Sportsmen and social media – the lessons for business
England’s cricketers are the latest professional athletes to face the prospect of a ban from social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. What do sports organizations fear from social media? And what are the lessons for business from these high-profile ‘gag orders’?
Media reports in recent days suggest the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is nervous that players will let slip locker-room secrets or Tweet in anger about coaches’ decisions. It has some reason to be twitchy about Twitter – England’s under-19 team captain Azeem Rafiq Tweeted abuse about the coach after he was benched for disciplinary reasons this summer, and last year fast bowler Tim Bresnan Tweeted in somewhat unsportsmanlike language over an unflattering photo posted online.
Now England players face the prospect of new contracts which could ban social media use for 2010-11, during the hotly-contested “Ashes” series against Australia. Curiously, the Aussies have indicated a more relaxed approach – even though there was some panic in the camp last year, when batter Phil Hughes Tweeted that he had been benched for a game before that decision had been officially announced.
The ECB is not alone in its Twitter-phobia, of course. The NFL has a strict ban on Tweets during games – though players sometimes forget – and college football has followed the pro game’s lead. In Australian rugby, meanwhile, Penrith Panthers last month became the first NRL team to ban its players from social networks.
The fears are clear – players may complain about management, give away secrets or damage the organization’s reputation. And these are the same reasons certain unenlightened companies give for keeping their employees away from social networks. “If you’re Tweeting,” they argue, “you’re not working.” In fact, you could be working very effectively – by engaging with customers and potential customers.
Indeed, the more progressive companies will tell you that encouraging social media use among employees actually improves efficiency. Australia’s cricket captain Ricky Ponting would certainly fall into that camp: “It is your job as international players to promote the game and be the best you can for the game. And if we can use social networks, if that brings people closer to the game, brings people through the gates to play, then that’s what it is all about…. you won’t see us banning our players from doing that sort of stuff.”
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SMI writes:: Sportsmen and social media – the lessons for business http://bit.ly/bbIw2d
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Our new blog post for @socialinfluence on sport & #socialmedia http://bit.ly/bbIw2d Cases from #cricket #NFL #football #’rugbyleague
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Our new blog post for @socialinfluence on sport & #socialmedia http://bit.ly/bbIw2d Cases from #cricket #NFL #football #rugbyleague
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Sportsmen and social media – the lessons for business | SMI http://bit.ly/cp8d8J
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Sportsmen and social media – the lessons for business – England’s cricketers are the latest professional athletes to… http://ow.ly/18HCoT
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Sportsmen and social media – the lessons for business http://ow.ly/1qNZ16 #smm
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Sportsmen and #socialmedia: the lessons for business http://bit.ly/avFs33
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Why sportsmen fear #socialmedia – http://ow.ly/2us7C #cricket
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Another chance dropped in the slips?? http://bit.ly/avFs33
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[...] is an amended version of a blog post originally written for Social Media Influence and published on August 24 2010. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Social Media [...]
Sportsmen and social media – the lessons for business |http://bit.ly/dhkweo via @addthis #socialmedia #in
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Once again the ECB have got their priorities completely mixed up. We’re living in 2010 and social networks are a major component in today’s media. Given the lack of cricket coverage on terrestrial TV, the ECB should be grateful that the likes of Graeme Swann are raising the profile of the game through Twitter. Surely some simple guidelines should suffice around confidentiality, language, when to post and conduct towards other players, coaches etc.As to what the ECB should focus on? How about addressing the empty seats seen at our test arenas this summer? http://dtwles.wordpress.com/
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Sportsmen and social media – the lessons for business: http://j.mp/_cricket (via socialmediainfluence.com)
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Sportsmen and social media – the lessons for business http://ow.ly/1qNZ16
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Sportsmen and social media – the lessons for business http://ow.ly/1qNZ16
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Sports stars and social media – the benefits and issues: http://ow.ly/2x35E
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Sports stars and social media – the benefits and issues: http://ow.ly/2x34S
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[...] The indisputable force behind the twitterati, both tweeters and followers, is ever increasing and consequently could be viewed as an important device to publicise and generate publicity for sport. An encouragement of positive and morally correct cyber posting is being championed by progressive sporting organisations. Australian cricket captain, Ricky Ponting, shares this view of social networking sites as an important source of promotion, “It is your job as international players to promote the game and be the best you can for the game. And if we can use social networks, if that brings people closer to the game, brings people through the gates to play, then that’s what it is all about…. you won’t see us banning our players from doing that sort of stuff.” (http://socialmediainfluence.com/2010/08/24/sportsmen-and-social-media-the-lessons-for-business/) [...]
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