If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all, and certainly don’t say it on Twitter if you’re involved in college athletics!
Social media has revolutionized the way that we communicate, allowing us to share our thoughts on a global scale instantaneously. However, those who don’t know how to harness this immense scope of power and outreach should just stay far away from it.
Athletes and those involved in college athletics, in particular, need to remember that they live under a microscope, and every tweet they post will be seen by at least somebody. It seems that WVU Men’s Basketball head coach Bob Huggins’ daughters and Bloomsburg University baseball player, Joey Casselberry, didn’t get that memo.
Over the weekend, Casselberry tweeted something harsh about Little League baseball star, Mo’ne Davis. The tweet read:
“Disney is making a movie about Mo’ne Davis? WHAT A JOKE. That slut got rocked by Nevada.”
Casselberry’s tweet sparked understandable outrage on Twitter as people rushed to Davis’ defense. Bloomsburg University dismissed Casselberry from the team almost as immediately as the tweet went out.
The dismissed sophomore has since apologized, saying, “An example that one stupid tweet can ruin someone’s life, and I couldn’t be more sorry about my actions….”
Apologizing is all well and good, but it doesn’t mean a damn thing when you finish your apology by hypocritically calling Davis “an inspiration.” You chose your words when you first made the tweet and you meant them.
Also, what frame of mind could you possibly be in where you think calling a 13-year-old girl a slut is by any means okay?
If you can’t stand by the words you’re going to send out for the world to see, just don’t tweet them!
Bob Huggins’ daughters also found themselves in hot water after they were caught berating Maryland guard Dez Wells on Twitter and during the course of West Virginia’s game against the Terps.
People caught on to the fact that the girls were mercilessly tweeting, referencing Dez Wells’ sexual assault charge back in 2012 at Xavier. The accusations against Wells ended up being deemed unworthy of prosecution, and Wells ended up suing his former school for the way they treated his case.
Despite all of this, Huggins’ daughters, Jenna Leigh and Jacque, brought their opinions to Twitter in an aggressive and offensive fashion. Before reading these tweets, it’s worth noting that Jenna Leigh is listed on the West Virginia website as a program assistant.
(via @tarheelblog)
Jacque Huggins then chimed in to add to the trouble her sister was creating. She tweeted:
“Hey #Maryland yell “airball” all you Wan, because at the end of the day….Dez is still a f***ing RAPIST.”
It seems that different ACC and Big 10 University Twitter accounts jumped in to try to settle the girls down and get them to stop. The girls didn’t take that too well, and couldn’t seem to shut up. Jacque tweeted directly at the Ohio State account, saying:
“@OSU_bucks lol are you done tweeting me? And for the record I yelled nothing at Dez. I just tweeted so all you f***s had something to do.#YW”
For the record, many witnesses at that game, including sources from several mid-Atlantic newspapers heard you yell at Dez Wells. Your argument is invalid.
Not only is the relentless nature of the tweeting appalling, and the grammar atrocious (seriously, people…can we please learn the difference between your and you’re), it’s insensitive and prideful to the point of hubris. Their tweets give off the impression that they believe themselves to be untouchable.
In today’s society, when people can promote their opinions through an avatar while safely behind the veil of a computer screen, they see themselves as untouchable.
Here’s the problem. While this may be news to some people, all of your actions and words have consequences. When those words find their way onto the internet, they spread to the entire world instantaneously, assuring that someone will see them.
Many people have the false belief that tweets and different things posted on the internet can just be deleted in order to avoid consequences.
What those people fail to understand is that text posted on the internet is written in the most infinitely permanent of inks.
Nothing you post on the internet is ever fully deleted.
My message to these athletes, members involved with sports teams, and all who reside on social media in general is this: Even if your ill-advised tweet or post on other social media outlets doesn’t come back to bite you with harsh consequences, it will effect your family, friends, teammates, coaches or school.
Think about what the Huggins girls’ tweets do to the image of West Virginia and their father, Bob Huggins. Jenna Leigh Huggins represents the University, therefore her ideas are directly connected with those assumed of the school. And as Bob Huggins’ daughters, their behavior reflects incredibly poorly on him, changing the way people, such as future players and their families, see him.
So, to explain this in the simplest possible way, don’t use Twitter if you’re going to be a twit about it.
There is no holy tablet that says you must participate in social media. If you don’t know how to use it correctly, and can’t help but make an idiot of yourself, there’s no harm in staying away from Twitter and other forms of social media.