Pittsburgh Steelers
The NFL has become a very serious professional sports league; especially since Roger Goodell took over the reins from Paul Tagliabue in 2006. Players have been fined for various infractions, including an instance where Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers used a cell phone to call his wife from the sidelines to let her know he was okay after a collision. (The fine was later repealed in light of Polamalu’s concussion history; it’s not as if he was using the cell phone as a prop in celebration of the collision.)
In an age where social media has become a popular way of communication, not just between coworkers or college buddies, but also between professional athletes and fans, the NFL doesn’t want it’s players tweeting or on mobile devices on the sidelines.
Under current NFL rules, players are not allowed to tweet 90 minutes before games all the way until they are done with their postgame media obligations. However, being that the Pro Bowl is the NFL’s all-star game, the NFL has relaxed its policies to allow for tweeting by players during the game.
And no, that doesn’t mean that players will have their cell phones tucked under their shoulder pads or in their waistbands, as mobile devices still are not allowed on the sidelines. What it does mean, is that up to game time and at halftime players will be allowed to tweet from their mobile devices.
Just when I thought the NFL was becoming relaxed, i noted that there are some restrictions—like with many aspects of the game. Only one player from each team may tweet at a time (I’m still unsure as how they will enforce that), the players can only use Twitter as their social media platform, and they can’t tweet from their mobile device during the game; they must use one of the three computers set up on either side line. The players will be able to use those computers to tweet the fans, opponents, or anyone really during commercials, timeouts, and even when their unit is not on the field.
Considering how strict the NFL has been regarding their players and conduct I have to admit that while it is just for the Pro bowl, it’s still pretty cool they’re going to allow players to tweet during the game. In one aspect, it’s will allow players and fans can interact in a new way – during an actual game – and in another aspect it’s a great way to keep football fans interested in the game.
At one time the Pro-Bowl was seen as something superfluous to the football season—and I still partially think it is. It was something that happened after everyone everybody was already out of “football mode” – including players – and it seemed as if it was trivial. Unlike all of its major professional sports counterparts – NHL, NBA, and MLB – the NFL does not hold its all-star festivities during the season. Then again, all of those sports play a lot more games and can afford to take some time away, while football plays only 16 meaningful games that are all important to playoff implications.
Since 2010 the NFL has placed its Pro Bowl between the AFC and NFC championship games and the Super Bowl, thus increasing its relevance, but in my opinion, only slightly. If the NFL brought back its skills competition—something that last existed in 2007—it may bring back some of the excitement of the week.
Don’t forget to tweet your favorite Pro Bowl players and use the hash tag #ProBowl when tweeting.
David is co-founder of wrapupp sports blog where they post fresh content daily and present sports blogs and sports opinions – all with a West Coast bias. Growing up in the Bay Area, David is a huge supporter of all the local sports teams; the Giants, Athletics, Warriors, Sharks, 49ers, and Raiders. His one fault, admittedly, as many of his friends and family would say, is his love for the Los Angeles Lakers. Growing up, Magic Johnson was his favorite basketball player and he fell in love with the team. He chalks it up to, “Not knowing any better”. Now his love for sports has turned just as academic as it is intuitive and he follows most all sports all over the nation.
You can follow David on Twitter: @officialwrapupp
Sources:
49ers.com. Sideline Tweets to Debut at Pro Bowl. NFL 2012
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The 2012 NHL All-Star Skills Competition: Fan Breakdown
San Jose Sharks Reassign McCarthy to Worcester: Fan Reaction
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