Mike Preston: Social media has changed the narrative for NFL players, and it is not good

[Mark Vader]

6 hours ago, DJB said:

 

 

I found the Jets car

 

Was Sam Darnold in it?

[JGMcD2]

6 hours ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Sports is just a microcosm of society, in that and every other respect.  Social media is a NET NEGATIVE for humanity.

Beautifully said. 
 

Growing up my parents banned me from using Facebook or any other type of social media. I thought it was so unfair at the time because everyone else my age was involved with it and I felt like I was missing out. 
 

Now I understand why... my parents are absolute geniuses for keeping me away. I’m on zero social media platforms now. I tried it out for a bit in college and it made me miserable. It was so time consuming and superficial. 
 

It has some perks, but I’ve always felt that if someone wants to know how I’m doing they can pick up the damn phone and call me. That’s if they REALLY truly care how I am doing, otherwise liking my photo and pretending like they know how I am is a joke. 

[TailgateChef]

13 hours ago, JGMcD2 said:

Beautifully said. 
 

Growing up my parents banned me from using Facebook or any other type of social media. I thought it was so unfair at the time because everyone else my age was involved with it and I felt like I was missing out. 
 

Now I understand why... my parents are absolute geniuses for keeping me away. I’m on zero social media platforms now. I tried it out for a bit in college and it made me miserable. It was so time consuming and superficial. 
 

It has some perks, but I’ve always felt that if someone wants to know how I’m doing they can pick up the damn phone and call me. That’s if they REALLY truly care how I am doing, otherwise liking my photo and pretending like they know how I am is a joke. 

I plan to keep my kids away from all platforms as long as possible.

Edited March 2, 2021 by TailgateChef

[Doc]

13 minutes ago, appoo said:

Here's a radical idea, allow players to walk out of a contract as easily as teams can cut players.

 

Pay back 50% of your signing bonus, nullify all future guaranteed money, and you can walk.

 

That would resolve a lot of the whining about social media.

 

It's not radical: players can actually pay money back.  I've been saying that the first thing the Texans should say to Watson is "any trade is contingent upon you paying back all of your guaranteed money."

[JGMcD2]

Just now, TailgateChef said:

I plan to keep my kids away all platforms as long as possible.

Absolutely agree with you. 
 

I’m a little ways away from having kids... but when I do they’re not allowed anywhere near it. 

[Mark Vader]

5 hours ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Do you have kids?  Social media is terrifying.  They spend their time on it (or their friends do) at a young age, and internalize the “like/dislike” dynamic, plus one mistake they make will follow them around for life potentially.  It’s horrible.  (And my parents’ generation is worse!  Baby Boomers on Facebook is possibly the worst thing that has happened in this century.  They fill their time with Facebook-surfing for cat videos, conspiracy theories, stupid memes and lame jokes, hokey sayings of encouragement, pictures of their new kitchens, etc.  THE WORST.)

Baby Boomers aren't the only ones that do that.

 

5 hours ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

Oh for sure. There are a lot of adults like that too. But that’s kinda on the parents too. 

Yes, but even if you have great parents, it's difficult to track EVERYTHING.

[JGMcD2]

15 minutes ago, Mark Vader said:

Yes, but even if you have great parents, it's difficult to track EVERYTHING.

You’ve gotta get lucky and just have a mature kid too. Impossible to track everything... you end up having to rely on a 12-18 year old to make smart, mature decisions constantly. 
 

It’s almost impossible. 

[The Jokeman]

6 hours ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Do you have kids?  Social media is terrifying.  They spend their time on it (or their friends do) at a young age, and internalize the “like/dislike” dynamic, plus one mistake they make will follow them around for life potentially.  It’s horrible.  (And my parents’ generation is worse!  Baby Boomers on Facebook is possibly the worst thing that has happened in this century.  They fill their time with Facebook-surfing for cat videos, conspiracy theories, stupid memes and lame jokes, hokey sayings of encouragement, pictures of their new kitchens, etc.  THE WORST.)

 

[Beast]

The funny part about those in this thread bashing social media?

 

This message board is a form of social media.

Edited March 1, 2021 by Beast

[dickleyjones]

for all of those bashing social media: what do you think TBD is ???????

[cba fan]

5 minutes ago, dickleyjones said:

for all of those bashing social media: what do you think TBD is ???????

yes but we are always positive. lol......😂🤣🤣

[SinceThe70s]

9 hours ago, HOUSE said:

 

 

Mike Preston, The Baltimore Sun

BALTIMORE — National Football League head coaches are spending as much time monitoring their players on social media as they are drawing up and installing plays.

 

 

 

I don't believe that for a second. 

 

 

Edited March 2, 2021 by SinceThe70s

[Mr. WEO]

10 hours ago, HOUSE said:

Here's my new car

 

 

 

 

10 hours ago, HOUSE said:

Social Media probably cost Richie Incognitio & Antonio Brown millions...

 

Richie had no shortage of suitors after his social media "reveal"....

