Is this unfiltered access good for professional athletes?

Are fans better served by having a direct link to players?

Will college and professional teams ever ban the use of social media by athletes?

As usual, we take a look around the web to get the opinions of fans and media.

If you’d like to continue to follow the emerging trends involving Athletes and Social Media we really encourage you to visit:
Sports and Social Media by Mike Mahoney

Athlete, Thine Enemy Is Twitter

By TONI MONKOVIC – NY Times

Athletes have been known to complain that reporters misquote them or spin their statements. With Twitter, athletes can cut out the middleman and avoid being misunderstood.

No downside, right?

In a column on Thursday, Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel said there was one slight drawback:

Now that athletes have their own media — social media — with complete editorial control, sports fans are seeing many of them for what they truly are:

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Athletes’ real-time tweets reveal raw emotion, changing sports and journalism

Something significant, perhaps paradigmatic, happened last Sunday during the NFC Championship game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears. Current and former NFL players published spontaneous commentary on Twitter criticizing the character of the Bears’ laconic quarterback Jay Cutler.

“There is no medicine for a guy with no guts and heart,” wrote former star linebacker Derrick Brooks in one of the most quoted tweets of the week.

Most remarkable is that the criticism of Cutler’s performance and courage came not from sports journalists, but from Cutler’s peers, each of whom felt empowered by Twitter to offer an unfettered take in real time.

Sports journalists, who find their access to athletes increasingly hampered by controlling leagues and teams, suddenly are faced with demonstrating to jocks who tweet that opinions can have consequences.

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Jay Cutler case: Keep on tweeting

The glimpses into athletes’ personalities we get from social media is worth the trouble

Amid all this back-and-forth blustering about whether NFL players unfairly unleashed a torrent of Twitter criticism at Jay Cutler, the reason we should be welcoming athletes voicing their opinions on social media was apparent on Tuesday.

Taku Miyamoto/Getty ImagesIf Tiger starts tweeting from the green, think what we’ll learn about him!

Tiger invited his Twitter followers to ask whatever they wanted, which, given the headlines Tiger has created the past few years, is a little dangerous.

But instead of answering questions that were easy, tepid and lame, Tiger showed some personality that, frankly, enough of us haven’t seen.

@lisap0wer asked Tiger: “What did you think when @davechappelle played you in the Racial Draft skit on Chappelle’s Show?”

Tiger tweeted back, “At least I was the #1 pic, back then, fo’ shizzle.”

I, along with the rest of Twitter nation, LOL’ed.

The impersonation Chappelle did of Tiger on his now-defunct television show is considered epic. The fact that Tiger smoothly dropped a Chappelle reference — acknowledging that he watched the popular show — instantly gave thousands of people an indication that lurking beneath all of that golf brilliance is humor many of us can relate to.

This is the value of athletes using Twitter, and other forms of social media. They give athletes an outlet to show who they are. Sometimes, it’s fascinating, funny and insightful. And other times, yes, it’s disastrous.
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Witty stars or just self-indulgent twits?

Richard Hinds

FOR sportsmen, so often ”misquoted”, ”misinterpreted” and ”taken out of context” by those ink-stained wretches of the press, antisocial medium Twitter was heaven-sent. Finally, there would be no more middle men. No one to twist their words and create false impressions. No more damaging lies and shallow characterisations. The public would see them in the raw – if sometimes not quite in the way they imagined.

Has this proved to be an accurate appraisal of the future link between athlete and fan? Or a case of being careful what you wish for? As athletes reveal their unedited wit, wisdom and charm, and their ignorance, vindictiveness and dodgy grammar, I suspect a bit of both.
At a time when strict media management means the relationship between athlete and reporter is often distant, and public statements are limited to anodyne sound bytes, Twitter has encouraged some stars to air thoughts not even Americans would now express publicly.
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Sample my all-time favourite sporting tweet. Buffalo Bills wide receiver Steve Johnson drops a potential game-winning pass. Pressed against his locker by a gang of microphone-wielding reporters, the devout Johnson would no doubt reaffirm his faith in ”The Lord’s plan”. But in a moment of solitude with an iPhone, he lets go.

