Do we make too much of Twitter rants against athletes? @cbrennansports thinks so. ow.ly/l4G5k

—
Kevin DeShazo (@KevinDeShazo) May 15, 2013

It’s not so much the tweet but the story link that has captured my attention. Here’s the headline:

Brennan: Too much made of Twitter rants on athletes

In a USA Today article, columnist Christine Brennan discusses the recent epidemic of fans harassing athletes on Twitter. For clarification and the sake of this column, I will call it harassing. Because that’s what it is as evidenced by some of the tweets directed this week at highly sought after basketball recruit,Andrew Wiggins.

Rumors were that Wiggins was headed to Florida State. No, make that Kentucky. Rumors of where only heightened fans interest in his decision. When he decided yesterday to attend the University of Kansas, non-Kansas fans let loose with their venom according to this article from Sports Grid.

From Brennan,

18-year-old Canadian high school basketball sensation Andrew Wiggins, who on Tuesday picked Kansas over Florida State, Kentucky and North Carolina.

This decision of course did not please fanatics who follow those other three schools, so they did what any red-blooded, hot-headed sports fan does these days and jumped on Twitter to call a high school senior every awful name and slur imaginable. Internet stories then were written quoting some of the most egregious comments, thereby giving those who tweeted them a great victory: mainstream media validation.

One thing Brennan gets right in the paragraph above, they “jumped on Twitter to call a high school senior ever awful name and slur imaginable”. Fan behavior can sometimes be, shall we say, deplorable, especially on Twitter.

She continues:

It is at this point in the story where you would figure we all should throw up our hands and talk about how the civilized sports world as we know it is coming to an end and how any semblance of intelligent discourse about sports is over.

But let’s look a little deeper into several of the particularly awful tweets about Wiggins. I’m not going to name the accounts they came from, and no family newspaper would ever quote the words they used, but there is other information we can use to judge their impact, their reach and their so-called clout.

The focus in the remainder of Brennan’s article is on the effectiveness of these tweets (follower numbers, etc.). That, in itself, misses part of the beauty of Twitter: communication. As Kevin DeShazo of Fieldhouse Media points out in his rebuttal article:

How many Twitter followers these idiots (I won’t call them fans) have isn’t the issue. They aren’t trying to be “worldwide social commentators.” They are sending tweets with Wiggins’ Twitter handle, meaning they want Wiggins to see the tweets. Hateful, awful, violent, racist tweets. And he does. Whether or not the world does is irrelevant.

Fans are communicating their feelings at athletes, teams and media in ways we’ve never seen on this massive of a scale. I know this because I’ve written on it here, here and here to highlight just a few. Fans can be passionate without hatred. We can trash-talk without bitterness. We can love our teams without disparaging, threatening or telling others to go kill themselves, when our team loses. We don’t have to behave this way.

But fans have turned their love of teams/schools into part of their identity. Every loss, every recruit-rejection becomes an affront to the individual fan. Fans take it personally and lash out. And because of that aforementioned beauty of Twitter, fans lash out AT the affronting individual as if it was a “personal” rejection of the fan themselves.

And that, ultimately, is the point missed by Ms. Brennan. Twitter has enabled some fans to go far beyond what they would do in person or at a game. Flipping an athlete off is one thing (yeah, I’m looking at you Miami Heat lady). But tweets filled with hatred, racial epithets and wishes of harm are inexcusable. To let it go unchallenged, is to condone its acceptance. The only way fan behavior will change is to challenge it. For far too long, the rules have simply been to make fun of “fanatics” or ignore them. That was before we had the tools necessary to police ourselves as fans. We have Twitter. We have blogs. We have Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Google+, etc. Public forums where we fans can say enough already.

Challenging fan behavior isn’t providing “media validation”. It’s simply saying: 

Be Better!

***

CadChica Sports

I came across a tweet in my NFL list today that was intriguing.

