Repurcussions of Tweeting
“Flozell Adams just pancaked DeMarcus Ware.” “Walter Jones has at least size 16 shoes.” “Javon Ringer seems to take a lot of water breaks.” Those sample tweets may or may not be fictional. Regardless of their veracity any NFL fan can follow a minute by minute breakdown of what NFL players are doing that exact moment via twitter. Now they can get first person information from the players themselves. I think everyone can rest a little easier hearing from T.O. himself that “his toe injury is no big deal.” They can also follow the tweets of beat writers and actual fans at training camp. “Steve Breaston just made a sick one handed catch.” From there, moving at the speed of light fantasy football fans can take a tweet and break it down with reckless abandon in forums filled with legions of others with jobs that lack filters to said forums. The origin of their viewpoints is not complex. If they own that player in fantasy football they respond to any criticism as if it was their first born. If they don’t, that player is open game to be raked across the coals. Sometimes it will come in the dreaded form of saying that player sucks with no further elaboration. When things get a little more heated, the caps locked key gets punched more than a visually impaired boxer. When the matter escalated to the point of no return someone will get so upset they will call the other guy out in the forum saying “they are just a dork who spends his entire day on a fantasy football message board.” That is usually followed by some rapid f5’ing to see if others have weighed in.
Now this type of interchange would play out something like this: Eagles29853 saying “Breaston is catching everything thrown at him. He is really pushing Boldin for the number two receiver spot.” CoreyDillon68123 will gently remind him “that is only preseason,” and buttress his point by inquiring, “as to how many Pro Bowls Breaston has been to?” This will not go well as Eagles29853 feels compelled to take it up a notch and say, “Boldin is injury prone and a malcontent. The organization isn’t paying him because they are saving that money for Breaston. What organization wants to break the bank on someone who screams at his coach?” CoreyDillon68123 will feel a little threatened and post Boldin’s career numbers to Breaston’s. Eagles29853 will counter by extrapolating Breaston’s 2008 numbers when Boldin was out over a 16 game season and a ten year career. “ CoreyDillon68123 will respond by saying he “wishes Eagles29853 would have the opportunity to try to tackle Boldin in the open field as he would get flattened like a pancake. But, THAT WILL NEVER HAPPENEND BECAUSE YOURE NUTHIN BUT A FAT LOSER WHO SPENDS HIS ENTIRE DAY ON A FANTASY FOOTBALL BOARD!!!!!!!!!!!”
Only the NFL can foster that type of discussion. Can you imagine fans calling laying into each other as they debate who will get the fifth spot in the Marlins’ rotation? Or exchanging barbs about who would shoot a technical for the Utah Jazz? The NFL has simply markets itself better than any other sport and it is not even close. The one day a week allows guys to minimize their obsession. “Oh, it is only Sunday.” This does not include, Saturdays to scout feature NFL players. Thursdays after Thanksgiving when the NFL Network shows games until the end of the year. Monday Night Football. And on actual Sunday there a pregame show for a couple of hours. Then games from noon to 6. Highlights from 6 to 7 with a new game starting at 7. I just glossed over the fact there is a Network completely dedicated to round the clock coverage of the NFL. The NFL’s preseason is more interesting than everyone sports’ regular season. That reminds me, I have to watch the Monday Night Football game tonight and watch Maurice Jones Drew score a couple of times so that I ask that jerk in the forum if they are really going to keep calling him to small to play in the NFL?