I read this article by former NFL player Jason Witten (here’s a follow-up video by Jason Whitlock) about the perils of social media and its effect on locker room chemistry and the minds of individual players in the league over the last few years. Though he’s speaking about the NFL, the same points can apply to the basketball players in the NBA and probably college sports as well.
Social media has become our new network television: It’s where we get by-the-minute (or however often we want it) news, also where we indulge in opinions — our own, and those of others. People working in public-facing professions like sports, government and entertainment can unlock their phones at any moment and see/hear thousands of people telling the known person what they think of them and their work. And, as Witten says, those anonymous opinions can really mess with a person’s confidence and/or alter their mindset about how things are going at work (You should be getting the ball more! Why is she making more money than you???).
#WorkOnYourGame