Twitter has changed the athlete-fan relationship. Twitter provides a closer connection between fans and big-time athletes. When athletes share details of their most routine tasks, joys and frustrations, fans are interested. It gives the average Joe that feeling of “Hey, that guy is on TV but, other than being rich, athletic, and having more abs than I do fingers, he’s really no different than me.”
Twitter allows athletes to speak on their own terms in a 140 characters or less. Athletes like Shaquille O’Neal (Twitter ID: THE_REAL_SHAQ), Chad Ochocinco (OGOchoCinco), Serena Williams (serenajwilliams) and Lance Armstrong (lancearmstrong) all have over 450,000 followers. These four tireless tweeters make my All-Twitter team. But before this award ceremony gets too serious, let’s start by playing a game: Match the tweet to the athlete who wrote it!
The Tweets:
1. Did a short ride around NYC. Headed to Borders at penn station for a Comeback 2.0 signing. Last one in the city.
2. Yo momma so dumb that she went to an L.A. Clippers game to get a haircut.
3. Morning! I don't celebrate tksgiving, but I hope everyone has a great day today!!! X S
4. OCNN SPORTS NEWS: just got off the phone with Manny Paquiao, due to the fact I couldn't understand a word he said I can't report a damn thing.
The Athletes:
A. Shaquille O’Neal
B. Chad Ochocinco
C. Serena Williams
D. Lance Armstrong
Answer Key:
1-D, 2-A, 3-C, 4-B (Best tweet of all-time).
Lance Armstrong is an extraordinary athlete and individual. He beat cancer and then went on to win seven Tour de Frances. Even so, does that warrant an army of 2,000,000 Armstrong followers on Twitter? Perhaps fans are fascinated that he recently went for a bike ride, left a yoga class and –brace yourself— went to Borders for a book signing.
But beyond staying current with Armstrong’s bookstore appearances, why would anyone really want to be one of Armstrong’s 2 million followers? He will probably never read, reply, or follow your tweets. Rather, it is because twitter gives you a behind-the-scenes look at his life. Now you can tell your friends stories about Armstrong’s wacky Borders excursions. And knowing that Armstrong goes on bike rides on chilly days might make you feel better (or worse) about yourself.
“It keeps me updated with all the information flying around about them. It makes you feel like you know them a little more as an actual person and not just a public figure,” said Laycee Schmidtke, a 21 year old student who follows athletes on twitter.
Twitter is a convenience for athletes as well. Why get mobbed at Denny’s when you could charm millions in the comfort of your own mansion?
Chad Ochocinco might be the single most amusing tweeter. Ochocinco has turned himself into an athlete reporter. On Twitter, Ochocinco created the Ocho Cinco News Network (OCNN); you can now download the app to your I-phone. Ochocinco tweeted this OCNN news update “OCNN. Breaking News--the ROC is in the building, I ain't talking about Jay Z either, true followers know the news I'm breaking<--POW.” Followers of Ochocinco would have been the first to know that the Bengals signed free-agent RB Larry Johnson.
Ochocinco has even threatened to update twitter during games. At the beginning of this season the NFL addressed the twitter issue. The NFL issued a policy in a written release that says “coaches, players and football operations personnel are permitted under league policy and with club permission to use social media on game day during specific time periods before and after games... up to 90 minutes before kickoff and after the game following media interviews,"
Twitter can become an excellent marketing tool for professional sport leagues. And while the leagues must be wary of letting Twitter become a distraction, ten seconds of using their thumbs is not going to take away from an athlete’s performance. This is an opportunity for cash-conscious leagues to engage fans without paying a penny.
Twitter will change athlete-fan relationship forever. Our relationships with athletes are now strengthened, if only in our own little cyber fantasy worlds.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
A Pleasant Suprise
Getting an A on an exam you didn’t study for; Getting an extra jumbo shrimp in a five piece; Finding a dollar on the ground; The Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns game yesterday. All are examples of a pleasant surprise.
Both teams took the field with a 1-8 record. In what was considered to be the worst game of the year. Turns out the Lions 38-37 victory over the Browns was the most thrilling game of the year.
