A few characters can mean a lot for professional athletes

Nick Swisher

Social media has been a topic of debate over the past few years for professional athletes. What puzzles many is the fact that things so small and unrelated to anything can stir up much controversy. Messages posted on Twitter or Facebook have worked very well for certain players, while other athletes have made poor decisions when posting a message. The fans really make the judgement of whether the message is appropriate, and even if it is simply a “joke” for the athletes, some fans don’t think of it like that.

Chad Ochocinco, a wide receiver who at the time played for the Cincinnati Bengals, has made a number of bad decisions over the years while playing in the NFL. During a simple harmless preseason game in 2010, he made another. While sitting out of the game, Ochocinco sent a tweet. The NFL does not allow a player to use social media during the game. Ochocinco was fined $25,000 for his act.

Athletes also have become very popular on Facebook or Twitter. Nick Swisher, a right fielder for the New York Yankees, currently has about 1,430,000 followers. He has interacted well with fans and knows what to say and what not to say. Swisher tweets all the time. He also is a huge supporter of stopping cancer which makes his popularity extremely high.

Social media is something that has hurt some players, while others have had great success with it. If it is possibly going to cost the athlete $125,000, maybe it just isn’t right for some players. Communicating with others who do not share that personality can be damaging to both the player and the fan.

Social media is becoming a trend among athletes

Shaquille O'Neal / Keith Allison / Flickr

Social media is both a damaging and potent tool many athletes use today. Athletes can talk to their fans and make them feel a part of his or her life in a matter of seconds. However, the speed of social media also allows players to type, but not think of the consequences of what they are saying. Social media has become such a factor in sports, that some athletes use it to make a case for more money on their contracts.

Players past their prime often use social media to expand their market and still make money even though they do not perform as well as they did before on their field of play. Chad Ochocinco is a prime example of this. Ochocinco has three million followers, but has career lows in yards and receptions, despite that his New England Patriots jersey is one of the highest selling in the NFL.

Another example of a player whose salary depends on his popularity is Shaquille O’Neal . Shaq has 4.7 million followers, but has not averaged more than 20 ppg in almost five seasons. Even though Shaq has not performed well on the court, he made $15 million dollars in endorsements.

Twitter can be an asset, but more often then not it damages athletes and their reputation. Dutch midfielder Ryan Babel was fined 10,000 pounds for posting a picture of a referee wearing a Manchester United jersey who directed their game against Manchester United. Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Darnell Dockett was fined for tweeting 20 minutes before the game. This is not the first time that Dockett got in trouble for one of his tweets. Before the season started he tweeted about bringing one of his many guns to work and was criticized heavily by the media.

Social media has become such a factor in sports in the NFL, they have chosen to speak to rookies about how to use social media and the dangers that come with it. Other leagues such as the NCAA and the NBA have followed. Now coaches and teams are not worried about what a player says to a reporter, but are now worried about what he or she types on the Internet. Due to this, many leagues have been forced to adapt to social media, but now are cautioning their players about what social media can do.

The beginning of Mason Foster's career

Rookie linebacker Mason Foster was chosen by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 3rd round of the draft. With his 41 tackles, Foster is showing a lot of promise.

Barret Ruud, the previous linebacker for the Buccaneers, had the experience and knew how to play the game, but what he missed was the violence and toughness that is needed for good linebacker play. That’s what Foster has.

Already in the preseason, Foster got his first fine. He got it because of a dangerous tackle on Chad Ochocinco. The fine was on $20,000, however Ochocinco offered to pay it because he thought that the tackle wasn’t dangerous, but the way that the game is meant to be played. "Great hit last night, if u're fined I'll reimburse u boss. That's the way the game should b played. Stay healthy n have a good yr," wrote Ochocinco on Twitter.

The accident isn’t going to change the way that Foster plays. "The only way I know how to play is like that. If they're going to fine people, I can deal with it. But my objective is to play hard as I can," Foster said.

In the third game that the Buccaneers played in this season, Quincy Black, the Buccaneers captain of the defense, was out of the game because of an injury, therefore Foster got the transmitter, which is used for calling out what is happening in the game to the other team players, that ended with him getting 10 tackles, 1 sack and a forced fumble in that game. "It felt pretty natural. I've played linebacker my whole life. So getting the calls and making all the checks, we've got other linebackers out there, too. It's not just me. It's the whole defense. You've got Geno Hayes, Sean Jones, so they helped me out a lot. But it felt good to be out there in charge of the defense," he said.

The next Buccaneers game Foster is also going to have the transmitter. “In the beginning, I was trying to take stuff off his plate to ease it for him; to slow it down for him. And he's embracing a bigger role than I even anticipated, and it's been beautiful,” said coach Raheem Morris. Foster has proven that the Buccaneers made a good draft choice.