For my second instalment of ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I want to focus on how Twitter is affecting sports. In the information age where everything can be spread in the matter of seconds to places thousands of kilometres away, it is important that we use tools like social media for good.
In the world of PR, Twitter has made the life of PR agents for athletes and sports a living nightmare. As a person who has grown up with sports his whole life I think that Twitter is an incredible tool. Surrounding myself with people who are truly good, has made me want to be a better person. I've dreamt my whole life of being an athlete. I've dreamt of being famous and playing the sport I love. I haven't dreamt of being famous because of the money or the lifestyle (although I wouldn't be against that) but simply because I want to bring forth a change in the world.
I'm a 23 year old student with the world ahead of me. At this particular moment I don't have a lot of money. I'm paying for school and I have other expenses as well. I won't sit here and lie to you and tell you that I have a million things to pay for. I live with my parents, food is paid for, and a lot of my other expenses are also paid for. Having said that though, having to pay for 5 years of school with little to no help from anyone on a low paying job, I really don't have a lot to give. With all that in mind, I've organized 3 charity events and a 4th event through my program at Centennial College.
This brings me to sports and social media. Social media is such a powerful tool that I see too many athletes piss away an incredible opportunity to do real good in the world. I wish I was a famous athlete because that would give me a platform and the ability to amplify the amount of help I can do. If I can get 50 of my friends to each buy one simple toy for a boy or a girl during Christmas time who wouldn't be able to afford it why can't athletes do the same. Instead athletes decide to use Twitter and Facebook for other things.
Now of course not all athletes do this and there are the few that really use Twitter to do good. One of my favourite football players, because of the things he does is Tim Tebow. Tebow has used Twitter to really do good for the people who aren't as fortunate as others. If all athletes were to conduct themselves in the same manner the world would be a better place.
So to the athletes of this world that are constantly getting fined for stupid comments they make on Twitter I have one simple question and a call to action. If a 23 year old student with no money can do a small amount of good, why can't an athlete with all the tools at his disposal do the same? I'm not asking these athletes to donate millions and millions of dollars. That's not what this is about. This is about using social media as a tool and a platform to do good and to raise awareness. If I go and post something on Facebook right now about a cause there's probably a 1% chance that all of my Facebook friends will read it. If I ask in that status to devote some time and money to a good cause there's a smaller percentage that will actually do it. If Tim Tebow posts on his Twitter about a cause, the reach that he has can reach over 100,000 people and out of those people at least 5,000-10,000 people will act on it. So to the athletes of today I ask only one thing of you. PLEASE USE SOCIAL MEDIA AS A WAY TO IMPACT THE WORLD POSITIVELY.
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