The goal: to make a difference by having a voice.
I love sports. I love talking about sports. But, to work in this business, you have to go to school, get a degree and work your way up. I’m not a millenial. For someone like me, who was busy working 50+ hours a week and raising a family, yeah, that wasn’t going to cut it.
That’s where social media comes into play. Social media was my way in to working in sports. It was about “having a voice” in the sports conversation. Through Twitter, Google+ and my blog, I have a voice. In the time I’ve been involved with social media, I learned a thing or two (or thousands) about it and its place in sports. I’ll never be and expert at it, but I know how to use it.
I know that I also want to use it to make a difference. How that plays out – well, I haven’t quite figured that out yet. I do know I want to share the “good” stories in sports. Stories like this one:
Full disclosure: The Oakland Raiders are my favorite team.
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I may not be in a position to give away a game check. Or, even fly a sick child somewhere to visit their favorite team. There are things I can do both in and out of the public eye. I’d prefer to do most things out of the spotlight. Not that there’s even a spotlight on me, but that’s just how I operate – without fanfare.
The easy thing I can do is on social media through my hashtag, #SportsDoingGood. The bad side of sports and athletes gets the clicks and shares. But, there are plenty of athletes and other sports entitities doing good through sports. Why not click and share the good through a simple hashtag?
Since it is the holiday season, why not share this story across all of your social media platforms today. Show the good being done in sports.
It’s your voice – your social media voice – will you use it to make a difference?
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By the way: Happy birthday (today), Menelik Watson!
Happy birthday to T @MenelikWatson! pic.twitter.com/DvGlJ1zMbS
— Oakland Raiders (@Raiders) December 22, 2014
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