...More on sources--you cannot "make up" a source; cite another published report as your "source"...and finally... #fb

—
Jim Saccomano (@broncos_sacco) May 15, 2013

Quickly it was followed by this

...You cannot say "my sources say..." when in fact you have none and are just fishing around. When you do that, it is lazy, inept... #fb

—
Jim Saccomano (@broncos_sacco) May 15, 2013

Sources can be a (wait for it) source of consternation among many in the sports media Twitterverse. As such, I retweeted the above two tweets.

But the tweets continued. One, however, stood out among others:

And by the way, creating own web site does not make you a journalist; that guy often reads like one who cuts his own hair... #fb

—
Jim Saccomano (@broncos_sacco) May 15, 2013

It goes without saying that there is obviously more going on that we don’t know about behind the tweets. Something sure set him off to tweet/post on Facebook that diatribe about journalism.

No, what I’m more interested in what was said about bloggers.

For a number of years, I’ve felt that there was a lack of a knowledgeable (aka: reasonable) fan voice to the sports conversation. Too many times you hear the ‘idiots’ get on sports radio or are laughed at on Twitter as what’s representative of the sports fan. That, for me, is far from the case. Radio is a little more selective than Twitter as producers can decide who gets on the air. Often times, it’s the ranting/raving lunatics that get air-time (think: ratings).  Twitter allows for anyone, and I do mean anyone, to have a voice.

That’s why I started this blog. It’s one thing to tweet 140 characters of what you feel. It’s another thing to put your sports opinions out there on a blog. Although I’m technically “in media’, at my core I’m just a fan. And at their core, bloggers are fans too.

***

The fan voice is getting more and more powerful. Why else would sites like SB Nation and Bleacher Report become such prominent members of the sports media industry? Fans want a voice. And fans are the backbone of those two sites which is probably why Deadspin, et al, have added Community-type pages where regular folks can be contributors.

Contributors who are non-journalists.

Non-journalists who do not have a journalism degree AND are not paid to write on “blogs” or sites. Non-journalists who believe that there is an unheard voice in the mass conversation that is the sports landscape. Non-journalists who what they lack in education make up for with passion. Non-journalists who know that despite the odds, there is a place for them if they write responsibly, ethically, analytically, and diligently.

See, I’m a non-journalist. I didn’t go to college. I don’t have the degree. I haven’t toiled at a newspaper. But, I like to put that I went to the:

University of Life

School of Hard Knocks

Degree in Common Sense

In this day and age, common sense can be a forgotten trait. But as I’ve transitioned from the corporate world to sports media, it’s come in more often than you can imagine. Common sense helps me to know when something should be reported (tweeted or retweeted). Common sense guides me in who I should trust or for that matter, follow on Twitter. Common sense has taught me to use my instincts with interview questions or topics to write.

And common sense combined with an uncompromising work ethic is what I have built this blog on. It’s what I’ve used to gain what I hope is respect in this business.

Despite not having that title of “journalist”.

***

CadChica Sports

On Monday, the round of 16 competitors were announced on Twitter.

The #NHL14CoverVote Round of 16 matchups are NOW LIVE! See if your player made it: nhl.com/covervote

—
EA SPORTS NHL (@EASPORTSNHL) May 06, 2013

No better time to do so than right in the middle of the NHL Playoffs, right? Attention on hockey is at its peak during the playoffs. And oh did they start with a bang.Two of the three games on opening night went to overtime (Chicago over Minnesota, 2-1 and St. Louis over Los Angeles, also 2-1).

Starting off with exciting games is a great way to garner attention to your sport. Well, that, and social media, which is one of the ways EA Sports and the NHL are spreading the word (and utilizing votes) for this year’s cover vote. According to this article on The Sports Network’s (TSN) website:

The NHL 14 Cover Vote will also be promoted prominently on TSN’s official accounts on

Facebook and on Twitter using the hashtag #NHL14Cover.

While the hashtag #NHL14Cover hasn’t itself generated much buzz, it’s the variation added to it that has drawn my attention.

