By Nick Patti –
Over the last week or so, my Twitter and Facebook has been flooded with Giant and Patriot smack-talk. Being an impartial viewer of this year’s Super Bowl, I do not care much for the result of the game or whatever opinions fans have towards the game. I am interested in is the social dynamic that occurs throughout sports.
Whether it is a die-hard fan making relevant points about Tom Brady’s QB rating in the third quarter of domed stadium games, or a female trying to impress a guy she likes with witty statuses that apply to the weekly game, sports updates run rampant on the internet. With the exception of the die-hards, many viewers such as myself pull for teams week to week.
The Super Bowl playoffs, the Stanley Cup tournament, the NBA Championship, March Madness, and whatever other sport you can name that has its games televised is a social phenomenon. Many people, especially Salve students, engage in these actions week- to-week. It’s hard to tell who really likes what team.
Each weekend we are treated to tweets about the teams that are successful, regardless of geographical affiliation. How many people do you know that are placing hope on to the Chicago Cubs, New Jersey Nets, or Indianapolis Colts bandwagons this year? My point is that only teams that are successful or widely talked about get the Twitter “tweetment.”
One can see this phenomenon perfectly with the treatment of the Broncos quarterback, Tim Tebow. Up until he lost to the Patriots every fourth quarter, and regardless of who the Broncos were playing, every time he was on the field it was considered “Tebow time.” I’ll admit that I was a part of this “Tebowmania,” yet I cannot help but feel that he shows that success is the only thing people care about.
His story is clearly one that people will talk about for a while, yet there are other players doing the same thing under the watchful eye of Twitter. This season, Mike Pollak, the backup center for the Indianapolis Colts, started eight games over future Hall of Famer Jeff Saturday. Only diehard Colt fans would know this, but he never got the same recognition that Tebow had.
I respect those who live and die with their teams, but those who tweet every five seconds need to know that just because they watch a game on FOX, CBS or NBC, it doesn’t make them a true sports fan. Anyone can have a strong reaction to a game. It takes a special person to live and die each week with a team. I am truly only a Notre Dame Football fan, and during those games my phone is turned off and computer is shut down.
Next time you watch a game, try to not tweet, text, or go online during the game. See how much more you enjoy it. While social media is nice and connects people from all over the world, rejoicing a victory without your phone next to you can make the win that much better.
