It’s not enough anymore to just watch athletes on television or root for (or against) them in person. These days, we (try to) communicate with them on social media when we have something we want them to hear. But why?
By Timothy Dashiell, Brooks Warren & Jordan Tacey
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writers
Last year, every day from January to March, Ellie sent him a DM on Instagram. No response. But it didn’t matter. She was determined. Determined to get noticed by one of the biggest stars in the world of sports. A hero to all of New England. A wide receiver who always showed up when it mattered most. Growing up in Boston, Ellie idolized Julian Edelman. Every week her family would gather around the TV and watch the Patriots. Ellie wore her Edelman jersey with pride.
Ellie just wanted Edelman to respond. She tried a variety of tactics: asking what he was up to, telling him she loved him, praising him for his performance on the field. One time she even sent him a DM saying, “Hey, Julian, just wondering what you are doing tonight?” Her friends made fun of her. How could she ask that and seriously think he would respond? Ellie did not care though; she just wanted a chance for him to see the messages. Most people would have given up after a few days, but not Ellie.
Then one day to her surprise she had a DM. She figured the message was from a friend responding to her story or sharing a post. Her heart stopped when she saw the name in bold black letters: Julian Edelman. @edelman11 had finally responded, finally noticed her. The DM read, “Hey, hope you’re doing well.” The DM was short and to the point but it had made her year,
“Despite how hopeful I was, I was still shocked when he actually replied,” Ellie said. “It was like I got to prove to everybody I was right. I dreamed of it happening and then it was actually real.”
She responded asking if he wanted to hang out. Edelman never replied but under her message it read “seen.” Who knows why Edelman responded. Maybe he felt bad or he was bored. Maybe it was out of kindness. Or maybe he just wanted the DMs to stop. The reason did not matter to Ellie. All that mattered was he responded and for the rest of her life she will have a story to tell.
“Now one day when I have my own kids and we have our traditions surrounding the Patriots I can tell them how Hall of Famer Julian Edelman once DMed their mom,” Ellie said.
Ellie is one of many sports fans who uses social media not only to follow their favorite athletes but to communicate with them. It started with Facebook. Now millions use Twitter and Instagram, not just to message friends but in some cases to @ athletes.
Social media platforms have changed the way athletes behave and represent themselves, as well as athlete-fan relationships — specifically how fans communicate with their heroes (or players and coaches they dislike). Social media allows athletes to give fans insights into their lives. LeBron James frequently posts videos to his Instagram about his family — whether it’s playing basketball with his son or hanging out with his daughter. Odell Beckham Jr. and JuJu Smith-Schuster often post videos playing with their beloved dogs both on Instagram and Snapchat. Smith- Schuster’s dog has become somewhat of a celebrity in Steelers nation.
Sports media observer Stephen Conway wrote that because of social media, “the average fan knows more about a given player today than a beat writer would have 30 years ago.” Athletes no longer need journalists to help them get their story out — they can be their own media outlet and speak directly to their fans.
Social media also allows fans to talk directly back at athletes, for better or worse. When fans have a criticism, the athlete is just a Tweet or Instagram post away. Those comments can sometimes be constructive — but often times they get personal.
Fans sometimes feel like because they have followed a player on television for years and now follow them on social media, they know the athlete — and the athlete knows them. In reality, however, it’s a one-way street. This mindset is known as a parasocial relationship, which arises when individuals who idolize someone feel they have developed a sense of intimacy, perceived friendship and identification with that celebrity. However, these are one-sided relationships in which one of the parties involved incorrectly believes that the effort being put in is mutual.
In rare cases, like with Edelman, athletes respond to fans. But that’s far from the norm. Fans usually DM athletes and coaches to no avail. Social media gives the illusion that these relationships are face-to-face and in person, when in reality the athlete has no idea the fan actually exists (especially if he or she doesn’t look at mentions).
One Boston College athlete who did not want to be named said that “girls that followed me on Instagram would come up to me at bars talking to me like we were friends and to be honest I had no idea who they were. I took advantage of it though because girls were throwing themselves at me and then I never had to speak to them again.”
What are the pros and cons of Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat for communicating with athletes?
When are athletes off limits? Is any comment fair game? We asked some of these questions in a survey of college students and other young adults who follow athletes on social media. One survey respondent put it bluntly: “If they don’t want to be criticized on social media, then don’t have social media.”
Another respondent had a more nuanced response, explaining that he normally doesn’t mention athletes on social media unless it’s about non-sports matters: “Say if a player does something stupid and gets in trouble with the law, you’ll see a tweet from me then for sure.”
Yet another respondent said, “If the athlete chooses to put pictures, videos, statements (or if any pictures, videos or statements are made about them) on social media, then it’s fair game and fans can respond and comment as they very well please.”
Trevar Owens, an avid sports fan, said he once posted negative tweets about Washington Wizards guard John Wall after pictures and videos surfaced of Wall partying days after tearing his Achilles. He also criticized Odell Beckham Jr, who is infamous for his mid-week trips and parties with his celebrity friends.
The critique: “You’re getting paid millions to play a child’s game! You’ve been injury- prone, you’ve been a distraction, if you don’t stay on the court and outwork someone you’ll never be worth that money you signed for.”
Whether it’s showing displeasure with the Eagles defense or criticizing the moves of general managers (and owners who act as general managers annoyingly), some sports fans feel they have the right to criticize whomever they want about whatever they want because they are knowledgeable about the sport or subject at hand. One survey respondent told us they felt the right to criticize athletes on social media “because I follow the team on a deeper level and I have knowledge of the game.” Another told us “some people played and were successful in high school, some in college, to some people that means they know more than the average sports fans.”
One respondent, citing experience as a basketball player, said that athletes and coaches should respond if they can prove him wrong. “ I know that 10 times out of 10 a player won’t even look at the tweets,” he said. “ but he’s a pro (basketball) player, he can use that as motivation to get better.”
This same interviewee has gotten blocked by Kevin Durant, his mother and brother for messaging the two the same message along with vitriolic messages saying Kevin Durant can go to hell for signing with the Golden State Warriors in the summer of 2016. His reasoning, “KD ruined basketball! How can you be so much of a b**** that you sign with the team that beat you in Game 7 after you choked Game 6 and 7?”
Durant, not surprisingly, didn’t respond.
Look online for fans who @ athletes, and what are you likely to find? Their messages will likely fall into one of these categories:
Praise
Criticism
Attention