Via EA Sports

Teams, fans, and a certain celebrity we know, have taken to Twitter since Monday to show their support for their favorite player. And today, on double-your-vote Thursday, it’s been especially prevalent:

#NHL14Cover Twitter voting counts as double today. RT this message to vote for @PKSubban1 #NHL14Subban

—
Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) May 09, 2013

3 Cups should get @MartinBrodeur of @NHLDevils on the #NHL14Cover! Have you voted today? #NHL14Brodeur Vote more: bit.ly/ZBO0FU

—
Lindzi Bernier (@NHLDevilsfan) May 09, 2013

So lets get my boy Seguin on this NHL 14 cover. Everyone tweet using the hashtag #NHL14Seguin

—
Marchyyyyyy (@MarchyProbs) May 09, 2013

RT if YOU want #NHL14Bobrovsky on the cover of @EASPORTSNHL 14! #CBJ #nhl14covervote http://t.co/n5qECdN1JG

—
NHL Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) May 09, 2013

---> "@Oprah Vote Wayne Simmonds for NHL 14 Cover! #NHL14Simmonds"

—
Flyers Nation (@FlyersNation) May 09, 2013

Lead team Canada to the IIHF finals @Matt9Duchene you deserve the #NHL14COVER prove yourself once again #NHL14DUCHENE #canadian #beauty

—
lando (@lando191) May 10, 2013

If you do want a goalie on the cover of @EASPORTSNHL 14, help out #Lumbus and vote #NHL14Bobrovsky! #NHL14Kopitar

—
LA Kings (@LAKings) May 09, 2013

This is why Subban should be on the NHL 14 cover #NHL14Subban

—
Jordan (@Jordean88) May 09, 2013

That last tweet occurred shortly after P.K. Subban scored a goal for the Montreal Canadiens in tonight’s game against the Ottawa Senators. The lone bright spot tonight for Habs fans. As of this posting, they were losing 4-1. Sorry, Habs fans.

***

Hockey fans are a passionate bunch. Some might say they’ve gone a little overboard with their tweets but hey, it’s all about their “man” on the cover:

@mylesblackned Yeah, imagine my twitter updates with my other #Avs followers lol sorry man but doing my part to get my player on #NHL14COVER

—
Matthew Salt (@SaltMatthew) May 10, 2013

And if it’s not “their” player?

I will not buy #NHL14 if Martin Brodeur is on the cover. #NHL14Datsyuk

—
Chris Scott (@CScottRun1) May 10, 2013

Passion, however, can only go to 140 characters:

#NHL14Tavares #NHL14Tavares #NHL14Tavares #NHL14Tavares #NHL14Tavares #NHL14Tavares #NHL14Tavares #NHL14Tavares #NHL14Tavares #NHL14Tavares

—
Cord Lehman (@CordLehman) May 09, 2013

Small details, like who is in the running, doesn’t diminish passion:

@GrantGrader35 he's not even in for the running anymore #awksauce #nhl14jvr

—
Sawyer Mayne (@SoyaSauce79) May 10, 2013

Although Twitter votes count double today, it isn’t the only hashtag being used to spread the word. That certain celebrity I mentioned earlier? Yeah, her husband’s pretty resourceful on YouTube:

But we’ll let Carrie have the last word here in this tweet from last week (to help get him to the round of 16):

Wouldn't YOU want to see this face on the cover of #NHL14CoverVote #NHL14Fisher http://t.co/dFuq8LuPOf

—
Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood) May 02, 2013

***

CadChica Sports

***

For anyone who has been on Twitter long enough, you’ve come across either someone tweeting something “controversial” or a Twitter fight. The smallest of slights can turn into a rage against the Twitter-machine.

Or, the smallest of rages can turn into the biggest of slights according to Twitterazzi. Just ask Brad Keselowski.

***

This past weekend’s NASCAR race at Talladega Super Speedway was eventful, to say the least. Dogged by rain and crashes, the intrigue grew as organizers and drivers raced (no pun intended) against the clock and Mother Nature to finish before rain and darkness hit the area.

Nearing the end of the race, a wreck involving 16 cars caused further delay to the race. Tensions were mounting. A restart was called for after the crash. Once it was all said and done, however, David Regan from small-team Front Row Sports, was the big winner of the day.