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Athletes who tweet can come off as twits

Kevin Callahan column

Only a twit wouldn’t remember the infamously popular skit on the old Monty Python Flying Circus TV show of a competitive race which poked fun at contestants who, well, just weren’t too smart.

The sketch — as the British comedians called it — was “The Twit Race.”
The Pythons portrayed folks failing at doing the most routine of acts, such as when the starting gun sounded, no one began to run. It was so absurd it was funny.
Now, this isn’t meant to condone laughing at people who aren’t smart. Listen, I’m not too bright, either.
But at least I didn’t call the twits in the race dumb.
Calling someone dumb is mean.

But, the twits really were dumb and I want to call them dumb. So, how can I work around this?
I can just tweet someone is dumb on Twitter.
Then, being mean and calling someone dumb is fine. You see, you can tweet dumb things on Twitter.

Tweeting dumb things is what more and more pro athletes do now.

Continue Reading…

Here are some of the most interesting opinions from around the web:

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A fresh start for Tiger at Torrey

By DOUG FERGUSON – The Associated Press

SAN DIEGO — Tiger Woods’ twirled the driver in his hand after another tee shot went where he was aiming, right down the middle of the first fairway on the South Course at Torrey Pines.
It’s a place Woods had not been in a while. His caddie thought it might have been as far back as 2007.
“That’s not true,” Woods protested during his pro-am Wednesday. “I hit this fairway in the playoff. Remember when I raised my arms to celebrate because I hadn’t done it all week?”

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Torrey Pines as good a place as any for Tiger Woods, now ranked No. 3 in world, to make a comeback

BY Hank Gola – DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

SAN DIEGO – After all the tabloid turmoil, after what it all did to his golf game, Tiger Woods is taking one shining moment out of 2010 as he starts anew this week.

“The whole year last year golf-wise came down to one golf shot, and that’s what I’m so proud of,” Woods said at his morning press conference at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. “The 72nd hole of (the) Chevron (Challenge), that was it. All the changes I made in my swing I needed it the most. I needed to hit the 8-iron with that kind of shot, and I pulled it off. So under the most intense pressure I hit the shot I needed to hit when I needed to hit it.”

That shot, a perfect fade through the wind to 2-1/2 feet, actually put Woods in a playoff after first blowing a four-shot lead. He’d be denied his only victory of 2010 when the indomitable Graeme McDowell beat him in the playoff. Yet, together with his steam-rolling of Edoardo Molinari in the singles matches at the Ryder Cup, it was the first sign that 2011 would be different than 2010.

Now, after weeks of working with new swing coach Sean Foley, does Woods step out of the phone booth and get back to his old self? For every person who expects him to dominate again, there is someone else who thinks his best days are behind him and who doubts he can make a run at Jack Nicklaus‘ record of 18 majors with 14 down and four to go.

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How will Tiger fare in 2011?

The media spectacle and tabloid parade that was Tiger Woods‘ 2010 season is mercifully, thankfully, a thing of the past.

At this time last year, Woods was reportedly checked into a rehab clinic in Mississippi, light years away from his former haven of dominance on the fairways and greens. He was about three weeks away from the now-surreal, seemingly PR-director-conceived mea culpa that was simulcast on every television network in the country like Woods was giving a State of the Union address.

Now, 16 months removed from his last PGA Tour win, Woods begins 2011 at the spot of his last truly great moment, Torrey Pines. The moment that gave us the image of a hobbling Tiger Woods, winning the world’s most challenging golf tournament on a broken leg and shredded knee. Remember that Tiger Woods? The “expect anything different,” fist-pumping, elated golf demigod?
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It’s showtime for Tiger Woods

After a tumultuous and winless 2010, the former No. 1 golfer hopes to get back on course, beginning this week at one of his favorite places, Torrey Pines.

