Social Media And Sporting Events: How To Steer Clear Of Trouble On The Web

Posted on Mar 2 2015 - 7:02am by Jenny Richards

Social Media

It’s a strange new world

When I was growing up, people (read: men) would gather in a central place (read: bar) to watch whatever sporting events were on. They would be dressed in their team’s jerseys and it would almost feel like you were at the stadium: the pensive mood before an important play, the loud instructions to the players on the screen (yet they know the players cannot hear them… beats me to date), the yelling at the referees and the jubilation when ‘their’ team won. Strangers would be best of friends for the night and sometimes for a long time.

It was great but oh, how social media changes things. Nowadays, people gather at the sports bars (or sit alone in their homes) and do all this fun stuff alone, on social media. The trouble with this is that some things can be taken completely out of context and in my opinion, people take things too personally on social media…but I digress.

Here is how you can stay out of trouble on social media during the sporting events season:

Avoid stating the obvious

There is a commentator for at least every sport and they are doing quite a dandy job on their own. Writing what we have all seen is pointless and rather annoying. Think about it and write your own insights. That is more helpful.

Think before you tweet

We all know that social media moves fast but there is no need to be thoughtless about your posts and comments. Think about it. If you are going to criticize a player, coach, advert or whatever make sure to keep within the lines of decency: no racial slurs, no religious slurs… just avoid overall derogatory remarks. You could end up opening a whole other can of worms, my friend.

Narrow down your ‘circle of friends’

While you do not need to be sending bad stuff out there, you do not need to read it either. You can always block people that are not adding any value to the game (or society in general). Alternatively, you could operate within a list of few people, which will ‘protect’ you from the regular feed and ensure that you are seeing only what you would like to see.

In addition, as a general piece of advice: You do not really need all those ‘friends’ and ‘tweeps’ anyway.

Stay away!

If you want to stay out of trouble, you simply walk away from it. In this case, watch the game with a few of your closest friends and you will realize you have not once checked your phone or computer throughout the game. Moreover, you can say whatever you want among your real friends and it will be understood, or at least you will have the chance to explain yourself before you are verbally stoned to death like on social media.

If you cannot get your friends over, go to the sports bar, like the good old days and watch the game. You will enjoy the game more and maybe even make a few new friends.

About the Author

Jenny Richards Love to spend her time with her family. In mean time she writes article for www.bayareatitleloans.com