The Lions were led by the heroics of rookie Matthew Stafford. Stafford charged the Lions down the field with 1:48 left on the clock and no timeouts. With eight seconds left on the clock Detroit had the ball at the Cleveland 32. Stafford scrambled around swarming Cleveland defenders and delivered a hail mary pass to the end zone. The pass was intercepted by Brodney Poole but the interception was negated by a pass interference penalty. Stafford was injured on the play from a violent hit he took from 305 pound C.J. Mosley.
The ball was spotted on the one-yard line. Out came Stafford in came Culpepper. Then Cleveland coach Eric Mangini called a timeout to get the right personel on the field. Out came Culpepper in came Stafford. The rookie put himself back into the game. Stafford threw the game winning touchdown pass to rookie tight end Brandon Pettigrew. After the touchdown Stafford went to the sideline holding his shoulder in pain.
Stafford threw for an impressive 422 yards and five touchdowns. Becoming the youngest QB in NFL history to throw five touchdown passes in a game. More importantly, Stafford showed the toughness, and the grit this city has been looking for in a quarterback since Bobby Layne.
This was not just a meaningless win over the Browns. The Lions potentially avoided having the first pick in the draft. With a 2-8 record most fan bases would want their team to lose the rest of their games and lock up the first pick in the draft. The Lions can’t do that. They could not afford another guaranteed $40 million to a rookie.
This win also proved that the Lions have a bright future. It was the young talent that won the game yesterday. Stafford, Smith, Johnson, Pettigrew, and Delmas are players the Lions can take into the future.
Both teams took the field with a 1-8 record. In what was considered to be the worst game of the year. Turns out the Lions 38-37 victory over the Browns was the most thrilling game of the year.
The Lions were led by the heroics of rookie Matthew Stafford. Stafford charged the Lions down the field with 1:48 left on the clock and no timeouts. With eight seconds left on the clock Detroit had the ball at the Cleveland 32. Stafford scrambled around swarming Cleveland defenders and delivered a hail mary pass to the end zone. The pass was intercepted by Brodney Poole but the interception was negated by a pass interference penalty. Stafford was injured on the play from a violent hit he took from 305 pound C.J. Mosley.
The ball was spotted on the one-yard line. Out came Stafford in came Culpepper. Then Cleveland coach Eric Mangini called a timeout to get the right personel on the field. Out came Culpepper in came Stafford. The rookie put himself back into the game. Stafford threw the game winning touchdown pass to rookie tight end Brandon Pettigrew. After the touchdown Stafford went to the sideline holding his shoulder in pain.
Stafford threw for an impressive 422 yards and five touchdowns. Becoming the youngest QB in NFL history to throw five touchdown passes in a game. More importantly, Stafford showed the toughness, and the grit this city has been looking for in a quarterback since Bobby Layne.
This was not just a meaningless win over the Browns. The Lions potentially avoided having the first pick in the draft. With a 2-8 record most fan bases would want their team to lose the rest of their games and lock up the first pick in the draft. The Lions can’t do that. They could not afford another guaranteed $40 million to a rookie.
This win also proved that the Lions have a bright future. It was the young talent that won the game yesterday. Stafford, Smith, Johnson, Pettigrew, and Delmas are players the Lions can take into the future.
Monday, November 16, 2009
A Fantasy Owners Dream
Fantasy Football players dream about owning players going against the Detroit Lions. Yesterday, Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, and Sidney Rice combined for 60 fantasy points against the Lions. Sidney Rice had a career high 201 receiving yards and Brett Favre had a season high 344 passing yards.
In week one New Orleans Saints Quarter Back Drew Brees had a career day against the Lions. Brees threw 6 touchdown passes for 37 fantasy points. Brees single handedly beat my fantasy team that week. So yes, I might be a bit bitter.
Even when the Lions win, they are still giving up season high fantasy points. Santana Moss and Jason Campbell combined for 46 fantasy points in their week three loss to the Lions. How dare the Lions defense allow Campbell to score 20 plus fantasy points? Campbell was the difference between a win and a loss for me that week. Once again I am being a little bitter.
