BigGameDamian
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https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/sport...phone-buckets-blackout-periods-233802489.html
The NBA has a lot of reasons to love social media.
The league and its players harness the outreach of tools like Twitter and Instagram like no other American sports league.
The NBA’s tally of 27 million Twitter followers is three million more than the NFL while LeBron James’ total of 41 million followers trails only Cristiano Ronaldo among worldwide athletes.
That social media savvy plays a big role in the surge of popularity in the league that maintains a 12-month presence in the news cycle like no other U.S. sport.
NBA’s social media savvy comes with a price
Of course that social media saturation comes with a price. Social media is not generally a bastion for mental well-being, prompting players and teams to take relatively drastic measures to tackle the platforms’ addictive qualities.
Bleacher Report’s Tom Haberstroh took a deep dive into that scene in a Monday piece confronting the league’s conflicted relationship with social media.
J.J. Redick eliminated social media from his life
The story focused on Philadelphia 76ers guard J.J. Redick, who shut down all of his social media accounts after they took too much control of his life.
“It’s a dark place,” Redick told BR of social media. “It’s not a healthy place. It’s not real. It’s not a healthy place for ego”—he pauses slightly—”if we’re talking about some Freudian s—. It’s just this cycle of anger and validation and tribalism. It’s scary, man.”
Redick is a teammate of one of the league’s most prominent social media users, Joel Embiid, whose posts on Instagram and Twitter are among the most anticipated in the sports world. The 76ers are also a case study of the pitfalls of social media after a scandal involving burner Twitter accounts ended up costing former general manager Bryan Colangelo his job.
Phone buckets and phone bags
Haberstroh’s piece highlighted the lengths to which the 76ers go to limit the negative impact of social media.
The 76ers are one of several teams in the NBA that have tried to implement “phone buckets” or “phone bags” on occasion during team meals. Put the phone in the bag and, you know, have real conversations. “I’ve been on teams where you literally don’t talk to each other at dinner,” Redick says. “Just six guys on their phones.”
Kevin Durant still getting into Twitter fights
The Bleacher Report piece details how Durant and other players are looking to an app called Headspace that guides users through meditation in an attempt to combat the negative impact of social media.
Social media addiction here to stay
The report also notes that other players like Stephen Curry, LeBron James and James Harden implement dark periods on social media during the playoffs to tamp down its addictive tendencies.
It’s an interesting piece that explores a league that has a truly conflicted relationship with tools that play a big role in its success — tools that aren’t going away anytime soon.
“It’s addicting to say the least,” said Dr. William D. Parham, the NBPA’s mental health and wellness director. “It’s another way to stay connected artificially, but it works. And I don’t think it’s going to decrease.”
The NBA has a lot of reasons to love social media.
The league and its players harness the outreach of tools like Twitter and Instagram like no other American sports league.
The NBA’s tally of 27 million Twitter followers is three million more than the NFL while LeBron James’ total of 41 million followers trails only Cristiano Ronaldo among worldwide athletes.
That social media savvy plays a big role in the surge of popularity in the league that maintains a 12-month presence in the news cycle like no other U.S. sport.
NBA’s social media savvy comes with a price
Of course that social media saturation comes with a price. Social media is not generally a bastion for mental well-being, prompting players and teams to take relatively drastic measures to tackle the platforms’ addictive qualities.
Bleacher Report’s Tom Haberstroh took a deep dive into that scene in a Monday piece confronting the league’s conflicted relationship with social media.
J.J. Redick eliminated social media from his life
The story focused on Philadelphia 76ers guard J.J. Redick, who shut down all of his social media accounts after they took too much control of his life.
“It’s a dark place,” Redick told BR of social media. “It’s not a healthy place. It’s not real. It’s not a healthy place for ego”—he pauses slightly—”if we’re talking about some Freudian s—. It’s just this cycle of anger and validation and tribalism. It’s scary, man.”
Redick is a teammate of one of the league’s most prominent social media users, Joel Embiid, whose posts on Instagram and Twitter are among the most anticipated in the sports world. The 76ers are also a case study of the pitfalls of social media after a scandal involving burner Twitter accounts ended up costing former general manager Bryan Colangelo his job.
Phone buckets and phone bags
Haberstroh’s piece highlighted the lengths to which the 76ers go to limit the negative impact of social media.
The 76ers are one of several teams in the NBA that have tried to implement “phone buckets” or “phone bags” on occasion during team meals. Put the phone in the bag and, you know, have real conversations. “I’ve been on teams where you literally don’t talk to each other at dinner,” Redick says. “Just six guys on their phones.”
Kevin Durant still getting into Twitter fights
The Bleacher Report piece details how Durant and other players are looking to an app called Headspace that guides users through meditation in an attempt to combat the negative impact of social media.
Social media addiction here to stay
The report also notes that other players like Stephen Curry, LeBron James and James Harden implement dark periods on social media during the playoffs to tamp down its addictive tendencies.
It’s an interesting piece that explores a league that has a truly conflicted relationship with tools that play a big role in its success — tools that aren’t going away anytime soon.
“It’s addicting to say the least,” said Dr. William D. Parham, the NBPA’s mental health and wellness director. “It’s another way to stay connected artificially, but it works. And I don’t think it’s going to decrease.”
