NBA makes money off twitter

Mark Cuba / Keith Allison - Flickr

For years athletes have been using sites like Twitter and Facebook to get closer to their fans. However, there are more people reading it then they think. NBA officials have long been keeping an eye on players, owners, and coaches and their activities on social networks. If they don’t watch what they post they may find themselves in deep waters. Things like criticizing the team or tweeting during games are written into the NBA rulebook and the penalties are expensive fines.

The rule for NBA players regarding the use of Twitter extends to 45 minutes before and after the game. First the players have to satisfy their obligations to the media, and then they can tweet away. This rule cost Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks $7,500. He was announcing a big win right after the game. Unfortunately it was not 45 minutes after the game which meant he had broken a NBA rule.

Owner Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks has found a new thing he is good at, paying fines to the NBA! Cuban has paid more then one million dollars for his many critiques. One of his very first tweets were complaints about NBA officiating twitter in to their rule book. That tweet unfortunately cost him $25,000.

He was not the only fined. During the 2011 NBA lockout Micky Arison, owner of the Miami Heat was given an enormous fine of $500,000. He apparently had posted how frustrating the lockout was. He had also replied to a comment by a fan,”How’s it feel to be a part [sic] of ruining the best game in the world? NBA owners/players don’t give a damn about fans&and guess what? Fans provide all the money you’re fighting over&you greedy [expletive] pigs.” And his reply was,” Barking at the wrong owner.” The NBA had told owners and coaches that they were not to discuss anything about the lockout on Twitter or any other social networks.

Other owners like Ted Leonsis, owner of the Wizards and Michael Jordan, owner of the Bobcats were also fined. Leonsis received a $100,000 fine last year for comments about possible changes to the league’s salary cap and Jordan also was fined $100,000 fine for comments he made in August about the lockout.

Players, owners, and coaches should watch what they post on Twitter or other social websites that can be viewed by NBA officials unless; paying fines is a new hobby.