Do you remember sports before Twitter? If so, you know that it was drastically different.
You’d remember having to wait to read the paper, Google something, or watch a pre-game show to find out about your fantasy quarterback’s injury. Now you can find the news instantly.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Twitter. It’s useful, especially for aspiring writers. I can follow whomever I want, whether it’s a professional writer or a friend.
I can type “RGIII” into the search bar on Twitter and immediately view hundreds of opinions and blog posts about his availability for a Redskins’ game.
Just two Sundays ago, there was speculation that Celtics’ point guard Rajon Rondo had torn his anterior cruciate ligament and was out for the season after a game against Atlanta. But, no one really knew the truth. Before the 1 p.m. tipoff against the Heat the following Sunday, speculation grew. I read everything from “Rondo’s done for eight months,” to “Rondo hyper-extended his knee,” to “calm down, Rondo’s fine” on Twitter before the game.
Then, ESPN’s Doris Burke broke the news that Rondo had indeed torn his ACL and would miss the rest of the season in the middle of ESPN’s broadcast. After that, the wick of the sports realm Twitter bomb had been lit and opinion-laced shrapnel on Rondo was dispersed.
The same thing happens with every seemingly relevant story that breaks today. As soon as news appears, opinions flood the “Twittersphere” as if a cyber dam just gave way. Everyone has always had an opinion, but now there’s a medium to share that opinion with the world at the touch of a button. And it’s dangerous.
Twitter is the sharpest double-edged sword in today’s world. It’s fantastic when used properly. But, when used improperly, say to trick someone into a relationship, cyber-bully someone, or break false news, it becomes a problem.
In January of 2012, then long-time Cleveland Browns beat writer Tony Grossi of The Plain Dealer tweeted this from his personal account, “He (then Browns’ owner Randy Lerner) is a pathetic figure, the most irrelevant billionaire in the world.”
Well, Lerner proved to be quite relevant in that situation as Grossi was removed from the beat and re-assigned to be a columnist as a direct result of the tweet.
One emotional tweet lost him his job.
Grossi’s situation proved that you can swing the double-edged sword that is Twitter wherever you’d like as long as you’re fighting the good fight, but the moment that sword draws blood, everything changes.
As Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben once told him in the movie “Spider-Man,” “with great power, comes great responsibility,” and it is imperative for journalists in this new age to realize that.
