Imagine this: one day you walk into work, chipper as can be just like any ordinary day. But today is no ordinary day. In fact, today is a terrible day. When you reach your office you find a memo waiting for you on your desk. But this is no ordinary memo. In this memo, your boss is telling you that you can no longer use Twitter at work unless it serves the company. Oh no! How will you send your tweets out to all your tweeples in twitterverse?!
Well this is exactly what happened to ESPN on-air talent and writers on August 4, 2009. And how might you ask was this information released to the public? Well, thanks for asking. It was released through none other than, Twitter! ESPN NBA Analyst Ric Bucher tweeted: "The hammer just came down, tweeps: ESPN memo prohibiting tweeting info unless it serves ESPN. Kinda figured this was coming. Not sure what this means but…I’m probably violating some sort of policy just by telling you. In any case, stay tuned." ESPN ensured that they were simply providing guidelines to its employees for the use of social media, yet it seemed to be more of a ban of it than anything. Can a company really tell employees how they may and may not express themselves? This case definitely raises questions of free speech and the ownership of a thought or idea. And if you think ESPN is taking this lightly, they're not. ESPN columnist Bill Simmons was banned from using Twitter for 2 weeks for violating the policy.Why ESPN, Why?
In order to fully understand the decision made by ESPN, one must analyze arguments for and against the ban. In an interview with Sports Business Daily, ESPN VP and Editor-in-Chief Rob King made the case that it is not uncommon for Twitter users to retweet breaking news and later find out it was untrue. This could be a legal issue for ESPN, with the risk of being sued. Another possible reason may have been that ESPN is afraid that if sports fans are getting breaking sports news from their employees' tweets, then they will stop reading ESPN magazine or going to ESPN.com for sports news stories. While this could be the case with some people, most people are going to want to read more than 140 characters. Reading the tweet will most likely grab their attention and increase the likelihood of them continuing on to ESPN.com to read more about it. An argument for allowing the use of Twitter is that when an employee tweets something, they will probably get more followers, in turn increasing their impact. There is a conversation going on in the social media world, so shouldn't ESPN want their employees to be making an impact on it?
Who Else is Banning Twitter?
If you think ESPN is the only company restricting the use of Twitter, you're wrong. The NFL first banned the use of Twitter in the locker room and has now expanded that ban to the press box, sidelines and even the stands. The Miami Heat no longer allow their players to tweet while at work, whether home or away. Texas Tech football players are no longer allowed to Tweet after an incident where a player tweeted that the coach was late to a team meeting. Not just American sports teams are banning Twitter, even European soccer teams. Manchester United recently banned the use of Twitter by its players while at the field. The banishment of Twitter is becoming an increasing theme in the sports world and is something that continues to make some athletes very sad.
The Solution-Is There One?
So is a ban of Twitter the answer? I don't think so. I think Twitter is an incredible tool that allows people of importance like athletes or sports commentators to have a more personal connection with their fans. Fans like to know what their favorite football star had for breakfast, it makes them feel like they know the player personally. Should players be able to tweet during a game? That's questionable. If it is taking their focus off the game, then no. But if they aren't playing in that game or if it is before or after the game, then I don't see a problem with it. Allowing the players to tweet is only going to increase public interest in the team and even the sport itself. I think companies like ESPN must realize the importance and growing impact of Twitter before they lose out on a great social media tool that could really help them.
