After a summer of high profile gaffs on Twitter you may have thought that athletes would have leanred and been more careful with what they say on social media sites.
Well another, much more low profile, one has come up that just shows that no-one is giving any training or thought to the under-the-profile people who play the sport.
This time it is John Pantsil of Fulham who has been pulled up but oinly in a very low key way. After being dropped after some iffy performances for the last 2 games he wrote on his Facebook page;
“I will for ever love you all Fulham fans where ever I will go…thank you all for your support, it was great and sweet being with you all…jp”
In an apparent goodbye to the fans, despite the transfer window being closed, he gave the club a problem. The club to their credit has not overreacted or even reprimanded him over it.
Mark Hughes dismissed it by saying: “He (Pantsil) is an emotional guy, as everyone who knows him can testify. I didn’t pull him up on it though, and I think he was just a bit frustrated.
“An opinion about players posting messages on Facebook or Twitter? I don’t really have one – but I would like them all to be mindful of what they write that’s posted in the public domain.”
Please, somebody…anybody, give these guys some training (or even advise) so they can be good brand ambassadors and not giving themselves, the clubs and social media a bad image!
Hi Ben, Will. Agree with both of you guys. It is hard at the moment as the players are being hung out to dry really. They are engaging with SM on their own with no backing from their clubs and making it up as they go along. With this method they are bound to trip up. Education is now a must with it being so prominent in all news sectors and with fans.
Dan
At2JwQ I’m not easily impressed. . . but that’s impressing me!
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"Please, somebody…anybody, give these guys some training (or even advise) so they can be good brand ambassadors and not giving themselves, the clubs and social media a bad image!"
This exactly what my company does, but it's extremely tough to get in touch with the players that are using these mediums as a platform for brand promotion. Please forward our details to anyone you think may be able to take advantage of the opportunities we present.
It's vital that high-profile personnel (such as athletes) are advised on best practice with social media – big brands like this usually have entire marketing departments dedicated to marketing services, so for athletes to go it alone is a potential form of 'social suicide' for their personal brand.
I respect Mark Hughes' comments here as he understands that athletes are only human, and generally under-educated compared to your typical marketing professional, so hasn't placed too much blame on the player in question. I think players will start to learn their lessons, but maybe a really high profile ban or fine due to poor social media use will kickstart player education.
As a Fulham fan I love John Pantsil, but there must be a massive common sense failure involved here as well. I completely agree re: social media training but surely these guys must realise they are followed by thousands on social media and if they put messages like this out there people are going to pick up on it.