Paranoid vs Optimistic: The Jets and Twitter
Every Jets fan has two sides. We are all schizophrenic; we alternate between paranoid, neurotic, sobbing Suzys and rabid, take-on-the-world hope mongers. That’s why I think it’s so interesting to look at our prospects for the season through the lens of the paranoid fan, and through that of the optimistic one.
Twitter is all the rage these days and many Jets players have their own accounts, among others, Kerry Rhodes, Dustin Keller, Mark Sanchez and Jay Feely. The great thing about athletes who use Twitter is that you can actually talk to them directly and hear what they are thinking about on a minute-by-minute basis. Conversely, the (potentially) bad thing about athletes who use Twitter is that you can actually talk to them directly and hear what they are thinking about on a minute-by-minute basis. So is Twitter going to help or hurt the Jets in their self-professed quest for the Super Bowl this year? Let’s see what the Paranoid and Optimistic fans have to say on the matter.
Optimistic – I don’t see what’s wrong with athletes having more contact with their fans. If anything it improves the experience of watching a game if you feel like you know the person who is playing. No longer do you have to be jealous of the son of the head coach who gets to joke around with the players on the sidelines and pick up the tee after kickoffs. Contact with star athletes doesn’t have to be relegated to the super-rich and well connected. If Kerry Rhodes wants to tell me directly that he thinks the Jets are going to be good this season then I say let him go for it. If anything it’s extra motivation for him to back up his claims. It’s completely unreasonable to think that contact to the outside world through Twitter would really have an affect on whether a team wins or loses on a week-to-week basis. Teams have much bigger problems to worry about than their players engaging and interacting with their fans. Ball clubs are going to go 4-12 or 12-4 based on talent, coaching, schedule, and luck. Twitter doesn’t factor into the equation. If anything banning interested players from using the service is more of a distraction than letting them use it unabated. If you really think that openness with the media can single-handedly destroy a team then lets take a trip way back to when Eric Mangini was conducting a quarterback competition that didn’t involve players named Quinn or Anderson. During that time, the lights of media availability to players were dimmed behind an impenetrable smoke screen laid down by the iron fisted HC of the NYJ. It’s not that Mangini never talked about his players, or let them interact with the media. It’s just that all they ever said were banal prepackaged platitudes about team unity and week-to-week improvement. Did this media averse attitude help the team during their 4-12 season? No. Did it help during our late season slide last year? No. If anything, it made players restless, and unable to concentrate on the task at hand because they couldn’t express themselves. Sometimes its better to blow off a little steam then hold it all in. Just ask Mom.
Paranoid – Twitter is the unholy death of all things good and precious in sports. Gone are the days of the holy, untouchable football demi-gods who captivated the rapt attention of 70,000 fans and bench pressed mini-vans, breathed fire, and polished their Super Bowl rings in their spare time. Now football is played by the garden-variety human being who may be a freakish athlete on Sundays, but on any other day is just as concerned with the small stuff like getting groceries as anyone else. Can you imagine Peyton Manning texting sweet-nothings to his Twitter followers before getting onto the field for pregame warmups, or during halftime at the Super Bowl? Sure the media would love it. His fans would probably love it too, until he started losing. That’s the thing about enhanced player contact with the public. When you’re winning, there’s no problem. But once you hit that first roadblock, and players start to get uncomfortable with increased scrutiny, they will inevitably start the blame game to shift attention away from themselves. And that’s when Twittering can go from a harmless pastime to a locker room plague that tears the team apart from its very core. Players have been known to act emotionally under scrutiny, and Twitter makes it easy for hecklers to find them, and for them to vent their feelings. I for one know that I don’t want to wake up Monday morning after an emotional loss to the headline “Ellis Throws Verbal Snowball at Fan Via Twitter.” I know Rex Ryan is all for honesty and openness with the media, but there is a point where the line has to be drawn. The Jets should take a cue from other teams that have banned Twitter use altogether. The fewer distractions the better, and for a team that’s going to struggle in the early going with a rookie quarterback Twitter could be the festering sore that helps to bring the Ryan administration to its knees.
What I Think – I’d like to agree with the Optimistic fan on this one. Until players prove that they aren’t responsible enough to handle censoring themselves on a site like Twitter I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. In fact, as a fan I’ve had really positive experiences with it. Kerry Rhodes is someone who makes a seemingly inhuman effort to reply to most of the Tweets he receives, and I’ve had him reply to me on at least two occasions. I’m not embarrassed to say that I called select family and friends when he said something to me for the first time even though it was just a one-word reply. I don’t think it’s a bad thing that we get to see players as human beings instead of as untouchable football idols. I actually think it’s completely awesome that we get to talk to people like Mr. Rhodes so easily. And if a player was really trying to do some damage and vent his feelings he would probably leak an anonymous quote to the media so that he wouldn’t be blamed for ruining team unity with a Twitter post. So, if the Jets can generate interest for their team by allowing players to talk to fans and express themselves in a truly 21st century format, I say there’s nothing bad about good communication. But keep the words of the Paranoid fan in your mind, for the times ahead may well prove me wrong.
What do you think?
For the record if you want to reach me on Twitter, you can find me here.
11 Responses to Paranoid vs Optimistic: The Jets and Twitter
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azjetsfan says:
He doesnt look happy…I really wish they would do something with leons contract, we need to use leon 80% & T-jones in short yardage situations only…or shop t-jones & use greene in short yardage….I think 1st 4 games are going to hurt big time w/o Pace, but 10-6 should get us to playoffs!!!
GO J-E-T-S, JETS…JETS…JETS!!!
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Rich, You are right on. There is no problem with players tweeting their thoughts about how they feel, the game etc. It makes them human and less of a figure and more of a person when you can have conversations with them.
I hate to admit it also, but I did the same thing when Kerry replied to me.. When I finally got to meet him, I introduced myself with my name and Twitter handle. He seemed to acknowledge who I was right away (or maybe he was being nice), but I like to think it’s the first.
… oh and Call me a chump, but I buy a new Jersey every year (well not really, but I had to replace that #4), and I picked good ole’ number 25 because of my interactions. I don’t think that was his intent, but he’s got a bigger fan walking the stands with his number!
e_man
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RKNYC says:
Twitter…fulfilling people’s self importance for almost 3 whole years.
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TOON2388 says:
TWIT is 2/3 of the word….need I say more?
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NYJBeast89 says:
What exactly is wrong with Twitter? I personally like the insight into players lives, I read the Franchez’s twitter regularly.
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Jonathan says:
i’ve become quite fond of twitter and thoroughly enjoy following all the jets players and news. it’s quickly become my preferred method for reading news, esp. sports. and while most players handle it with maturity and discretion, there are times i wince at #87′s more informal/risque tweets, but only because i want him to be known as a playmaker, not a troublemaker.
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I havent twitted yet. But it sounds interesting. I mean he might give you a tip on how he thinks and plays the game. And its always about how you play the game.
Who knows, If Buress was twitting he might of not shot himself. He might have found out that his latin fans are kool and not out to get him in any way. -
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That picture with the Twitter bird makes Thomas Jones looks soft… remove the bird and he’s creepy as hell.