Athletes on Twitter: Distraction or Attraction?

Everybody has an opinion on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and the entire world of social networking, and athletes are no exception to this. I myself put off getting a Twitter account because I thought it would die out, and when it didn't, I began by following all my favorite bands, teams, and people. The question arises if this ability for anybody to share anything at anytime is a curse or blessing. This article is really part of the much larger topic of social networking in general, but I'm going to focus on how it looks in the sports realm.All the major leagues have some sort of stance on how long before or after a game their players can post. The NFL's policy is (and don't quote me on this) no posting 90 minutes before a game and nothing until after the media interviews are done.

This makes sense to me, with the intent being that all the players are as focused as they can be during the game and interviews. Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers (who can be followed on Twitter @AaronRodgers12) took a break from tweeting anything until after the season was over for fear that he would be distracted.

Chad Ochocinco (@ochocinco) is probably one of the biggest advocates of the advantages of being on Twitter, as he's frequently connecting with his fans through it.

This leads to probably one of the biggest pros for athletes on Twitter. It really does allow fans to connect and feel even more a part of their favorite team. Michael Grabner of the New York Islanders (@grabs40) is one of my favorites for fan connections. He loves to share pictures and stories about his newly born son, Aidan. I'm not an Islanders fan, but I find myself rooting for him because I have this connection.

This availability also has some setbacks. No doubt, people will follow athletes they dislike just so they can trash talk them. Ochocinco and the Vancouver Canucks' Ryan Kesler (@Ryan_Kesler) are no stranger to this. I won't repeat what some people have sent to them, but several times the player will respond calmly and either (sarcastically) thank the person or just retweet it (the act of resending somebody else's Tweet) with a "haha" attached. This could pose a problem to a player, though, who has a shorter temper and fires back and ends up getting fined or possibly jailed.

I love athletes who are on Twitter. It gives me a glimpse of what they do and exactly how hard they really do work to perform at the level we fans expect and love. If you have a Twitter account and are looking to find some athletes to follow, go to www.tweeting-athletes.com and browse all leagues and teams for your favorite player.