9781422286784

to let stars speak directly to fans, and TV made that even easier, but there was always a filter. There was always something—a re- porter, an announcer, an interviewer, a camera—between the player and the fan or the public. Social media has changed

all that. Players use the Inter- net, Twitter, Facebook, their own Web pages, and other avenues to reach out direct- ly to fans. In 2011, NBA su- perstar Shaquille O’Neal an- nounced his retirement. He did not have a press confer- ence where he stood before microphones and waited for questions. Instead, he post- ed a video on his Twitter feed. “Nineteen years, I want to thank you very much,”

he told his millions of followers around the world. “That’s why I’m telling you first. I’m about to retire. Love you.” When an athlete gets in trouble, now his first move is to respond to criticism on his Twitter feed or on his Web site, not to wait for reporters to visit his house. It’s a question of control: For decades, what an athlete said to the public was not always in his control. With social media, it is.

Athletes now have a direct and almost-instant way to connect with their fans, without the filter of the media.

athletes

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