[Saxum]

3 hours ago, appoo said:

Oh and an aspect about NFL players that should be discussed here - contracts aren't guaranteed.  So that means a club can cut a player's ass whenever they want, and all they'd owe them is the money they already gave them, and whatever % of guaranteed money is left over - for which most NFL contracts isn't a huge amount.

 

I'm not a huge fan of what DeShaun Watson is doing, but I'm not without sympathy either. If teams can walk away from players with a click of a button, while players have to launch an entire media campaign over the course of months, to be able to switch teams, that's inherently unbalanced.

 

There's inequity, and when thaythappens, there's ALWAYS going to be a power struggle, and it's going to be the less powerful trying to gain more power. Right now, the best tool players have to level that playing field, is through social media, because they can galvanize support around them.

 

Right or wrong.

 

Absolutely contracts should not be guaranteed.  Players get new contracts and they loaf off in off season, come into camp out of shape or avoid contact in games when near end of contract or bellyache when put on bench for poor performance while they are being paid and this is without guaranteed contracts.  If the NFL players want guaranteed contracts ha

 

The teams can cut players because it is in contract.  Players cannot hold out according to contract which is why NFL changed rules preventing forgiving of fines. If NFL players want change they have demand that NFLPA negotiate for that but will need to give something else up.  IMO if NFLPA demands it then NFL needs to break union hiring scabs if necessary.

 

Teams need to play hardball with holdouts including agents.  NFL needs to recover signing bonuses when they can from players retiring or quitting. 

 

If a player has an alternate like playing baseball player can quit and make money approaching NFL money but few have that option.

[Green Lightning]

10 hours ago, BarleyNY said:

Mike Preston has been hated by Baltimore fans for as long as I can remember.  This article is a good example of why.  It was really nothing but bitching and whining on behalf of himself and NFL teams.  The NFL is happy to take advantage of social media, the internet and other modern tech when it suits them so they aren’t getting any sympathy from me if there’s a downside too.  Ditto Preston.  He ***** about players trying to use social media to get better contracts, but ignores the fact that owners can make billions of dollars over the course of owning a team.  So they have to manage some social media stuff from players in the process?  Boo hoo.  It’s part of the package these days.  If they don’t want to deal with that stuff they can do something else in a less public industry. 

Maybe, but he's right.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

4 hours ago, TailgateChef said:

I plan to keep my kids away all platforms as long as possible.

 

It's really tough, but it needs to be managed.

 

My kid's freshman year in HS, her grades really plummeted, just couldn't seem to focus or get things done.  I made an appointment with the pediatrician to see if there were some medical issue - thyroid?  depression?  ADHD? 

 

The ped obligingly did some tests and performed some workup.  When she called me with the results (all normal) she said "I'm talking to you as a fellow parent here.  Take the electronics out of the bedroom.  Have her do her homework on the computer in the core of the house, wherever you are, so you can keep an eye on whether it's homework or chat apps and games.  Then call me back in a month and let me know what happens."  We didn't prohibit games and chat, we just said work for 20-30 minutes then take a 10 minute break, or finish one subject then take a break.

 

Smart woman, that ped.  Grades picked right back up.  A year and a half later, kid said "I was really pissed off at the time, but you did the right thing".  Kid is a junior in college now.

[Southern_Bills]

In life I look at it like this, if your Facebook life is Excellent, your real life probably is sub par.

 

I'm sure some people are exceptions to the rule, but it's still a good bet. My sister-in-law posts pictures of her dinner every night and how happy she is, clearly she isn't that satisfied or she would get off social media and just enjoy it.

 

I'm kinda old school like that though.

[reddogblitz]

I thank my lucky stars we didn't have this stuff when my kids were in school.

[PrimeTime101]

13 hours ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Sports is just a microcosm of society, in that and every other respect.  Social media is a NET NEGATIVE for humanity.

seriously... this may be one of the best quotes of the past year on these forums. How true this statement is.

[TailgateChef]

9 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

It's really tough, but it needs to be managed.

 

My kid's freshman year in HS, her grades really plummeted, just couldn't seem to focus or get things done.  I made an appointment with the pediatrician to see if there were some medical issue - thyroid?  depression?  ADHD? 

 

The ped obligingly did some tests and performed some workup.  When she called me with the results (all normal) she said "I'm talking to you as a fellow parent here.  Take the electronics out of the bedroom.  Have her do her homework on the computer in the core of the house, wherever you are, so you can keep an eye on whether it's homework or chat apps and games.  Then call me back in a month and let me know what happens."  We didn't prohibit games and chat, we just said work for 20-30 minutes then take a 10 minute break, or finish one subject then take a break.

 

Smart woman, that ped.  Grades picked right back up.  A year and a half later, kid said "I was really pissed off at the time, but you did the right thing".  Kid is a junior in college now.

Well done.

We don't allow devices in bedrooms.  Theirs or ours.  No phones, computers, desktops, ipads, or TVs.  But they're only 5 and 8 now.  Much tougher battle with teenagers.