How athletes can benefit by placing a media coach in sports programs

Sports are a billion dollar industry that attracts a lot of attention. The attention attracted from being an athlete can be negative or positive. Look at Johnny Manziel and the media. They have essentially taken away from his ability to be himself without scrutiny. Chen, Z., & Berger, J. (2013) said, “Controversy should increase the likelihood of discussion (e.g., “controversy sparks conversation” and “if something is controversial, it is bound to be talked about”). This is what the media looks for! Should all athletic programs include media training for their athletes?

When an athlete reaches the collegiate level of athletics they have to be ready to take on the media.  Draskovic, Caic, Kustrak (2013) said, “social media encourages contributions and feedback from everyone who is interested.” The wrong word, comment, or just appearance can bring a variety of attention that the athlete must be ready for. It is imperative for the coaches to help develop their student-athletes not just for their sport, but to tackle the new wave of social media. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram all are being closely watched by the athlete’s fans. It can be positive in the sense of being able to help bring in attention to get the athlete to the next level social media has become a huge subject of interest in 2014. With social media, it is ten times faster to get information out to the general public through twitter, Facebook, and other social media favorites. Having student athletes being themselves is necessary, but protecting their career is also important. Social media is a very positive tool that can be used in a great way. Athletic Programs should start early in developing this craft on tackling the media.

 

References

Draskovic, N., Caic, M., & Kustrak, A. (2013). Croatian perspective(s) on the lecturer-student interaction through social media. International Journal Of Management Cases, 15(4), 331-339.

Chen, Z., & Berger, J. (2013). When, Why, and How Controversy Causes Conversation. Journal Of Consumer Research, 40(3), 580-593.