By Diane Pucin – LA Times

Reporting from La Jolla —
Tigers Woods has a thinner waist, an easier smile, an active Twitter account and a pop in his golf swing.

Whether that all translates into an immediate win for the world’s third-ranked golfer will be more evident some time Thursday afternoon after Woods plays his first real golf of the year in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. He tees off at 9 a.m. on the 10th tee of the North Course with Rocco Mediate and Anthony Kim.

But Woods came to talk Wednesday before playing a pro-am round and was relaxed.

“This year I feel great,” he told reporters. “It’s great to be back. I feel more fresh. I had a chance to train and get ready and practice and prepare, so I’m looking forward to the season.”

He was even able to joke about the way golfer Ian Poulter refers to him on Twitter.

It used to be No. 1 and then No. 2. Now it’s No. 3 because that’s where Woods is ranked — his lowest ranking since October of 2004.

“I’m having fun with it,” Woods said, referring to Twitter. “It’s a way for me to connect with the fans on a different level. I don’t tweet as much as Poults does. I’m still getting the hang of it a little bit, but bear with me.”

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BYU Fans are ready for an epic showdown

BYU vs San Diego State…Epic showdown? We’re still having a hard time coming to this realization. Upon further inspection, though; this game has it all. This is an intense conference rivalry with potential All-American caliber stars on each team. Another surprising fact is that BYU plays in one of the 5 largest basketball arenas in the country.

In the words of the Jets Bart Scott: Can’t Wait!

To give you a better feel for the epic nature of tonight’s game, links from around the country are below. Feel free to discuss: Is BYU the “Duke of the West”?

BYU Is Now the Duke of the West

Like the Blue Devils, the Cougars Seem to Be Hated Everywhere They Travel; You got Jimmer’d

Brigham Young University has one of the country’s finest college-basketball teams, featuring a player that their fans insist should be the National Player of the Year.
It’s a prestigious school that propels its graduates to desirable jobs. Wherever the team travels, especially in its conference, the opposing fans make it exceedingly clear that they would like to see them mashed into a pulpy sauce. And its team colors are blue and white.
In other words, BYU has become the Duke of the West.
Behind senior guard Jimmer Fredette, the nation’s leading scorer, they’re 19-1, ranked No. 9 in the polls and a trendy pick to wreak havoc come March.
While mid-majors with a national profile such as Gonzaga or Butler are usually appreciated as underdogs, in the Mountain West Conference, BYU is treated like the establishment, rich in basketball pedigree. It’s the squad guaranteed to fill a student section in Las Vegas, bring out hatred in Wyoming and agitate the otherwise sunny people of San Diego. Opposing fans even camp out for tickets to see BYU—and welcome them with a chorus of heckles, slurs and catcalls.
“They’re the team everyone loves to hate,” said Joe Cravens, a men’s basketball analyst for The Mtn., the network of the Mountain West.

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BYU Basketball: Cougars, Aztecs set for epic showdown

By Jay Drew
The Salt Lake Tribune

Provo • And you thought No. 10 New Mexico at No. 13 BYU last year was epic.
This one makes that late-February showdown for the Mountain West Conference regular-season title look almost ordinary.
Because of San Diego State’s unbeaten season, the fact that BYU has a bona fide national player of the year candidate in Jimmer Fredette and the national attention it is drawing, Wednesday night’s big battle pitting the No. 4 Aztecs (20-0) and No. 9 Cougars (19-1) at the sold-out Marriott Center just might be as good as it gets around here.
Tipoff is at 8:15 p.m. and the game will be televised by CBS College Sports.
At least, it figures to be the most significant game ever played in the 40-year-old arena that seats 22,700 at the base of imposing and majestic Y Mountain. It’s the highest ranked matchup ever between MWC opponents in the 12-year history of the league, and the first time BYU has ever played a top 10 team in Provo as a top-10 team itself.

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Fans get hyped up for BYU, SDSU game

Jason Franchuk – Daily Herald - Daily Herald

From coast to coast.

Kind of like Jimmer Fredette’s shooting range when he has the basketball.

