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Twitter And Professional Athletes


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Dam I was reading this and was amazed at some of the things the Professional athletes do on twitter. But it shows some of them to be human :lolwave: But as of now ESPN is telling them not to twitt anything that has to do with memo's or any other documents in relations to ESPN.

 

For ESPN, the social-networking revolution will not be televised--or tweeted, blogged, or Facebooked. Not for now, at least, and not without ESPN's approval.

 

The sports network has apparently banned its workforce from posting any sports-related content on social-networking tools such as Twitter and Facebook without its permission. The news first came to light Tuesday when Ric Bucher, an NBA analyst for ESPN, tweeted that he had just received an network memo regarding tweeting:

 

 

The hammer just came down, tweeps: ESPN memo prohibiting tweeting info unless it serves ESPN. Kinda figured with was coming. Not sure what this means but

 

In a follow-up tweet, Bucher, who has more than 18,000 followers on Twitter, pondered the gravity of his tweet revealing the memo:

 

 

I'm probably violating some sort of policy just by telling you. In any case, stay tuned.

 

According to a purported copy of the memo posted on the sports blog The Big Lead, Bucher may just be violating the new policy (one point begins "Avoid discussing internal policies...").

 

In the memo, ESPN tells employees that is "currently building and testing modules designed to publish Twitter and Facebook entries simultaneously" on ESPN Web sites and mobile platforms, and it plans to roll out the modules this fall.

 

"Personal websites and blogs that contain sports content are not permitted," according to the memo. But, it says, "If ESPN.com opts not to post sports related social media content created by ESPN talent, you are not permitted to report, speculate, discuss or give any opinions on sports related topics or personalities on your personal platforms(.)"

 

The memo seems to mirror efforts announced earlier Tuesday by the Marine Corps and the National Football League affecting their respective members and employees. And while one could argue that a military ban on using social-networking sites could ultimately save lives, the NFL is apparently just trying to save itself from some embarrassment.

 

Professional athletes ranging from Shaquille O'Neal to Lance Armstrong have long twittered about their observations on their respective sports experiences but not always with the approval or to the amusement of their coaches. In April, San Francisco Giants pitchers Barry Zito and Brian Wilson found their Twitter accounts getting the hook over some rather bizarre posts. But those posts paled in comparison to Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley, who last season posted a portion of his team's playbook on his personal blog--along with a photo of his thingy.

 

So what is ESPN's angle? A spokesman for the network told The New York Times that, "we want to be smarter about how we do it," adding that Bucher's "interpretation of the policy is mistaken."

 

As for Bucher, he seems to have no plans to abandon Twitter. "My guess is I can still tweet about my vacation/car shopping, etc. Which I will do, if I can."

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Man twitter just seems to spread around with good reviews then bad reviews LOL now the NFL is getting a bit under the collar with there atheletes that are using twitter!! :lolwave:

 

The use of Twitter by NFL players, coaches, sports reporters and even spectators has come under scrutiny, as certain players find themselves in hot water over ill-advised tweets and certain clubs attempt to keep spectators from tweeting what goes on at training camps -- even camps that are open to the public.
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