Footballing Twits

While we’re all in the national spirit of football and sport, I thought it would be a timely opportunity to talk about footballing twits on twitter!

Although England didn’t come home (or rather they did, but with disappointed faces!), the #Hashtag trends such as #ComeOnEngland and @EASPORTSFIFA promoting #England throughout the UK made Twitter the platform for supporters to reach out to their national team and send encouragement and inspiration to their football heroes.

It’s also no surprise that footballers use this platform for speaking out to their fans. Showing their passionate, human side to the world can be brilliant for improving their PR and gives them an opportunity to tell their fans how training is going. However when the self-important minority get a bit high on their horse or after they’ve had a couple of drinks, it sparks the question – should they really be allowed on Twitter?

Take Joey Barton for example – after being banned for 12 games by the Premier League this season, some people might say his thumbs work better than his feet.

In May he hit out at his former Newcastle manager, Alan Shearer and also Gary Lineker calling Lineker an ‘odious little toad’, Shearer a “prick”, a “bell” and adding “I have better hair”. Does this sound like a professional and aspirational footballer or like a 15 year old teen that hasn’t got his way in his local Sunday League?

In addition to this, a Sheffield United player has been suspended for breaking the law last month. Connor Brown broke the Section 5 of the Sexual Offences Amendments Act through shamelessly naming and verbally abusing a rape victim and exposing her identity on Twitter. Breaking the law, harassing the victim and doing this in front of his 776 followers is a hat trick of irresponsible idiocy – not sportsmanship!

Thank the Lord that the minority is only a minority though, and that it doesn’t represent the whole of the footballing profession! Has Twitter allowed their arrogance to flow out, which would be kept out of public view before – or – does being arrogant through Twitter make you interesting and subject to newsworthy stories?

Any PR is good PR, right!?