A Change of Focus and Riding the Social Media Wave

     “When my kids used to run, I would often warn them not to be careful not to trip or fall. Why would I say that? That’s like saying ‘don’t think of purple elephants!’ If they are focused on not tripping, they’re probably going to trip. I tried to change how I talked to them. When they started running, I’d say ‘Yes, Run! Keep going! Run fast! Run far!’ It has been several years since I heard this story from an enthusiastic professor and yet I can still what she said almost word for word. It has been a source of repeated reflection even for me even after completing her class. I think it stuck with me because it rang so true to me. We often feel a need to focus our attention on obstacles and challenges rather than opportunities.

     As I’ve been reading story after story in the news about social media policies in sports, this story keeps coming to my mind. Almost every policy seems to be designed to prevent problems and avoid embarrassment. While there is no doubt social media can cause problems for sports organizations; continually framing social media as a problem to be contained paints a negative picture in the minds of users of what social media is meant to do. In other words, it seems that constant focus on the problem may in fact perpetuate the problem. I want to be clear, I am not saying that problems shouldn’t be addressed and prevented, but I do think they should not constitute the central focus of policy writing and user education.

     I think more will come from embracing social media and training on how to do it right than in trying to ban or teach the do-nots. There are all kinds of opportunities that sports organizations could tap into with social media. While one author suggests some simple and practical guidelines for problem prevention, he also argues that organizations should focus on positive social media use by employees. Colgate University has started to focus social media training on what should be said instead of what shouldn’t be. They emphasize the powerful tool that social media can be for individual athletes and the school.

     It is obvious that social media is going to continue to integrate into all aspects of sports. Twitter and other media is growing as a major source of endorsement andadvertising income for athletes. In 2011, Twitter reported that 50% of NFL players and 75% of NBA players are on the site. I can only guess what that number is now, three years later. Sports organizations who want to be successful are going to need to learn how to use social media in a positive way. There are a few great examples of effective sports social media that are interesting to read about. The Cleveland Indians, LA Kings, Atlanta Hawks, and WWE have all received attention for their innovative approach to social media. 

     Others are going to need to follow the lead of organizations like these and become more innovative in using social media rather than trying to control it. With a huge wave like social media approaching the sports world, it will be interesting to see the difference between those who try to constrain it and those who choose to ride it.