In my second key insight essay, I expressed that the impact of sports extends beyond box scores, awards, and championships, and I expounded on the many ways sports impact people. Particularly, I wrote about how it has become more common for athletes and people working in the sports media landscape to no longer stick to talking solely about sports in today’s constantly evolving digital age and society.

              During the Fall 2019 semester, South Carolina men’s basketball coach Frank Martin stopped by my JOUR 391: Sports Media and Society class for a guest lecture. Coach Martin talked about his relationship with the media throughout his tenure at South Carolina, his loyalty to his players in ways that are more than basketball, and his understanding that him and his players must see everything as an opportunity to represent the University of South Carolina because they are part of its community. I thought it was fascinating that although Coach Martin coached the Gamecocks to an improbable run to the Final Four in the 2017 NCAA Tournament and was named the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year the same year, he barely talked about basketball when he spoke to my sports media class. He stressed that he does not want to be judged solely on his coaching record because he believes his role as the Gamecocks coach is about much more than wins and losses.

 

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            After playing on what feels like a million different sports teams from kindergarten to my senior year of high school, I can say many of my coaches have impacted me in a lot of unique ways. Given that college athletes are around their teammates and coaches every single day, I cannot imagine how tight the bonds are that college coaches have with their student-athletes. Truly, I do not think there is a limit for how much a coach can mean to an athlete (and vice versa). Hearing Frank Martin speak to my class strengthened my belief that coaches can be many things in addition to coaches for their athletes such as teachers, mentors, tutors, father and mother figures, role models, and lifelong friends. Following Will Muschamp’s dismissal as Gamecocks head football coach (which occurred just a few days before I wrote this), it became even more apparent to me that coaches can be role models and lifelong friends for their players through the genuine relationships and excellent culture they cultivate within their athletic program after I read the numerous heartfelt posts many current and former South Carolina football players shared on social media toward Coach Muschamp.   

            Since athletes are around their teammates and coaches essentially every day, all coaches must recognize the potential to dedicate time to bring the team together and allow the players to simply share things on their mind. I think this can be beneficial for a few reasons. First, it establishes a sense of trust and empathy among teammates. Second, providing opportunities for the athletes to share their own thoughts and listen to those of their teammates allows them to potentially see things from another point of view and maybe change their outlook on things. Third, these genuine and open discussions within the team can lead to the athletes keeping their thoughts off of social media and out of the news, which can further help the public perception of the athletes, the team, and university as a whole.

            Above all, I know coaches are leaders because they help teach so many important lessons. Being a student-athlete and even a professional athlete can present all sorts of challenges, and I think the idea that athletes and coaches are people too who have their own ups and downs can get lost in the shuffle. Athletes can face issues ranging from media interaction, financial worries, addiction, family/relationships, learning to deal with the fame that often comes with being an athlete, responding to change, and learning to address their own mental health concerns. We have seen many times that athletes are far from perfect and are not afraid to share their opinions, even if their opinions may not be a reflection of their team. Given the increasing intersection between sports, the media, and society at large, I strongly believe college coaches can provide opportunities for athletes to learn about social media etiquette and how to represent themselves and their team in a professional way in the media.

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Issue:

Social media can be a creative tool that helps promote an identity for a sports team, but it can also create problems if it is not managed the right way.

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Solution and Recommendations:

To reduce negative consequences of athletes’ social media activity, I have developed the following plan:

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1.     I will research instances when athletes posted content on their social media platforms that their team may not have been typically fond of and reach out to their team's public relations department to see how their organization approached the situation. One such example of an athlete's thoughts going viral is Denver Nuggets Michael Porter Jr. speculating that COVID-19 is being used to control people during a Q+A on Snapchat. In this situation, Nuggets coach Michael Malone told reporters he spoke with Porter Jr. about being "sensitive" with his public remarks amid the pandemic and went on to say, "I'm not going to tell any of our players what they can and can't say. All I would say is just be sentive to the current situation in our country and throughout the world in regards to coronavirus."

 

2.    I will lead presentations to college coaches and athletes about social media etiquette that remind them that everyone within a program should always strive to represent the university in a positive light and teammates can be a great resource for them to share what is on their mind and learn from other people’s perspectives. Most importantly, I will convey that players can share things they are passionate about through methods other than social media while also respecting the rights of others to express their own opinions. The goal is not to restrict athlete's voices through social media, but knowing the right time and manner to advocate for causes and bring situations to light in a respectful and responsible way. 

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3.     Part of these presentations will involve partner and group exercises that allow the athletes to learn more about each other. It is crucial for athletes to be comfortable with teammates and coaches because they are around them all the time and building a sense of camaraderie around a program involves more than just playing together.

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4.     Lastly, coaches will be encouraged to lead sessions every month where all athletes and team personnel come together to simply talk to each other. This will be a space where athletes can bring up anything at all they want, and they should know it is a space to say whatever is on their mind and their teammates will listen and support them. These coach-led meetings will make it apparent to the players that it is imperative for them to be just as comfortable in the locker room as they are on the court/field and understand they have teammates they can trust, learn from, and empathize with. I’m not saying this is always the case or this happens incredibly often, but maybe athletes would draw less unwanted attention to the team through their personal actions on social media if they had opportunities to talk to each other about their thoughts on things other than their sport and team.

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Evaluation:

To evaluate the success of this plan and the presentations, I will send out a survey to the coaches whose teams I presented to. In this survey, I will ask them if they believe the players were engaged during the presentations, if the sessions were productive, and, above all, if they and their team had improvements in social media behaviors.

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