Social Media and the Student Athlete

I'm going to lead this one off with a stereotypical "back in my day" comment. But before you go looking for gray hairs, you should know that I'm one of the coaches that doesn't have very many (if any). Social media has blown up really in the last 10 years or so. So when I say: Back when I played, I never had to worry about my social media presence, it's not like I'm talking about Coach Gilbert's day when everyone had leather helmets (just kidding, Coach).

Yet, the reality of being a student athlete today is that social media is huge. And there are definite pros. Social media, when done right, can create an incredible platform with which to spread messages of encouragement or inspiration. When I first started coaching, social media was still really in its infancy, but being a bit of a geek, I was familiar with the potential and wanted to harness it for our program. I was very fortunate to find a sympathetic ear in Coach Gilbert (despite being a pretty "old school" kind of guy). If you'd been around Coach G, you know that he's pretty big on using your platform properly. We both see social media as a powerful extension of this.

The cons can show their ugly heads unexpectedly. In a lot of ways, social media is like an open mic in a huge stadium filled with people. If you step up and shout into it, people might pay attention. Say something good, and you can affect people. Say something bad, and you can affect people. Anyone can step up. Our social media accounts as coaches are no more special than any other social media account. We may not have as many followers as Andrew Luck, but its the same technology.

We try to encourage our student athletes to be aware of this. It's not always easy because, honestly, we don't have all the answers. Ask us about football plays, and we have years (decades) of experience to draw on. Social media is still relatively new, and we never had to deal with it. We're learning right along with the rest of you in a lot of ways.

To that end, I wanted to share a short little video put out by the folks at Hudl. You can find it here. The big take home here is a reminder that, when you shout into that microphone, you never know who might be listening, and the echoes of what you say may stick around for a lot longer than you realize. We all have to remember that the Internet is a public place with a long memory. You cannot expect things you put out there to stay private.

Our rule of thumb is really to keep it genuine. Nothing we say on here or other outlets is anything you wouldn't catch us saying in a room full of athletes or parents. Taking that approach seems best. Before you post anything, think about if you'd say the same thing in person to those who are most important to you. If you're an athlete and you have aspirations of playing at the next level, keep in mind that that important person may be your next coach. What do you want them to know about you? How will you use your platform?