'AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!!'

11/29/2010

Professional athletes tweeting. It's a curious and interesting phenomenon that deserves more than a little credit for helping to bring many people to Twitter and other forms of social media. Shaquille O'Neal. Lance Armstrong. Terrell Owens. Chad Ochocinco. Kevin Durant. Charlie Villanueva. Paul Pierce. They all have made headlines via their tweets. And, today, we have another very curious and interesting case: Steve Johnson of the Buffalo Bills.

Johnson, a wide receiver and no stranger to tweeting, went from a pitied soul to, many will say, a pathetic one after tweeting about his dropping a potentially game-winning touchdown pass in overtime Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Addressing the media after the game, Johnson all but admirably took responsibility for letting his team down. But when he had more time to think about it, well, he reacted by apparently blaming God for his mishap.

"I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!!" the 24-year-old tweeted from his iPad at around 5:15 Sunday, about an hour after Steelers' 19-16 victory, according to the New York Daily News. "AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO ..."

Like I said, athletes sharing their thoughts in 140 characters or less is not new. Jon Parks founded the website Athletes Who Tweet in April 2009 because he was amused by the interest and controversy Twitter was causing in professional sports. So the die-hard sports fan developed his site to allow sports fans to find their favorite athlete on Twitter. There's also the website Tweeting-Athletes.com, a directory created, it says so itself, because "it wasn't easy to find professional athletes on Twitter, other than the real obvious (Shaq, Lance, Tony, etc.)."

Used effectively, athletes can use tweets to weigh in on matters in short-and-sweet fashion and have it reported instantly worldwide. Shaq did so, for example, when he congratulated Kobe Bryant after the Los Angeles Lakers won another NBA championship in June. But Johnson's case is Exhibit A of how to heap infamy upon infamy. Not only will he long be remembered for dropping that pass, but now he will be a laughingstock for blaming God on Twitter.

Paraphrasing Johnson himself, FOLKS WILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!!

12 Comments

Trey

1/20/2011 01:44:06 am

I find it interesting how news organizations like The New York Daily News use "tweets" as sources. My experiences with sites like Twitter and Facebook have shown me that another person can sometimes easily hack into one's account and post whatever they want. Not saying Johnson didn't say what he said, but using tweets as a news source could be risky business as it has proven to be in some cases.

Mark Strotman

1/20/2011 10:16:02 am

I realize athletes are humans just like the rest of us "everyday" people, and that a lot of good has come from athlete's Twitter accounts (like spreading the word about charity), but if I were a head coach my team would not be able to use Twitter. Too much negative can come from it, it starts fights with players, and ridiculous comments are made by those who aren't all there in the head (see: Johnson, Stevie). Maybe no one would want to play for me, but Twitter is overall not good for athletes.

Joshua Arter

1/23/2011 07:34:15 am

@Trey I agree. I feel like it shouldn't be seen as too credible a source.

I feel like people take athlete/celebrity Twitter accounts too seriously. I tweet, along with a lot of people, and we're all just really saying stuff we want to.

Jodi Denk

1/24/2011 10:15:47 am

I think for pro athletes the consequences outweigh the positives when it comes to Twitter. In my opinion, trash talk happens enough during the games, it doesn't need to extend out into Twitter for everyone else to read.

Elizabeth Heebink link

1/24/2011 10:38:01 am

I completely agree with Trey and Josh. Most of time people will pose as celebrity or famous athlete and create a Facebook/Twitter account under their name, meaning the things posted are not always 100% accurate. I mean who knows. Maybe Johnson did really blame their loss on God. I couldn't tell you. But all I know is that you shouldn't always trust what you see/hear in the media.

Ashley De La Torre

1/24/2011 01:49:18 pm

On Twitter the real athletes usually have certified accounts that people follow so it seems pretty trust worthy. If this is a way to monitor what is real and what is not than I think it is credible. Kind of like coming straight form the horses mouth, especially when it comes to trades and other personal matters its nice ot here what the atheletes have to say about situations.

As far as using it to weigh in on matters this was never more prevelant to me than when Jay Cutler sat out of the NFC championship vs The Packers. Everyone including his teammates and journalists a =like had something to say about it and it was very insightful and entertaining.

Jon M

1/24/2011 11:54:51 pm

Ohhhhhh twitter. you continue to amaze and astonish me at how fast you have grown. I still find it amazing how professional athletes just eat this social media up. Its becoming their new hobby!

Becca French

8/31/2011 06:05:51 am

I always find it interesting what and who people read about on Twitter. I've never personally been one to follow athletes or pop stars, but rather news and charity groups. I also think when it comes to celebrities tweeting, there is always that fine line of everyone watching what they do, and ALL THE TIME. At some point you would think their managers would prevent them from having social networking for the sheer fact that it allows them to be unfiltered, but I would rather have a celebrity learn from their mistakes than be looked up to as this flawless millionaire who doesn't have to deal with reality.

Kyle

8/31/2011 06:45:12 am

The recent boom in athletes who tweet is pathetic. A good portion of these tweeting athletes abuse the privilege so badly it makes me completely disinterested in their personal lives. Save the tweets for breaking news on a trade you're involved in or, if you're injured, letting us know when you'll be back. We don't pity you for dropping a pass or missing a shot. We certainly don't need to hear your input on your miscue. You're a professional -- make the plays and hush up.

Alec Brooks

8/31/2011 07:53:51 am

I like how you brought it full circle by ending with "Paraphrasing Johnson himself, FOLKS WILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!!"
The article itself provides an interesting take on this phenomenon, as do the commenters who point out the pitfalls of using Twitter as a source.

Ben Sheehan

8/31/2011 12:19:31 pm

To address Kyle's rant- even if you take away Twitter, athletes will find a way to get in trouble through media. Take James Harrison's recent magazine article where he's pictured holding two guns, calls the NFL commissioner the "devil" and insults his starting quarterback and running back. At least with Twitter, it checks them at 140 characters.

Ryan Ellerbusch

9/1/2011 01:50:44 am

I understand that Steve Johnson felt bad for missing the potential game-winning touchdown catch, but what he tweeted was uncalled for. This is another example of an athlete with too many emotions at the time logging onto the Internet and posting exactly what he feels. While this situation did bring bad press to Johnson and the Bills organization, I don't think anything compares to what James Harrison said in a recent magazine article about NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the lockout.

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