But BYU’s late tipoff against San Diego State tonight will, quite literally, have college basketball fans from around the country glued to their TVs, from SoCal to the Northeast.

They’re pumped up in sunny San Diego, where once-ambivalent fans are so keyed in to their Aztecs that more than 1,500 students waited in line Monday to collect tickets — for an upcoming weekend game against downtrodden Wyoming.

It’s a paradise that has morphed into a place where sitting inside for a couple of hours has become the hottest thing to do. Even a New Year’s Eve game against a Division III opponent (Occidental) drew a sellout crowd to watch an SDSU team that still hasn’t lost a game and is just one of two remaining unbeatens (Ohio State is the other).

The noise shifts to the other side of the United States, too, where a tiny burg in upstate New York will surely pay full attention to their local boy done good.

That’s Fredette, whose smile and game have served as a sort of missionary visit on behalf of the school and a program that is experiencing its greatest hero since Danny Ainge three decades ago. He is the country’s leading scorer, and a great deal of fun to watch.

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BYU basketball notebook: Jimmer Fredette vs. D.J. Gay

By Jeff Call, Deseret News
PROVO — One intriguing matchup inside tonight’s showdown between No. 4 San Diego State and No. 9 BYU is the battle between two of the best point guards in the country — the Aztecs’ D.J. Gay and the Cougars’ Jimmer Fredette. Both Gay and Fredette are seniors, and team leaders. They’re also two finalists for the 2011 Bob Cousy Award, emblematic of the nation’s top point guard. Fredette leads the nation in scoring (26.7 points per game), while Gay can light it up, too, having scored 30 at New Mexico on Jan. 15.

San Diego State’s D.J. Gay, right, goes up for a basket against BYU’s Jimmer Fredette during the 2009 MWC tournament in Las Vegas.

BYU coach Dave Rose and San Diego State coach Steve Fisher know a key to victory involves containing the opposing point guard.
“You’re talking about two very good, experienced point guards,” said BYU coach Dave Rose. “D.J. has been a tough cover for us all four years we’ve tried to game plan for him.”
While Rose said it will take a strong team effort to defend Gay, Fisher, who calls Fredette the player of the year, said the same thing when it comes to limiting Fredette. “It won’t be a one-man operation,” Fisher said. “We’re all going to have to take a stand to put a handle on him and hope that he misses some of those shots that he takes. He gets a lot of shots that he creates for himself that’s almost impossible to prevent him from shooting. We have to hope he’s not shooting it particularly well.”
“He’s a kid that can shoot the ball. That’s a big key, to try to limit his outside shots,” Fredette said of Gay. “They have such good big guys, that if he’s making shots, too, it makes it really tough to guard.”

“D.J.’s making big plays for them,” Rose said. “He’s turned into a real leader from the perimeter. It’s something every coach wants, a guy who can make plays for himself and his teammates.”

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BYU now has top RPI in college basketball

By Jay Drew – BYU Sports

It is going to be another big news day for BYU basketball, with the new rankings set to come out later this morning, the MWC announcing its Player of the Week (wonder who it will be) and the regular Monday morning MWC coaches teleconference.
By the way, BYU (19-1) has moved into the No. 1 spot in Jerry Palm’s RPI figures, while San Diego State (20-0) is No. 4.
In this survey, the Cougars’ RPI is No. 2, behind Kansas.
Also today, Jimmer Fredette will participate in his weekly national teleconference at 10:30 a.m., just a few minutes after coach Dave Rose concludes his portion of the MWC teleconference.
Until then, here are a few leftover comments from Fredette after he scored 42 points in the Cougars’ 94-85 win over Colorado State:
On how the Cougars executed offensively when things got tight:
“Yeah, definitely. We want to rebound the ball and get out in transition and go every single time. But they did a great job of making shots, and getting offensive rebounds and all that stuff.
We couldn’t [run], so we had to execute in the half court. So we got both sides, and we did a great job of that tonight.”

