Let me start out today by simply saying that I HATE TWITTER. I believe Twitter does nothing but feed the ego maniacal, narcissistic individuals who use it, and that it is an utterly useless way to spend one's time. That being said, I am glad to know the NFL has fined Bengals' wide receiver, Chad Ochocinco, $25,000 for Tweeting during Cincinnati's preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The NFL rules on the matter very clearly state that players are allowed to post on social networking sites up to 90 minutes before kickoff, and cannot resume posting until they have fulfilled all postgame media commitments. Chad posted a Tweet at 6:50 p.m. and another at 9:53 p.m. These times would have no significance but for the fact that the game kicked off at 8:07 p.m. And if my public school math skills are correct, the first Tweet is in direct violation of the 90-minute rule, and the second Tweet occurred during the game, which is simply unethical.
Tweeting during a game is wrong in so many ways, but the pregame Tweet may be even worse. Chad's time could have been spent with the coaching staff, or his fellow receivers, but instead he was hiding in his locker, Blackberry in hand. And just think of the message he is sending to his teammates, by Tweeting when they are on the field trying to win a football game. I know it's just a preseason game, but there are guys on the field who are still fighting for roster spots, so maybe a team veteran like Chad should be paying attention. Ocho may just be able to give these young players some tips or advice if he weren't so concerned with his followers knowing that he doesn't appreciate being hit so hard in a preseason game.
Personally, I don't hate Chad Ochocinco. In fact, I happen to think he is a great football player, and an even better entertainer; but he deserved to be fined $25,000. The NFL needed to set a precedent for cases such as this, in order to ensure it will never happen again. And it may seem a bit melodramatic to make Twitter out to be some evil entity, but one can only imagine how out of hand it could get if left unchecked. Would it really make the viewing experience better if in the fourth quarter of a Vikings game, Brett Favre's followers could be privy to insight such as “Dang, missed Percy on the slant. Could have won the game. Buy some Wranglers.” So what Chad has to realize is that when he puts on that orange and black jersey, he's at work, and you don't need to be Tweeting at work; especially when a 245-pound linebacker is going to try to take your head off in an hour-and-a-half.
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I want him to catch a pass one-handed while tweeting with the other hand.
ReplyDeletetwitter is terrible ... and being fined 25,000 bucks for tweeting is funny, and yes he deserved it... do your job... im sure your fans would rather see you out on the field, even be it on the sidelines instead of socializing via the web... funny how the internet runs our lives so much.
ReplyDeleteI want to know why he thought Tweeting about being hit hard was so important it simply could not wait until after the game. I mean...what was the point?
ReplyDeleteI agree though, it sends a terrible message to fellow teammates and says even worse things about your own work ethic
Lots of Love,
~*Ery*~
"I believe Twitter does nothing but feed the ego maniacal, narcissistic individuals who use it, and that it is an utterly useless way to spend one's time." This is true but as you stated...you think he's a good entertainer and Tweeting is an excellent way to market oneself. What I don't understand is who are the Knuckleheads that follow these people on Twitter...people that hang on every Twit are Twits!!
ReplyDeleteMy biggest concern overall is the integrity of the game. Allowing players to have any electronic equipment on the field during games should be unacceptable. With the problems that sports has had with gambling in the past it is inevitable that we will here some sports figure was placing bets or passing on information to others who were betting during a game.