Social Media and Today's College Athletes... Freedom of Speech, but not Freedom from Ramification

This blog post has been in my head for a while, so I think I will just jump right in. I definitely think there are some merits to the relationship between social media and today's college athletes. (The NCAA prefers to call them "student-athletes" but I'll just call them college athletes. I really should call them employees of the school, but that's another blog post.) One one side of the spectrum, tweets and Facebook posts really help build a fan base and following for the team and college. I, for one, follow many Memphis Tigers basketball players (current and former, along with a few future) and find it fascinating. Maybe I'm a dork, but I like to see how they interact with each other on social media and Twitter and how they trash talk each other a bit when they are playing summer ball in the Bluff City Classic.

I think these young men help build excitement around their team by giving fans a sneak peek into their lives outside of the 2 1/2 hours we see them on the court during basketball season or on TV. Sometimes they even have profound things to say. Other times, not so much...

On the other side of the spectrum, however, I think too much Twitter and social media can be detrimental to the team, its players and even its fans. Think about how many people have made stupid comments via Twitter that have affected their reputation forever? All is takes is one ill-placed tweet or post and your reputation is ruined.

I guess what I am saying is SOCIAL MEDIA IS DEFINITELY ABOUT FREEDOM OF SPEECH. BUT IT IS NOT FREEDOM OF RAMIFICATION. So, when a player posts trash talk about the other team, you better believe that team is going to see it and a smart coach would use it to his advantage in the locker room to get his team fired up.

If I were a coach, I would ban social media on game day. Players would have to turn their iPhones or Blackberries or whatever device they have before they turn in for bed the night before (for an earlier game) or first thing that morning for a night game. They could have one last tweet before turning the device in and going dark from social media. Then, it would be time to focus. That would alleviate some game day posts and potential trash talking. And posting from the locker room? No way. Not that they are saying mind-boggling things, but let's face it, if they are tweeting from the locker room right after the shoot around, they are not as focused on the upcoming game.  And being a college athlete is about focus and determination.

I also think putting social media in the hands of young, naive players is a bit irresponsible. They should be coached by their coaches and the coaching staff about the ramifications of negative social media instances. Their social media activity should be monitored by the coaching staff so the coach knows what is going on in their personal life. (Please note, some coaches may be out there doing this, but I'm not so sure. The players I follow could use a little coaching on reputation management.) It would be unfortunate if someone were to ruin their career and future due to a reputation-altering tweet or Facebook post.

I think social media has its place in sports, certainly, but I wonder about the negative impact that comes from it, particular on game days. Only time will tell, I guess, and I will still go one following my Memphis Tigers and other athletes to see what they are up to. Besides, how else would I know what Jalen Rose's Bible verse is for the day?

I Be Up in the Gym Just Working on My Fitness

I'm no Fergie Ferg, but I've been in the gym working on my fitness. I finally made the commitment to hire a personal trainer. And I mean commitment on many levels-- personal, time and financial. I called out to my Facebook friends to get trainer recommendations. I had a few caveats (of course) before choosing the right trainer:

1. Must be male: simply, I would hate, hate, hate any trainer that was a female. Mainly because she would be skinny and in shape. (and fat girls don't like skinny girls, just sayin'.) Of course, I would know that she should be fit and thin -- who would want a fat personal trainer? But, my own self-esteem can't handle that.

2. I needed someone who wouldn't be my friend: frankly, I have enough friends. I don't need to hire them. So, I need someone who isn't interested in being my friend, but interested in doing the job I hired him to do. That would be kicking my ass, ladies and gentlemen.

3. I don't need an enabler: I'm a communicator by profession and I can pretty much make an excuse for anything-- fitness and exercise being one of my biggest excuses (I don't have time, I'm too busy with work, kids, school, whatever.) Further, I can make nearly everyone believe it-- I'm in PR for goodness sakes ... and I'm good at it. Well, no more, I say. No more excuses. Frankly, I needed someone who would be honest and not an enabler. So when I made an excuse, he would say, "I don't care if it hurts. Just finish the damn set" and so forth.

4. I need someone who is kinda mean: it works for me. It motivates me. I need someone pushing me. Not letting me quit. I'm seriously a big time quitter at things I'm not good at, and let's face it, I'm not good at fitness, exercise or taking care of myself. Therefore, I need someone who is mean; who will yell at me, push me and make me do it.

I found him. His name is David Allen, owner of NBS Fitness http://www.nbsfitness.net/. He's a meathead former football player, but has the brains with the brawn. And he's really not a meat head at all. He is very smart, knows the human body and what makes it work and was a former strength coach at LSU.  And he is massive. I mean, solid and in shape. As for NBS, you can figure out what it means. Yep, NO BULL SHIT. Now that's exactly what I need.

I've been working out with David for 3 weeks with a partner, the lovely and talented Shawn Sandy. She keeps inspiring me and keeps me motivated. David won't let me quit. My hubby, Tom, has been super supportive and says it's time to take care of me, rather than everyone else. So he's giving me to David 3 times a week, an hour at a time. And so far, I don't hate it. (which, if you know me, know that is a HUGE compliment!)

To show how much progress I've made, David pulled my first workout and compared it with my workout Wednesday. Workout 1, I did 17 pushups. Girl pushups, and I was dying. Week 3, I did 70 (yep seven-zero) girl pushups! That is major progress. Especially for a fat girl who is way out of shape. (Okay, maybe I'm being too hard on myself. I have 2 children, one of which is only a year old.) But my goal in 3 more weeks is to do FIVE REAL pushups in a row. Can I get a woop woop?!?!?!

I'm also running three times a week. Now, when I say running, I don't mean running a 6 minute mile. I've started the "Couch to 5K" program, whereby I follow a weekly program and alternate between running and walking to build up to running a 5K. And, I don't hate it. I have found that the 30 minutes I spend running three times a week helps me clear my head. It helps me think about things and I can just let my mind go. I don't have to solve any problems, I can just think about things and see where my mind goes. I'm not sure how long it has been since I have done that.

I will keep you posted on my progress, dear readers, and I hope you will help hold me accountable.


NO BS!