Athletes and Twitter

"I'm chilling with boy @DMack35 rolling up a fat one! j/k lol" That's just how quick a 25 year old can lose millions. One lapse in judgement and an enthusiastic click of the mouse, you can go from household name to media scapegoat. Now, I know what you're gonna say, "Nobody should feel sorry for these rich privileged athletes." but, you don't know these guys. As a guy that see's these young men when the spotlight is off, people forget how you were at their age. These guys are kids, that want to have fun and act a fool just like everybody else when they were their age. But, amplify that with large amounts of money and an army of yes men to clean up any mistake or indiscretion, and  it's a recipe for an altered reality. The only thing Twitter did was remove the publicist and agent filter, and the readers can't see your face, to see you were joking, or understand your personality as a conversationalist.
When I was a young man of 23yrs old, I made a lot of mistakes. I was ignorant to the real world and often put my foot in my mouth. Now at thirtysumting, I still put my foot in my mouth just not as frequently. Well, when I was making my mistakes I didn't have 20,000 followers, or a million dollar corporate sponsorship deal. I didn't have a 38 yr old Banker in Des Moines, whom I've never met burning my jersey, because they don't agree with my 23 yr old ignorance. Or, a 33 yr old season ticket holder that feels slighted that his team's highly paid player doesn't eat, sleep, and breath the game, when he thinks he should.
 I think the athletes on Twitter meant well, by accepting their thousands of adoring fans into their daily conversations, but what they fail to realize is their reality is different from the majority of those who follow them. And some things just are too real for public consumption. Yes, you have the right to Free Speech, but with every right there's the responsibility of not can you say it, but should you, and is this the right venue. Yeah, the Klan has the right to say what they believe, but should they say it at rush hour in the middle of Compton, or Harlem? Maybe not. 


Keep checking back for 5-10 2011 NFL Draft Recap...WHAT MORE CAN I SAY? MR. J1S IS OUT!!