That restart and finish prompted these tweets from Brad Keselowski:

Me thinks if someone looked at what happened on that restart they might feel differently about that finish.

—
Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) May 06, 2013

mad as hell about that finish. We were suppose to line up 10th when the 34 switched lanes entering 3 before green. That lane won. BS

—
Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) May 06, 2013

Reaction was swift on Twitter. A sampling of fan reaction:

Needless to say, Keselowski didn’t win any fans that day. Not that he was looking to do so, because obviously he wasn’t.

 But was what he tweeted okay? Are any of us free to tweet whatever we feel like? I’m all for (relatively speaking), athletes tweeting what they want in terms of opinions, or in the case of Brad Keselowski, your feelings after an event like this.

It is, however, a fine line. Not to go all-scientific on you but “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”. Again, if you’ve spent time long enough on Twitter, it’s safe to say that it applies there too.

***

We can tweet what we want but there can be consequences to what we tweet. Not everyone thinks or holds the same beliefs/ideals as you do. We all know that but I think Twitter has helped highlight our differences in a 140-character way. Robert Griffin III found that out recently just like Keselowski did:

In a land of freedom we are held hostage by the tyranny of political correctness

—
Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) April 30, 2013

Retweeted over 13 thousand times, reaction became a mixed bag of confusion as to its intent or…irritation:

Oh shut up. RT @RGIII In a land of freedom, we are held hostage by the tyranny of political correctness.

—
Aaron Nagler (@Aaron_Nagler) April 30, 2013

Why don't you sit this next one out, champ... RT @RGIII: In a land of freedom we are held hostage by the tyranny of political correctness

—
Michael Schottey (@Schottey) April 30, 2013

Won't someone help this poor, oppressed QB? RT @RGIII: In a land of freedom we are held hostage by the tyranny of political correctness

—
Darin Gantt (@daringantt) April 30, 2013

Certainly aware of the response, RGIII tried to explain further:

Tyranny has not just 1 meaning.

—
Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) April 30, 2013

Tyranny- "a condition imposed by some outside agency or force <living under the tyranny of the clock" or political correctness....

—
Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) April 30, 2013

Even this one…

If we speak..we say it the wrong way If we do not speak we are cowards....

—
Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) May 01, 2013

…didn’t satisfy some:

@RGIII A third option: you're an idiot.

—
brian donovan (@thebriandonovan) May 01, 2013

***

Which brings me back to the question: Are we free to tweet what we want? In daily life, our actions and words can sometimes be misunderstood, misconstrued or they can be big-time screw-ups. We’ve all done it. Hopefully, when we screw up, we atone for it, apologize and grow from it. It appears Brad Keselowski has:

#NASCAR … Brad Keselowski apologizes to David Ragan & his fans for Twitter comments after Talladega race: bradracing.com/news/open-lett…

—
Dustin Long (@dustinlong) May 07, 2013

The apology from his website:

Key statements in his apology, for me: “I was very passionate about the finish because I thought we had a chance to win the race if I restarted the race in the 10th position instead of ninth. Passion is a very important characteristic to a champion driver. That passion is not something I will apologize for.”

Keselowski apologized. Despite fans attacking him, he apologized for his Twitter rant. Because of how his tweets came across toward the winner, David Regan, I believe an apology was the appropriate course of action.

Does RGIII need to apologize? I’m sure there are those who believe he does. I am not one of them. Folks who disagreed with RGIII had every right to tweet their disagreement, provided it was respectful. But that doesn’t make them right just as what RGIII tweeted doesn’t make him right either. Agreement, in this context, is an opinion.

Again, tweet what you want (obviously not death threats, people). Opinions are yours to have and make.  Just be prepared for backlash and consequences, including being “called out”. But…

If we attack athletes, because they tweet something we don’t agree with, what’s the point of them being on Twitter? Just to sell their brand? If that’s what fans and media want, to me that makes for a very boring Twitter experience.

Passion > boring.

