Pros And Cons For Athletes

Social Media’s Pros and Cons for Athletes

The world is constantly changing and creating faster ways of communicating with each other, especially with the use of social media. Social media impacts an average person’s life on a daily basis. In the sports world, social networking is very valuable. Coaches, sport affiliated companies and athletes utilize the social media for many reasons. However, athletes do not recognize the pros and cons of using the social network. Athletes need constructive and strategic education on the benefits and risks of social media to protect them from disastrous consequences.

Social media has many positive benefits for athletes. When they are off the court or field, athletes enjoy staying in touch with supportive fans and friends (Van Schaik). According to a Sports Illustrated article, “Some American athletes have successfully used social media to improve their social lives” (“America’s Tweethearts”). This allows the athlete to relax and loose some stress. Also, they like to share experiences with fans by means of pictures and posts to show the “other side” of their life. For example, athletes can upload pictures on Instagram of their location, family, sports team, and anything else. Sending tweets on Twitter is commonly used by athletes because it is easy and fast to post pictures and comment about any and everything that is on their mind (Ford).

According to a leading article about social media, YouTube is another way to share videos with fans and supporters of a team or organization. It can also advertise a player’s talents and abilities to athletic coaches or employers of top sports agencies and companies (Ressler). For instance, some high school athletes use social networks to highlight their ath...

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...ymbiotic relationship between athletics and social media work well together. As they advance to higher stages of their sport, they need to be cautious that people are looking at them, physically and online. Young athletes look up to these “role models” and watch everything they do. Not only are the kids looking at them, but the parents of these kids are observing, too. Not to mention the many leaders and directors of sport organizations, programs, and schools who demand smart choices from the athlete, too. Constructive education is valuable for an athlete’s career. Knowing the pros and cons of utilizing the Web is vital to the development of the athlete and can provide significant benefits, and the responsibility for savvy web behavior rests with the athletes and those who teach them. Education is the best way to ensure athletes use the Web in a beneficial manner.