Over the Edge - February 01 sports SPORTS AND SOCIAL MEDIA Does It Go Too Far? JARROD WEISNER UNBC LIFESTYLE ith the ever-increasing amount of registered Fa- cebook, Twitter, and other popular forms of social media users, the expansion of these worlds into the intense business of professional sports was only inevitable. The internet has become a key role in managing some of the many forms of sports, how- ever the insertion of specific social media aspects that come along with the web have drastically changed how sports in the 21st century are shared, viewed, and even played. Let’s look at some of the different types of ex- amples that a professional sport has proven social media to have a role in. Dating back to a time when Romans had a favourite gladiator in the Coliseum, people have always wanted to find faster, more efficient ways to stay updated on the rumour mill and tracking of their most be- loved athletes. Whether this is on the international playing level or simply Ryan Kesler getting out of bed in the morning and tweeting you his cheer- ios (if it had been coco-puffs it means he’s considering an offer from the Toronto Maple Leafs — FACT), media platforms can break the news faster than ever. In fact, Twitter plays host to some of the most intensely hated (or feared...?) minds of the Canadian hockey world right now, and they even have a name: The TSN Panel. Darren Dreger, James Duthie, Ray Ferraro, Bob Mackenzie, and PJ Stock, just to name a few of the analysts we have all love to hate and shamefully “follow” on Twitter for their inside information regarding the moves made in the NHL and international hockey universe. Bob Mackenzie tweeted: “Some- where, Luc Bourdon is smiling at his pal Alex Burrows.” What this means: You may remem- ber a certain puck turnover during a nailbiting playoff affair between the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks last summer — and you may also remember the ensuing goal and spilling your drink all over your dog when you jumped up in praise. Alexandre Burrows sealed a scary series thrice-rematched to finally push the Canucks through a heated first round (and eventually land into a year to remember for everyone) with his overtime wrister past the Chicago netminder Cory Crawford. In the worst kept secret for any Canucks fan, his famed goal celebration move is to pretend to shoot an arrow into the sky in remembrance of his hock- ey partner and childhood friend Luc Bourdon, who passed suddenly in a tragic motorcycle accident after being with the Canucks for only a short per- iod of time. This celebratory gesture has become the ultimate pull-at-your- heartstrings move in the most recent years with the team, and the tweet from Bob Mackenzie acknowledging this was the ultimate pat on the back for a job well done. Bob Mackenzie tweeted: “Rus- teammates involved around the globe. Bob Mackenzie tweets: “Sabre owner Terry Pegula, who gave Penn State $88M to start D1 hockey program, speaks out on PSU scandal. Strong stuff.” What this means: I’m sure by now that the allegations at Penn State Uni- versity regarding youth and coaching staff being involved in completely inappropriate and illegal behaviour isn’t news to anyone. In fact, just this past week, scandalized and former coach of the PSU football team Joe Paterno passed away due to cancer. You may have not, however, heard of Terry Pegula before. On February 18, 2011, Pegula used a hefty chunk of his oil investment money to pur- chase the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and their Florida native had previously been indoor lacrosse franchise. The known to be quite the supporter of hockey programs around the United States, donating nearly ninety mil- lion dollars to fund a hockey arena not only arrogant but extremely skill- less. Some of the more sassier com- ments he has made in the past include: “Guess who just met Santa Clause. I asked for more toi- let paper and more ice time. Thanks Santa.” (BizNasty on Santa’s lap. A big French guy with a moustache sitting on the lap of a man in a red suit and a beard. This would be a sight.) “Just landed in Newark. Lit- erally freezing my gonads off. Did Jim Balsamic buy our team yet? Cause I don’t think I could take Winnipeg.” (Regarding the potential sale of the Pheonix Coyotes...) “If everyone’s google search his- tory looks like mine we live in a messed up world.” (I don’t even want to know.) “So found out that some mun- son from Edmonton stole my phone. What low life loser lisa lampinelli is funny, but once again gender is my main concern. her chin hides her adams apple so we are ganna have to go to the judges. PaulBizNasty Ses Paul Bissonnette BizNasty strikes again sian authorities reporting 36 dead and one critically injured on downed plane that was carrying the KHL’s locomotive team.” What this means: In a shocking ser- ies of events, 2011 saw a summer in the hockey world that was unlike any other. With the amount of on-ice con- cussions skyrocketing (see: Canada’s poster boy Sidney Crosby), the fear that fighting in hockey has seen its days come to and end, or the sudden passing of players due to an alarming amount of speculation regarding