***

CadChica Sports

Kentucky Derby time. As the Kentucky Derby Twitter bio says:

Whether you are a fan of horse racing or not, people from around the world tune in to the Derby to witness some of the finest athletes run for glory. Debate if you must whether or not horses are athletes. Their majesty and beauty combined with sheer power and speed leaves no doubt in my mind they are athletes.

Athletes who are running in the greatest two minutes in sports.

***

When big events roll around, I try to put together a social media guide. Social media has become integral to the sporting experience so a guide is a helpful tool to have ahead of time, right?

The Derby, however, has proved to be a bit more challenging to organize.

Thankfully, the Kentucky Derby itself is very active on social media. Here’s a quick look at the social media accounts revolving around the Derby. 

@KentuckyDerby – 26,517  followers

@ChurchillDowns – 17,783 followers

@DerbyMedia (Churchill Downs PR) – 9,178 followers

Facebook – 246,579 likes

Instagram – 14,303 followers

Pinterest – 784 followers

YouTube – 2,821 subscribers

Mobile Links

*

Other Social:

Official Hashtag – #KyDerby

@NBCSports 

@DonnaBBrothers

@randy_moss_TV

@MikeABattaglia

@CJ_Jennie

How to watch the Derby online: http://www.kentuckyderby.com/watch

***

Where I found the challenge has been with the jockeys, owners and yes, even the horses themselves. Not sure when the trend for horses Twitter accounts started. It may have been a couple of years ago or even last year. From a business/connection with fans perspective, it makes sense. Twitter is part of sports on television. People will watch the race and immediately check Twitter to see someone (or some horse) is on it. This year’s group isn’t quite there, socially.

There are a few horses in this year’s race with Twitter accounts. Jockeys, trainers and owners, on the other hand are hit and miss in terms of Twitter accounts. So rather than calling this a “social media” guide, I’m calling it a “media guide”. Even those who are on Twitter, are unverified accounts. Most accounts I found were obtained based on who the official Kentucky Derby Twitter account was following. I also found The Louisville Courier-Journal’s horse racing reporter, Jennie Rees’ Twitter account, had quite a bit of information available. She’s covered horse racing since 1983 (according to her Twitter bio) and uses Twitter handles in her tweets. Perhaps not the most efficient way to find Twitter accounts but it worked as a starting point.

***

As always, if you know of any Twitter accounts I may have missed, please feel free to let me know in the comments section. Below, is how I organized my Kentucky Derby list:

SILKS

Post Position, Horse Name

• Jockey
• Odds via KentuckyDerby.com, as of 5/3/13
  
• Trainer
• Owner

*

We want to send out our condolences to the entire #BlackOnyx team. We wish him luck and a speedy recovery. #KyDerby

—
Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) May 03, 2013

1. Black Onyx **SCRATCHED**

• ·         Jockey: Joe Bravo (@bravoace: 2,112 followers – unverified)
• ·         Odds: 50-1
• ·         Trainer: Kelly Breen   
• ·         Owner: Sterling Racing

*

2. Oxbow: @Oxbowcolt (447 followers – unverified)

• Jockey: Gary Stevens (@HRTVGary: 8,665 followers – unverified)
• Odds: 30-1
• Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas
• Owner: Calumet Farms – http://calumetfarm.com/

*

3. Revolutionary

• Jockey: Calvin Borel (@CalvinHBorel: 716 followers – unverified)
• Odds: 10-1
• Trainer: Todd Pletcher (@ToddPletcher: 2585 followers – NO TWEETS, unverified)
• Owner: WinStar Farm LLC. (@WinStarFarm: 5,043 followers – unverified)

*

4. Golden Soul

• Jockey: Robby Albarado
• Odds: 50-1
• Trainer: Dallas Stewart
• Owner: Charles E. Fipke        

*

5. Normandy Invasion: @Normandy_Invasion (463 followers – unverified)

• Jockey: Javier Castellano
• Odds: 12-1
• Trainer: Chad Brown
• Owner: Fox Hill Farms – Rick Porter (@Fox_Hill_Farm: 2,105 followers – unverified)

