Photo by Pixabay

Not on Target: The impact of social media in the world of sport

By Adam Robertson 4 years ago

Click to read about social media’s affect on athletes, clubs, and sports fans…

On the Sunday night just past, a mere twelve minutes into Marseille’s game against Saint-Étienne, infamous striker Mario Balotelli put the ball in the back of the net. Before the game even ended, in typical Mario fashion, he had posted his triumph on Instagram. Whilst we all may chuckle at this, taking it with a pinch of salt, it’s another example of a mask that hides the horrendous impact social media networks are having on the modern game.

Ironically, the only way to share my views on this (and the way many of you are likely reading this) is through social media. I’d like to point out that this criticism is not your typical, ‘SOCIAL MEDIA IS CONTROLLING YOU’, type rant. It is, nonetheless, a rant about its relationship with sport.

Every week, before any team plays, their line-ups get posted on their social media pages, for fans to view. Somewhat begrudgingly each week, I wade into the dark waters of the comments sections. The darkness (Facebook and Twitter) is usually freckled with the marvelous minds of football fans plaguing comment sections, week in and week out.  I am in no way saying that fans should not have a voice. The disengagement between clubs and fans is sadly growing, but that’s a whole other article. Nonetheless, comments made about line-ups, managers’ decision-making and remarks about a player’s performance before the games have even kicked-off are more impactful than you may think. Take Arsène Wenger as an example; Facebook and Twitter feeds were clogged with criticisms of the manager’s decisions (which seemed to dictate the board’s decisions). This is someone with three premier league titles, a champions league finalist, and seven-time FA cup winner. Whilst most would say, including myself, that it was time for Wenger to depart; the manner in which he departed was wrong, social media reduced one of football’s most influential personalities and thinkers to a laughing stock.

Photo by Marketing Land

Some would say this is an exaggeration. However, if we turn our heads to the events of last year’s champion’s league final, we see how low social media can sink. Having reached their first European cup final since 2007, going for a first win since 2005 and Mo Salah in sparkling form, Liverpool looked to be on their way to lifting the famous trophy. However, it was not to be as goalkeeper Loris Karius made two fatal errors which led Real Madrid to a 3-1 victory and their thirteenth title. It was, as Liverpool fans across the world will tell you, a devastating end to what had been a wonderful campaign.

However, a cliché that we sadly need to be reminded of once too often in the sports industry these days is that we are all still human. In the immediate aftermath of the final, Karius, through social media, was sent death threats, branding him with disgusting names as well as wishes of harm upon his family. Any proper football fan across the world will tell you that, whilst Karius’ blunder was huge, no human being should have to be subjected to such horrid abuse. Footballers are in a privileged position, many, if not all, will admit to that themselves but we can never understand the nuances of the job – the pressure, the expectation or the pain when it goes wrong.

On top of this, sexism in sport is still, sadly, a prominent issue in the modern sporting world. I read the comments on the BBC Sport’s coverage of Naomi Osaka’s second grand slam victory recently. In a, sadly, unsurprising turn of events the comments were riddled with remarks on her match with Serena Williams in the US Open final instead of her Grand-Slam victories. As athletes, Osaka and Williams have handled sexism in social media with grace, much contrary to the venom of the commenters. Comment sections should celebrate victories such as Osaka’s rather than indulge in the played-out trope of pitting women against one another.

Photo by Wikimedia Commons

Most recently, a Guardian article pointed out that there had been a 400% rise in reports of sexism during the 2017-18 football season with social media being the main platform for distributing these comments. The women’s game of football has seen some tremendous strides recently; including, the broadcasting of the Women’s World Cup on mainstream networks, as well as far more appearances of pundits such as Alex Scott on Sky Sports. However, social media proves that sexism surrounding women in sports is still very much alive and needs to be addressed on the very platforms where it breeds.

I’ll be the first to admit that I afford myself the occasional chuckle at football twitter, at Paddy Powers’ attempts to outdo themselves with every Facebook post—but this does not excuse the more serious problem at hand. We live in a fairly disenchanted world where sport, for the most part, is supposed to represent something aspirational. Social media gives internet-warriors a place to spend their negativity from the comfort of a computer screen. Sportspeople, from within their professional federations and from a public point of view, should be judged on the facts, not on a tweet posted by an anonymous coward. It worries me that this is not always the case.

Guardian Article – https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/may/29/women-in-football-report-400-rise-in-alleged-discrimination-and-sexism

Comments

comments

Tags: , , , ,

157 thoughts on “Not on Target: The impact of social media in the world of sport”

  1. Pingback: bahis siteleri
  69. Pingback: Lincoln Georgis
  71. Pingback: Chirurgie esthétique Tunisie
  72. Pingback: National Chi Nan University
  73. Pingback: Prof. Dr. Kamal Sabra
  74. Pingback: What is the rank of QS 2023 Egypt
  75. Pingback: Faculty of political science Contact
  76. Pingback: Which course is best for pharmacy
  77. Pingback: Pediatric Dentistry
  78. Pingback: التدريب العملي لاطباء الاسنان
  79. Pingback: ماجستير جراحة الوجه والفكين كم سنه
  80. Pingback: تقدم البحث
  81. Pingback: قسم تكنولوجيا الوسائط الرقمية
  82. Pingback: innovation
  83. Pingback: Biochemistry
  84. Pingback: fue phone number
  85. Pingback: Microbiology and Immunology
  86. Pingback: Personal statement for future university
  87. Pingback: International student admissions to future university
  88. Pingback: Successful alumni careers
  89. Pingback: ما هو عمل خريج ادارة الاعمال
  90. Pingback: فرص العمل لكلية الصيدلة
  91. Pingback: الهندسة الإنشائية وإدارة البناء
  92. Pingback: Department of Information Technology
  93. Pingback: برنامج إدارة الأعمال في مصر

  94. Hmm it appears like your website ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll just
    sum it up what I had written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog.

    I as well am an aspiring blog writer but I’m still new to everything.
    Do you have any recommendations for novice blog writers?
    I’d certainly appreciate it.

    Reply
  96. Pingback: https://www.kooky.domains/post/choosing-the-right-web3-domain-name-for-your-business-or-brand
  97. Pingback: Cultural diversity
  100. Pingback: Scientific research
  101. Pingback: Social Media Program
  102. Pingback: Hardness Tester
  104. Pingback: الخطة الأكاديمية
  105. Pingback: mission computer science
  107. Pingback: Letters of recommendation for future university
  108. Pingback: Maillot de football
  109. Pingback: Maillot de football
  110. Pingback: Maillot de football
  111. Pingback: Maillot de football
  112. Pingback: Maillot de football
  113. Pingback: Maillot de football
  114. Pingback: Maillot de football
  117. Pingback: fue
  118. Pingback: SEOSolutionVIP Fiverr
  119. Pingback: SEOSolutionVIP Fiverr
  131. Pingback: FiverrEarn
  148. Pingback: lampada lineare LED
  150. Pingback: chest press
  151. Pingback: parcours du combattant

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

THE STAND