Lions starters have not put up good fantasy stats. Calvin Johnson and Kevin Smith were both projected to be taken in the first or second round of fantasy drafts. Both have been major fantasy busts. This season Calvin Johnson has only 53 points, 100 less than leader Reggie Wayne. Kevin Smith a projected top ten Running Back, is ranked 21st among Running Backs with 86 fantasy points.
The Detroit Lions have been turning average NFL players into that weeks fantasy stud. The Detroit Lions have given up the most fantasy points this season. If you need a position add, you should pick up a player going against the Lions. At this point, I would pick up a long snapper if he was starting against the Lions.
In week one New Orleans Saints Quarter Back Drew Brees had a career day against the Lions. Brees threw 6 touchdown passes for 37 fantasy points. Brees single handedly beat my fantasy team that week. So yes, I might be a bit bitter.
Even when the Lions win, they are still giving up season high fantasy points. Santana Moss and Jason Campbell combined for 46 fantasy points in their week three loss to the Lions. How dare the Lions defense allow Campbell to score 20 plus fantasy points? Campbell was the difference between a win and a loss for me that week. Once again I am being a little bitter.
Lions starters have not put up good fantasy stats. Calvin Johnson and Kevin Smith were both projected to be taken in the first or second round of fantasy drafts. Both have been major fantasy busts. This season Calvin Johnson has only 53 points, 100 less than leader Reggie Wayne. Kevin Smith a projected top ten Running Back, is ranked 21st among Running Backs with 86 fantasy points.
The Detroit Lions have been turning average NFL players into that weeks fantasy stud. The Detroit Lions have given up the most fantasy points this season. If you need a position add, you should pick up a player going against the Lions. At this point, I would pick up a long snapper if he was starting against the Lions.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Mid-season Review
“Progress is measured with wins,” said Head Coach Jim Schwartz. The Lions have one win half-way through the season. Progress from last year? Yes! But have the Lions really progressed at all?
In my opinion, they have. The Lions have showed the benefits and struggles of playing young talent. The Lions will benefit in the future by playing these players. But this year those players have struggled catching up to the speed of the pro game.
The Lions rookie starters include: QB Matthew Stafford, TE Brandon Pettigrew, Safety Louis Delmas, and LB Deandre Levy. All of them have gotten better every game.
Last week I called Pettigrew out, I apologize. Pettigrew caught his first career touchdown yesterday. He is now among Lions receiving leaders with 21 receptions for 239 yards. Not to mention he did not get much playing time at the beginning of the season. He has emerged as a legitimate threat at tight end.
Matthew Stafford did not have a good Sunday. I am still going to defend this guy even after he threw 5 interceptions. A lot of QB had terrible rookie seasons, Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions his rookie season. Stafford has all the raw tools to make it in this league at QB. And if the Lions could keep him and Calvin Johnson together; I see a bright future ahead for Stafford.
The Lions defense has slightly improved. I feel like they found two young leaders in Delmas and Levy. The two have combined for 82 tackles and each have made a fair amount of plays. Delmas is a candidate for defensive rookie of the year.
I am impressed with this years rookie class. But still not impressed with the Lions play thus far. They are not exceeding expectations, only meeting them. My mid-season grade for the Lions is a D +.
In my opinion, they have. The Lions have showed the benefits and struggles of playing young talent. The Lions will benefit in the future by playing these players. But this year those players have struggled catching up to the speed of the pro game.
The Lions rookie starters include: QB Matthew Stafford, TE Brandon Pettigrew, Safety Louis Delmas, and LB Deandre Levy. All of them have gotten better every game.
Last week I called Pettigrew out, I apologize. Pettigrew caught his first career touchdown yesterday. He is now among Lions receiving leaders with 21 receptions for 239 yards. Not to mention he did not get much playing time at the beginning of the season. He has emerged as a legitimate threat at tight end.