*

6. Mylute

• Jockey: Rosie Napravnik (@RosieNapravnik: 6,867 followers – VERIFIED)
• Odds: 15-1
• Trainer: Tom Amoss
• Owner: GoldMarkFarm, LLC. & Whisper Hills Farm

*

7. Giant Finish

• Jockey: ?? Jose Espinoza
• Odds: 50-1
• Trainer: Tony Dutrow
• Owner: Sunrise Stables (Andy Cohen), Gary Tolchin, Aubrey Flanagan & Bob Smith

*

8. Goldencents: @TheGoldencents (1,997 followers – unverified)

• Jockey: Kevin Krigger (@KevinKrigger: 680 followers – unverified)
• Odds: 5-1
• Trainer: Doug O’Neill (@DougONeill1:  5,258 followers – unverified)
• Owner: W.C. Racing, Dave Kenney & RAP Racing

*

9. Overanalyze: @OveranalyzeColt (448 followers – unverified)

• Jockey: Rafael Bejarano
• Odds: 15-1
• Trainer: Todd Pletcher (@ToddPletcher: 2585 followers – NO TWEETS, unverified)
  
• Owner: Repole Stable

*

10. Palace Malice: @PalaceMalice (609 followers – unverified)

• Jockey: Mike Smith (Facebook page)
  
• Odds: 20-1
• Trainer: Todd Pletcher (@ToddPletcher: 2585 followers – NO TWEETS, unverified)
  
• Owner: Dogwood Stable – Cot Campbell (@DogwoodStable: 644 followers – unverified)

*

11. Lines Of Battle

• Jockey: Ryan Moore
• Odds: 30-1
• Trainer: Aidan O’Brien
• Owner: Joseph Allen, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith

*

12. Itsmyluckyday

• Jockey: Elvis Trujillo   
• Odds: 15-1
• Trainer: Eddie Plesa, Jr.         
• Owner: Trilogy Stable & Laurie Plesa

*

13. Falling Sky

• Jockey: ??? — Luis Saez  
• Odds: 50-1
• Trainer: John Terranova II     
• Owner: Newtown Anner Stud, James Covello & Joseph Bulger

*

14. Verrazano: @VerrazanoColt (755 followers – unverified)

• Jockey: John Velasquez          
• Odds: 4-1
• Trainer: Todd Pletcher (@ToddPletcher: 2585 followers – NO TWEETS, unverified)
  
• Owner: Let’s Go Stable [Kevin Scatuorchio & Bryan Sullivan], Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith

*

15. Charming Kitten

• Jockey: Edgar Prado
  
• Odds: 20-1
• Trainer: Todd Pletcher           
• Owner: Ken & Sarah Ramsey

*

16. Orb: @OrbColt (925 followers – unverified)

• Jockey: Joel Rosario               
• Odds: 7-2
• Trainer: Claude R. “Shug” McGaughey III (@Claudemcgaughey: 901 followers - unverified)
  
• Owner: Stuart Janney III & Phipps Stable (Ogden Mills “Dinny” Phipps)

*

17. Will Take Charge: @WillTakeCharge (405 followers – unverified)

• Jockey: Jon Court       
• Odds: 20-1
• Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas       
• Owner: Willis D. Horton

*

18. Frac Daddy

• Jockey: Victor LeBron
• Odds: 50-1
• Trainer: Kenny McPeek (@KennyMcPeek: 3,697 followers – unverified)    
• Owner: Magic City Thoroughbred Partners

*

19. Java’s War

• Jockey: Julien Leparoux (@JulienLeparoux: 13,268 followers – unverified) 
• Odds: 15-1
• Trainer: Kenny McPeek (@KennyMcPeek: 3,662 followers – unverified)                
• Owner: Charles E. Fipke

*

20. Vyjack: @Vyjack  (425 followers – unverified)

• Jockey: Garrett Gomez (@gogowins: 396 followers – unverified)
  
• Odds: 15-1
• Trainer: Rudy Rodriguez        
• Owner: Pick Six Racing (David Wilkenfeld)

***

CadChica Sports