Analysis by Maura Gunning in SRM 334 (section 1)
On the 12th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, twitter accounts all over the country were sending out “Never Forget” and “United We Stand” tweets to show patriotism and support to those who were affected by the tragedy. The professional basketball organizations, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns also sent out controversially commemorative tweets. The Lakers posted a large photo of Kobe Bryant with the words “#NEVERFORGET”, until you looked very closely there was no indication of the true meaning behind the tweet other than gaining publicity for one of the most famous players. The Phoenix Suns posted a picture of a man dressed in a gorilla suit, on a stage, waving an American flag with fireworks exploding around him in celebration. Ultimately, is it appropriate or necessary for professional sports organizations to make comments on subjects outside of sports? Social media has created the mindset that anyone is allowed to say anything they want about any subject they like. No matter how unknowledgeable, twitter, Facebook, blogs, and Instagram have made it possible for users to be the new reporters in their communities. The Lakers explained their actions by saying that the tweet was so remember the way that they commemorated the attacks during the 2001-02 season. It is more understandable that the organizations would comment on the events for any employees, family, or friends affected directly after the event but I argue that it is unnecessary for them to make a statement each year. The news sources should make statements about the anniversary of the attacks to tell us what is happening now to heighten security, about the status of the world currently, about the victim’s family and friends who are still grieving and still in recovery. There was a great story about a husband and wife who 12 years after their son’s death in the towers discovered that his last moments were spent selflessly helping others out of the building – that is a news story. Furthermore for the Suns to choose the image they did was not commemorate in the least. Their twitter image reflects the mood of a wild Fourth of July barbeque party before the firework show, not the somber, grieving day of remembrance following an American tragedy.
This article is relative to the course because of its unique nature in explaining why social media can harm an organization. Most of what we hear about social media, explains it as the next greatest thing when in reality not many people stop to think about the publicity as a danger. I think that this generation especially need to remind themselves of the phrase, “Some things are better left unsaid.” It is not necessary or credible for a basketball organization to be commenting on current world events, just as a college student like myself should not be making statements about the latest rocket science formulas used by NASA. I think that professional sports organizations would be better off to remember that they are experts in their industry, therefore if anything on another subject could be taken the wrong way in the slightest it would be best not to publically post it on any media source. The fans have so much power to interact with feedback and criticism now that professional organizations of any kind cannot risk the danger in unnecessary tweets and Facebook messages.
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Analysis by Kara Camuso in SRM 334 (section 1)
Different teams were showing their support for the 12-year anniversary for September 11th, but some of the teams did not show it in a respectful way. The article that we chose for the current event is depicting Lakers as using the special day just to promote their team. The Lakers Twitter account tweeted a picture of Kobe Bryant with “#NeverForget”. It was supposed to show the memorial ribbon on the jersey, but when followers opened the picture Kobe was the center of the picture with a little ribbon on the side. Seeing that people were offended, they took the tweet down and wrote an apology. The Phoenix Suns also tried to show respect that day, but they failed miserably by tweeting a guy in a gorilla suit waving a flag. This showed poor judgment on their part as it seemed that they were taking the day as a publicity stunt.
From a media standpoint, athletes/teams need to think about what they are posting on social media. As these examples show, things can be misinterpreted, and their organization can be seen as disrespectful. They think they can put anything on the Internet, but there are repercussions to offensive tweets. Also with media, things are never deleted so even though the Lakers and Suns took the tweets down people can still have access to them. Although teams and athletes are posting how they feel, the fans will give them their feedback. For example in our presentation, we show how the Broncos head coach is wearing a hat and a fan responded that the Broncos are trying to get publicity rather than remembering the day. Since these are big organizations, people look more closely at what they are posting to represent themselves. If they communicate in a poor manner, it will say a lot about their organization.
This article is relevant to the course because twitter is a big source of media that people will communicate through. If we want to go into a job with media, this article shows we have to be careful what we put on the Internet. We have to make sure it has a positive look on our organization or it could create a bad reputation. Sports Information Specialists have to choose what goes on their sites and what does not using their best judgment. This also relates back to our class because we talked about how people use technology to establish relationships. The Lakers were trying to establish a relationship with their followers but failed to do so within the way they presented the memorial tweet. Last but not least, in class we learned that organizations should know how and when to communicate, and this is a good example of why this concept is so important. The Lakers and Suns needed to know how to effectively communicate “#NeverForget”.
Twitter is being looked over by people more and more every day. The Lakers and the Suns did not post an appropriate tweet to remember September 11th, and they more promoted themselves on the solemn day. Athletes and teams need to be careful how they post things on the Internet because their audience will react, especially by tweeting back at the organization. As students going into this profession, it is important that we know how to communicate appropriately for our organizations in the future.
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