Tweeting, tweets, tweeters: all new words that have entered society's vocabulary in the last couple of years due to the emergence of Twitter. Even though there are over 80 million Twitter users, it is still pretty much frowned upon to mention that you have a twitter account. Maybe it's due to the people who first tweeted absurd 140-character statements, like the Kardashians or Paris Hilton. Or perhaps it has to do with the fact that people want to say more than just what 140 characters allow. But, Twitter has definitely made some positive contributions to one realm: sports.
Twitter lets people follow certain important or famous members of society who have lots of things to say. Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber all have Twitter account and millions of followers who want to know what they're doing and who they're with. Regular people can "follow" celebrities like these without getting restraining orders against them, which was probably one of the most important reasons why celebrities got accounts. But seriously, these famous people really have nothing of essence to offer to the sports world.
So why does Twitter help out the sports industry?
Well, for one, it allows for instant sports updates, which any fan can appreciate. Instead of waiting on your smartphone to load a site that will tell you the score of a basketball game, wouldn't it be easier if you followed a journalist who gave updates of all the action going on in a game? On any given Sunday, if you can't watch your home team play because all the games broadcasted here are the New England Patriots, you can still get live updates of the game if you have a Twitter account especially if the game isn't be streamed live online.
For those fantasy sports players, Twitter has been a gift from God. If you have a starting wide receiver who was questionable to play, odds are you can find out whether he's playing on Twitter. If he's not, you can put that third-string receiver you drafted in the 16th round of your fantasy draft and hope he gets you at least one fantasy point.
And for those hardcore fans, you can follow that athlete you've always wanted to meet, but couldn't because when you rushed the court you got put in a headlock by security. Dwayne Wade, Chad Ochocinco and even old-timer Shaquille O'Neal have Twitter accounts. They post their whereabouts and what they ate for breakfast you know in case you want to eat like an athlete. Ochocinco will probably tweet right before kickoff what he will do for his next touchdown celebration and then subsequently will get fined.
If you like reading sports columns and what analysts have to say, there are also some Twitter accounts for you. There are a serious amount of sports journalists and columnists, such as Bill Simmons and J.A. Adande, who tweet something of importance every couple of hours. Simmons is notorious for tweeting about subjects other than sports, such as his son, who he calls "The CEO" because he wakes up Simmons absurdly early. Regardless, reading what they have to say in 140 characters can somehow lead to conversations with your friends that can last for hours.
Twitter also helps to find out breaking news sometimes even before websites get the information. Reporters used to have to type out full stories just so that fans could read a certain player is out for the season or has been traded, but that has changed with the advent of Twitter. Now you can follow reporters who tweet about trades or injuries as soon as they hear a whisper.
Even newspapers and news outlets have Twitter accounts that post their most important stories. Click on the link that is tweeted, and voila you're reading the article. Even this column I'm writing will be part of a tweet. Yes, The D has a Twitter account you should follow us.
You might be asking yourself how I know all of this insightful information about Twitter and why I'm such a huge advocate for using it. Well, the truth is I have a Twitter account. I don't really tweet at all, but I do follow most of the people I've mentioned in this column, save for the pop culture celebrities that's just lame.
Do yourself a favor, get a Twitter account, but don't tell your friends about it since they'll probably make fun of you and get more involved in the revolution of this era, Twitter.