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5 questions for BYU star Jimmer Fredette

Sporting News
Once known mostly for his name, it’s Jimmer Fredette’s game people are noticing these days. The BYU senior point guard was a Sporting News preseason All-American this year, a selection he’s backed up by taking his game to another level all season—he’s the nation’s leading scorer at 26.7 points per game.
And lately, he’s been unconscious. There were the 39 points against UNLV, the 47 against Utah in BYU’s biggest rivalry game and the 42 against Utah State. His Cougars are 19-1 and ranked ninth in the country heading into their huge Mountain West showdown with San Diego State (20-0) on Wednesday.

Read more: http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2011-01-26/5-questions-for-byu-star-jimmer-fredette#ixzz1C95BmQ9p

Here’s a sample of new thoughts on the Cutler situation from around the web:

Inspired by the HULK?!?!

Two huge games in the NFL this weekend, with the conference championship games; but not many other big events set for the weekend. Knicks v Spurs should be entertaining. Waiting for Carmelo to get traded is getting really old. The UFC has a card on Spike TV this weekend, Fight for the Troops 2.

No Serena and now no Venus in the Australian open mean, no watching for me.

As much fun as I’ve had watching the Bart Scott interview, I’m ready to be done with the Jets already. Please Pittsburgh, don’t let me down.

On to the linkage:

Jets’ Bart Scott: Postgame rant inspired by Hulk Hogan -
By Arin Karimian, USA TODAY
Excuse Bart Scott if he couldn’t control his emotions after the Jets’ win over the Patriots last Sunday. After all, he was just channeling wrestling icon Hulk Hogan.

It’s finally NFL WILDCARD WEEKEND, one of my favorite weekends in sports. Many agree that the Seahawks are no the most deserving playoff team, but some are predicting the SEAHAWKS TO BEAT THE SAINTS. Stranger things have happened in the post season.

Despite his most recent on the field success, is Michael VICK’S REDEMPTION ON THE LINE this weekend? Either way, we can’t wait to see this Eagles v Packers matchup.

• Wade-LeBron Duo Puts On Winning Show – ESPN Daily Dime
• LeBron says Heat call themselves “The Heatles” – Heat Stroke, CBS Sports
• Faldon’s Five Thoughts: Sugar Bowl Pregame – Fort Smith Times Record (blog)

Black Monday wasn’t as bad as we’ve come to expect.

• Black Monday lacks moves, but there’s still time CBSSports.com

Not sure what’s more surprising, another Farve scandal or another Jets scandal…

• Eye-opener: Is Brett Favre staining his legacy?
• Massage Therapists Sue Favre, Jets Over Texts WNEM Saginaw

As bad as the Raiders have been, how can they even consider firing Tom Cable?

• Oakland Raiders’ Tom Cable must wait to hear of his coaching fate San Jose Mercury News

For the latest sports news and updates from Art of the Fan, follow us on:

http://www.twitter.com/artofthefan
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• Eric Mangini (Cleveland) – The “Man-Genius” was the 1st coaching casualty of “Black Monday”.
  • - Cleveland Browns fired head coach Eric Mangini
  • Browns fire Mangini after promising start to season turns south
• Marvin Lewis (Cincinatti) – It looks like Lewis wants to see some much needed facility and staff upgrades.
  • End of the Road for Marvin Lewis? National Football Post
  • Marvin Lewis to Meet With Bengals Team President to Discuss Future on Monday – NFL FanHouse
• John Fox (Carolina) – Fox is already done the Panthers
  
  • Strickly Panthers: Fox, players fought till end
• Tony Sporano (Miami)
  • With Dolphins season complete, the waiting game begins on Tony Sparano’s, Jeff Ireland’s futures

Also see:

• Black Monday Preview from the National Football Post.
• Nine NFL Teams Could Make Coaching Changes: The List

Was anyone else significantly less interested in NFL week 17 action now that their fantasy football season is over? I couldn’t help but notice my own lack of enthusiasm for the games yesterday. Tell us your thoughts and fill our week 17 poll question on our Facebook Fan Page.