men- tal health and depression, things only got worse. On September 7 2011, a plane carrying the KHL team and coaching staff of Lokomotiv Yaro- slavl crashed on its way to Minsk, Belarus to play their first game. It was the single greatest loss to the inter- national community of hockey play- ers and a universal sadness gripped players and fans alike. The entire team, coaching staff, and four youth players, save for one flight engineer and lone survivor of the crash, were gone forever. This tweet broke the news to players and fans, and began a devastating ripple of emotion still affecting many of the families and at Penn State University named after himself and support a hockey pro- gram in the area. After the news broke about PSU’s seemingly dirty involve- ment in some of the sexual allegations between football staff and players, Pegula was clearly less than thrilled. If you know anything about America, college football is a bigger business than arms dealing. Reputation on the line, he took to interviews damning the accused and Mackenzie was only the messenger. Used mostly for good, Twitter also plays host to some of the more, shall we say, underachieving loudmouths of professional sports, such as is seen in the likes of BizNasty2point0, or as his announcers would call him, Pheonix Coyotes forward Paul Bis- sonnette. Now, you would assume that with such a strong personality and over 190,000 followers reading his shameless flaming of players and happenings in the world around him, that “BizNasty” would have the on- ice skills to back up the bold words he punches into his Blackberry. You would assume wrong. Registering only seven points in the NHL ever, and I mean ever, Paul Bissonnettes is steals a phone? Karma’s gonna speed bag that donkey.” (Worst twenty four hours of BizNasty’s life, apparently.) “Not gana lie. Lata good lookin girls in the crowd tonight. I was creeping in warm up. U know that’s why warm up was in- vented #HowsTheTalent?” (He can be charming too.) “bored in detroit, decided to pull a prank on Oliver ekman larson. He doesn’t have my phone #, so texted him pre- tending to be nick lidstrom... ...” Hey Oliver. This is Nick Lid- strom. Would u care to join me for dinner tonight?....Holy shap. He wrote me back in swedish. K I’m ganna write what he said some help me. All I know is the last thing was something about idol.....1 translated it myself on sdl. He told me I’m his idol. As in lidstrom obviously. And said does 8 work? Amazing....Oli- ver figured it out. My roomate is out to eat with him right now and oliver asked if he had my number. Man swedish people are smart.” (Put together from a series of tweets for your enjoy- ment.) Now, this could easily turn into a full six page piece of “Top Tweets from BizNasty2point0”, or we could just flippantly describe the guy in three words that are on everyone’s mind at this point: He’s an asshole. However, you have to look at it from a hockey organization’s point of view. The word “liability” begins to even- tually echo through your worst law- suit-plagued nightmares regarding the way people will eventually treat a team that allows players to say any- thing about whomever/whatever they want. “Bissonnette has become a promin- ent user of social networking website Twitter, with the candid nature of his ‘tweets’ gaining him a following of over 190,000 users. After removing his initial account on the request of his agent and the Coyotes (due to the sometimes blunt nature of his com- ments), Bissonnette returned to the website by popular demand under the username ‘BizNasty2point0’.” So not only has he been kindly asked to remove himself from the public eye because of his over-zeal- ous personality and loud peacock colours, he has simply ignored man- agement’s that can only lead anyone else to think that the NHL in Arizona is continuing to be a complete circus act. Maintaining a social platform is one thing, but when it can be more controversial than on-ice antics and unleash waves of hatred among his peers in the NHL, the use of such tools can be detrimental to everyone involved or even mentioned. This is a clear case of misusing the status of being in the professional sports world and becoming a bad influence for younger generations growing up and choosing their sports idols. It’s a lose- lose situation for a few slapstick com- edic moments when the team tanks in the standings and careers and profes- sional reputations are on the line. From the outside looking in on the sports that surround us and give us purpose, social media platforms can be the gateway to the information highway or the stairs leading into a dark basement of misery-loves-com- pany type of athletics. Like anything else on the Internet, you have to take it with a grain of salt and do most of the truth proofing yourself to make sure you don’t become caught up in the wrong game. For now, however, it seems like it’s here to stay, always breaking the stories and changing the way professional sports works. Or, you know, just giving us links to Twitter pictures that prove Ryan Kesler is the sexiest man alive, and Paul Bissonnette is considering plaid or checkered underwear today based on this fact.