With the recent explosion of Twitter, the impact of the messaging service has definitely been felt in the world of sports. Athletes from all sports constantly distribute tweets to their fans, who can stay in the loop on what their favorite players are doing, thinking and where they are going.
NBA players have adapted very well to Twitter, and many prominent basketball players such as Shaquille O’Neal, Charlie Villanueva and others actively use the service on a daily basis and have attracted many followers.
They have become so active, in fact, that the NBA is considering a set of guidelines limiting the use of Twitter during game situations, similar to what the NFL has also done.
The NFL currently limits any use of Twitter, Facebook or any other social media device during any instance that occurs between the 90 minutes before the start of a game and the end of post-game news conferences.
NBA Commissioner David Stern says any caps imposed will not be of great concern. One concern, however, is the potential for conflicting policies that occur between league-specific and team-specific rules. There are quite a few teams planning to implement their own policies before training camp begins.
The use of Twitter has become widespread in the NBA and the content is often newsworthy. For example, on one occasion last season, the Timberwolves’ Kevin Love announced that Kevin McHale had been fired before the news was reported by the mainstream media.
On another occasion, Charlie Villanueva, then with the Bucks, sent a tweet to his followers during halftime of a Bucks game. This generated controversy and criticism as a player’s focus should be solely on the game for which they are paid exorbitant sums of money.
While Twitter’s presence in the lives of NBA players has its ups and downs, it probably does more good than harm. Fans get detailed information about many of their favorite athletes from the best possible source: the athletes themselves. Responsible politics will maintain a healthy balance between right and wrong.