Matthew Stafford did not have a good Sunday. I am still going to defend this guy even after he threw 5 interceptions. A lot of QB had terrible rookie seasons, Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions his rookie season. Stafford has all the raw tools to make it in this league at QB. And if the Lions could keep him and Calvin Johnson together; I see a bright future ahead for Stafford.
The Lions defense has slightly improved. I feel like they found two young leaders in Delmas and Levy. The two have combined for 82 tackles and each have made a fair amount of plays. Delmas is a candidate for defensive rookie of the year.
I am impressed with this years rookie class. But still not impressed with the Lions play thus far. They are not exceeding expectations, only meeting them. My mid-season grade for the Lions is a D +.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Lions Have to Many Holes
I need to change the intro to my blog. I can’t dedicate it to the weekly progress of the Detroit Lions, when they continue to regress. Last Sunday the Lions missed the opportunity to pass the biggest loser torch to the St. Louis Rams. But the Rams refused it and ended their 17 game losing streak at Ford Field.
The things that hurt the Lions the most last Sunday was not having Calvin Johnson, and dropped passes. The Lions receivers were treating the football like it was a hot potato. Drive killing dropped passes are just not acceptable on Sundays.
This game proved that the Lions still have a lot of holes to patch. Even after years of high draft picks, they still don’t have an offensive line, defensive line, running game, passing game, etc.
The Lions are set on building around Stafford and Johnson. So much that they started the building process 19 picks after Stafford was drafted. Rookie TE Brandon Pettigrew has to start playing like the 20th pick in the draft.
Stafford is begging for another target. He even gave someone in the seats a chance to catch a ball on Sunday. I have a feeling that if the Lions are looking in the stands they'll continue looking in the draft.
The things that hurt the Lions the most last Sunday was not having Calvin Johnson, and dropped passes. The Lions receivers were treating the football like it was a hot potato. Drive killing dropped passes are just not acceptable on Sundays.
This game proved that the Lions still have a lot of holes to patch. Even after years of high draft picks, they still don’t have an offensive line, defensive line, running game, passing game, etc.
The Lions are set on building around Stafford and Johnson. So much that they started the building process 19 picks after Stafford was drafted. Rookie TE Brandon Pettigrew has to start playing like the 20th pick in the draft.
Stafford is begging for another target. He even gave someone in the seats a chance to catch a ball on Sunday. I have a feeling that if the Lions are looking in the stands they'll continue looking in the draft.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Lions Miss Out at Trade Deadline
I don't make many guarantees but I will guarantee that the Lions will not lose this weekend. As the trade deadline passed and with the Lions bye week approaching the Lions are sitting at a satisfying 1-5 record.
As usual, large expectations weren't met at the NFL trade deadline. No major deals were made. But did the Lions miss out on making a trade for their future?
One of the only players with any trade value is line backer Ernie Sims. It would of made a lot of sense to trade an underachieving Sims now that Rookie Deandre Levy has stepped up and played well.
Philadelphia gave up a rookie wide receiver(which the Lions could also use) and a fifth round draft pick to St. Louis in exchange for aging line backer Will Witherspoon. I'm not an N.F.L G.M, but I figure Ernie Sims is worth at least a mid-second or third round pick. Esspecially to a desperate Eagles defense.
Let's face the facts the Lions are not making the playoffs this year, and this is another rebuilding year. The Lions really missed out on a golden opportunity to improve for the future.
As usual, large expectations weren't met at the NFL trade deadline. No major deals were made. But did the Lions miss out on making a trade for their future?
One of the only players with any trade value is line backer Ernie Sims. It would of made a lot of sense to trade an underachieving Sims now that Rookie Deandre Levy has stepped up and played well.
Philadelphia gave up a rookie wide receiver(which the Lions could also use) and a fifth round draft pick to St. Louis in exchange for aging line backer Will Witherspoon. I'm not an N.F.L G.M, but I figure Ernie Sims is worth at least a mid-second or third round pick. Esspecially to a desperate Eagles defense.
Let's face the facts the Lions are not making the playoffs this year, and this is another rebuilding year. The Lions really missed out on a golden opportunity to improve for the future.
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