team is, as those are the coaches' decisions. There are just as many mental games in sports these days as well as the physical aspects!
Morrison had a facebook page, right?
people who twit are gay
gah! David Long, get it right...twitter posting = "tweets"...that is way more masculine, um uh yeah..riiiiight.
"It is better to sit and say nothing so people will wonder in awe or begin talking and prove to all what an ass one is."
Benjiman Franklin
Initially, I didn't really get Twitter (in the same way that many of the above posts don't seem to get it), but given time, I've realized that it can be a very interesting platform and insight into otherwise inaccessible people. It certainly gives the players control over the message they send. If a tweet generates controversy, the player can't claim they were misquoted or taken out of context.
Certain players have more to say than others, and those are the ones to follow. Relentless self-promotion or listing the minutia of a day are two pitfalls that many athletes fall into, but others reveal a thoughtful side that adds to the 'experience' (that one's for you, Sirscorps) of cheering for them on the field. For example, I *like* Domonique Foxworth as a person based on his tweets. He comes across as a thoughtful, positive guy whose horizons extend far beyond the playbook. It's a side of him that doesn't come through with traditional media, and this has made me a fan of him, not just the team he plays on. If he leaves the Ravens, I'll cheer for him wherever he ends up (unless it's Pittsburgh or Indy, of course).
I guess it's just nice to hear the players voices directly. Sure, they have an agenda just like everyone else in pro sports, be they media, owners, coaches, or front office staff. But as a Ravens fan, I have a Jonathon Ogden jersey, not Mike Preston or Roger Goodell or Ozzie Newsome or John Harbaugh or Steve Bisciotti. As much as I respect all those guys, it's the players on the field that make the NFL what it is. What's wrong with hearing what they have to say? As much as some coaches seem to wish they were robots (*cough*Belichick*cough*), they're not.
`Sides, cell phones and that sort of rot eat into my fishing time! I'm married, why shought I pay more to get harrassed more? The old lady is never off her "listening device". At home it's even better `cause se has two seperate phones!
Semioras!
Maybe Cooley did reveal, just a little bit too much.
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Isn't this topic akin to people that win lotteries and end up in bankruptcy? I couldn't imagine what it would be like to suddenly have no financial limits in sight.
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Great post! Social media is large part of our world today, but I have no issue with it. My favorite aspect of coaches and athletes using social media is the fact that you feel like you are interacting with said player or coach.
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May 05, 2010
05:08 PM
there's the famous quote by the social savvy Bill Belichick warning his team; as told by Heath Evans:
"stay off pagebook and myface"
heh heh