More sports headlines on this busy Monday morning:

• Are the Lakers really in trouble?
• VA Tech vs Stanford tonight in the Orange Bowl

Thanks again for reading. Don’t forget to visit our fan page on Facebook to get all the latest Art of the Fan news and updates! http://www.facebook.com/artofthefan

Now that the season is over, the countdown begins for the 2011 football season. Art of the Fan would like to thank everyone for making this season our most successful ever. Over the course of this season we’ve released the first 3 new t-shirts of a new tribute series of designs:

• Fantasy Football King/Queen (Bud inspired)
  Like the king of beer, you’ve made a big splash in your fantasy football league(s).
• Watch In Disgust (VH1 inspired)
  No matter how good your team is, there are always those weeks during the season when no one on your team has a big day. On those days, all you can do is sit in front of your tv and Watch in Disgust.
• Fantasy Football Genius (Apple inspired)
  Your hours of hard work and research resulted in an excellent draft and intelligent waiver wire selection throughout the season. Display the source of your fantasy dominance with the Fantasy Football Genius t-shirt.

1. LeBron James makes “The Decision”
   Everyone agrees that decision to make a 1 hour special about the decision was a mistake; but can you blame the guy for giving up a life in Cleveland for a life in Miami? Fortunately for LeBron, his Heat ended the year playing much better than they were at the beginning of the season.
2. New Orleans Saints win first Super Bowl
   Representing a city still recovering from the devestation of Hurricane Katrina, the Saints dominated the regular season and rolled to an exciting Super Bowl victory.
3. Michael Vick’s comeback
   Arguably the most polarizing sports figure over the past year; Michael Vick went from a high profile backup to Kevin Kolb to being a serious candidate for NFL MVP.
4. The return and struggles of Tiger Woods
   No one knew what to expect upon Tiger’s return. Many thought he would continue to dominate but we’re all still waiting for the “old” Tiger to return.
5. Manny Pacquiao is boxing in 2010
   We’re all still waiting for the next fight of the century, Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather; that may or may not happen in the upcoming year. In 2010, Manny Pacquiao was by far boxing’s biggest story. Wins over Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margoritto were not exactly what boxing fans wanted to see; but Pacman’s wins over both were still very impressive.
6. Rex Ryan talks, and talks and talks…
   We all thought his hilarious appearances on HBO’s Hard Knocks series would be the peak of his media controversies, but that was just the beginning. Ryan and the New York Jets have provided us with the “Tripgate” controversy and a few videos involving Mrs. Rexy’s feet. This stuff has to be a distraction for the Jets, right?
7. UCONN breaks UCLA’s win streak
   Slighting controversial in how it should be categorized as a women’s hoops record or a basketball record?
8. Brett Farve’s losses
   Looking back, Farve and every other sports fan wishes he would have ended his career with playoff loss in January.
9. Lakers repeat as champions over the Celtics
   An NBA finals featuring the Lakers and Celtics never gets old for me. An entertaining series from an entertaining NBA playoffs. Any who doubts that the best quality of basketball play is in the NBA instead of the NCAA isn’t looking closely enough.
10. Duke faces Butler for the national championship
    Many people will look back at this year’s college basketball tournament and celebrate the success of the “mid-major” but my Duke basketball hatred won’t let me look past the easy path (probably the easiest path ever for a national champ) this very average Blue Devils team had to the national title. It’s disgusting, no feel story here…

No matter how you look at, it 2010 was an amazing sports year check out more stories on the best in sports 2010 from around the web:

• Top 10 Sports Stories of 2010 – All Media NY
• The Star-Ledger’s Top 10 Sports Stories of 2010
• A Year In Sports 2010: Mike Vick, Drew Brees, LeBron James Highlight 2010 – Matt Miselis, Bleacher Report

Thanks to all of our fans for a successful 2010 season. Now that we’re able to take a break from our fantasy football obsession, look for more top sports stories and opinions from Art of the Fan in 2011.