Social media becomes athletes' weapon

Socks, mouthguard, protector, shirt, towel and hat.

Now, the mobile phone has to be in the modern athlete’s kit bag.

The first batch of items is needed to play on the pitch, grass, court or oval. And the phone is crucial to playing a whole new ball game in post-match time.

Social media is the new plaything in world sport. But sportspeople aren’t just using Twitter and Facebook to send nice messages to friends. They’ve become a virtual world soapbox on which athletes are making a stand.

The past few days have highlighted the influence of Twitter and how athletes are using it to make a point to the world or push their own brand – or both. It has become a weapon for athletes because they don’t have to go through a middle man to get their point across – just type in 140 characters, point the phone and shoot.

Take Melbourne Tigers NBL player Corey “Homicide” Williams. Last week he and officials from the Perth Wildcats conducted a slanging match through Twitter.

Williams defaced a picture of a Wildcats player at Challenge Stadium following a practice session. Normally, such an issue would have been dealt with through the proper channels – or at least that would have been the sportspeak that clubs love to use when they make public a complaint without having to actually declare their rage.

Not this time.

“As you all know, I don’t respect Perth because they act tough,” Williams tweeted. Was he trying to upset his rivals before the big game?

“Every chance I get I’m going to give it to them because they give it to me but they can’t take it when someone gives it to them.

“The Wildcats are too sensitive like women. They can give it out but can’t take it and cry and whine about it.”

And Williams’ penmanship forced Wildcats chief executive Nick Marvin to return fire via Tweetville.

“I paid good money for that poster. Not happy Jan,” Marvin said in a reply directed to Williams’ teammate Bennie Lewis.

Williams then took it one step further by declining a post-match TV interview, instead grabbing the microphone to implore people to follow him on Twitter to get the full story, or at least his account. In a few hours, 1100 extra followers had joined Williams’ account.

But then it isn’t just in Australia that athletes are spitting venom through Twitter.

Liverpool winger Ryan Babel showed some great IT skills when tweeting a picture of referee Howard Webb wearing a Manchester United shirt following their FA Cup clash.

“And they call him one of the best referees. That's a joke,” Babel tweeted. The FA will investigate.

Yet, possibly the best example of using Twitter as a vehicle for an athlete to push home a point – or even get revenge – was Collingwood’s Harry O’Brien who just happened to be at the same restaurant as Herald-Sun football writer Jackie Epstein last week

“Jackie Epstein herald sun sitting a table across from me @ restaurant. On a date..feel like intruding her private life like she's done 2 me,” O’Brien tweeted.

And so he did.

“Should I get her knife and fork and eat her juicy steak? Suggestions pls send #harryvsjackie,” was one tweet.

“Haha all fun n games. I know Jackie Shes a good soul. However, this is fun, it feels like the tables have turned.”

Now, sportspeople are empowered with the ability to get out what they want to say, without fear of the message getting distorted or filtered through traditional media.

It is the words direct from their minds. But as the latest batch of AFL draftees were told at an induction camp this week, social media can also bite the hand that tweets it.

FOLLOW ROSS LEWIS ON TWITTER - @R_Lewis_thewest

PS* At a restaurant near you soon!