Skip to main content

Twitter Serving as Platform for Athletes

It is not often that a player will reach out publicly to fans and take the full burden for his team's loss. Many times, players will deliver an overly used athlete quote like, "Gotta let that go and get 'em tomorrow," which isn't bad, but it gets quite routine after hearing it dozens upon dozens of times over the years.

Considering that, in the past, quotes from team personnel would normally be delivered to the masses via sports reporters, who could edit out any expletives that might have been uttered, hearing genuine, unedited thoughts from a sports figure is rather uncommon. These days, however, things are considerably different.

With the current state of technology, players are able to bypass the middle man and connect with thousands of people almost instantly. For instance, during Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins' recent trip to the disabled list, the veteran ballplayer was able to scoop reporters by delivering updates on his status directly to the public via his Twitter account.

More recently, another Phillies player has taken to the social networking site to speak out, voicing his displeasure with his own recent performances, squashing the abilities of local media to pass along his thoughts.

Following his outing in game 1 of Tuesday's double header against the Nationals, righty reliever Michael Schwimer (pictured) expressed an extreme level of annoyance with his efforts in his past two appearances. The rookie has allowed 5 earned runs over 2 total innings pitched in those games. Schwimer took a loss against the Cardinals last Friday and ruined a gem by starter Kyle Kendrick when he faced Washington, but did not figure in the decision that day.

In the Twitter post, Schwimer declared, "Back to back horseshit outings cost the team 2 wins." He then added a blurb about the struggles being a tough pill to swallow.

While this sort of openness from players and the availability to the public that comes along with it is not necessarily the norm, the world we live in, where digital and internet technology leave traditional forms of media fearing for their futures, could be progressively leading to a place where players speak their minds on their own time and trim out the third party.

Players have the ability to say as much as they like, as often as they like, to whomever they like via services like Twitter. They can build a fan base and develop a brand all by themselves or with some help. Why would they continue to allow writers to interpret their words or add their personal angle or their employer's spin to happenings pertaining to the athlete, deep into the future? Athletes don't have to do that, so as time goes on and more sports personalities realize this fact, expect to see the list of players handling their own news and postgame vocal offerings on their own.
_____________________________________________

You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.

Also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

World Series Preview: Phillies vs. Astros

The Fall Classic is set to get underway on Friday with the Phillies opening on the road to take on the Astros in a best-of-seven series. This year marks 75 years since the first time a World Series was televised and this year each game will be broadcast on the FOX television network.  ESPN will have the radio broadcast and that feed can be streamed by using this link . Game 1 Friday, 8:03pm Eastern....in Houston.  RHP Aaron Nola (11-13, 3.25 ERA) vs. RHP Justin Verlander (18-4, 1.75 ERA).  In 16 road starts during the regular season this year, Nola notched a 5-9 record with a 3.00 ERA.  Nola has struck out 18 and walked three in 17 1/3 innings pitched this postseason.  Earlier this month, Nola tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings at Houston.  In 15 home starts during the regular season, Verlander sported a 10-1 record with a 1.64 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP.  Verlander has a 5.68 ERA and has not recorded a win in seven career World Series starts.  Verlander has...

PhoulBallz Interview: RHP Ben Brown talks TJ recovery, O'Hoppe, cancelled season

Image- MiLB.com Out of action since last May when it was determined he required Tommy John surgery, righty pitching prospect Ben Brown is using the downtime of the pandemic hiatus to continue his physical recovery.  A 33rd round draft selection of the Phillies back in 2017, Brown made his professional debut that same year, posting a 2.57 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP in 10 appearances in the rookie level Gulf Coast League.  The following season, Brown began to make a name for himself in the GCL, striking out 16 batters in one July appearance.  He would post a 3.12 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in 10 games (eight starts) before earning a promotion and finishing the season with a pair of outings with Class A short-season Williamsport. Brown, a Long Island, NY native, opened last year with Class A Lakewood.  In four appearances with the BlueClaws, he struck out 20, walked four and allowed no runs in 13 2/3 innings and looked well on his way to making an impact on betting odds and avai...

2019 Phillies Prospects Countdown: #7 LHP JoJo Romero

JoJo Romero, image- Jay Floyd With a growing crop of very talented pitching prospects in the Phillies organization, left-hander JoJo Romero is certainly among the standouts. The five-foot-11 200-pounder was the Phils’ 4th round draft selection in 2016. That year he helped Yavapai College, the same school that the Phillies drafted Kenny Giles from in 2011, clinch the JuCo World Series, leading the way with an 11-5 record, a 3.64 ERA and a 10.2 K/9 mark. He also tossed a complete game gem to earn the win in their title game. After signing with the Phillies, Romero made his professional debut as a member of the short-season Class A Williamsport Crosscutters. There, he notched a 2-2 record with a 2.56 ERA while striking out 31 and walking 11 in 45 2/3 innings. In 2017, he got off to a terrific start with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws. In 13 starts, Romero tallied a 5-1 record with a 2.11 ERA and a 9.3 K/9 mark and was honored as a South Atlantic League mid-season All-Star. R...