Rise And Fall Of Pro Athletes
Brian Hardamon
ENGL - Anderson
December 1, 2014
The Rise and Fall of Professional Athletes With the introduction of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social networks professional athletes have been placed under a microscope with their every action being scrutinized by everyone in the public sphere. However this was not always the case when it came to Pro Athletes status in society. A pro athlete ten years ago may not have been met with the same strife as a current pro athlete. Athletes of the past lived by a different set of rules and could do no wrong in the eyes of loyal fans everywhere. They were almost in a sense viewed as a deity to some. Athletes of today are faced with challenges not met by past pro athletes. They cannot divulge true emotions in fear of the social backlash, or take a stand on a particular issue due to the people of opposite stance not buying their endorsed product which in turn would cost the athlete millions of dollars in endorsement deals. Yes the microcosm of pro athletes still exist because not everyone can be one, but the status of sports athletes in society has evolved due to influences from the public sphere. We live in a different time then say ten years ago, not only from a social economic standpoint, but also from a technological standpoint. Companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have made a great impact on the social sphere. It is easy for people the share their innermost thoughts and views on particular cultural issues with just a simple click of a submit button. When it comes to pro athletes today, this ease of sharing to the public sphere has become a double edged sword. One side can lead to great publicity of a particular endorsement while the other side can lead ones' public image downwards spiral into a dark deep abyss. Sometimes not only the image of a particular athlete affected by the implications of posting to these social networks affected but their families feel the brunt of the "rip-tide effect" of
ENGL - Anderson
December 1, 2014
The Rise and Fall of Professional Athletes With the introduction of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social networks professional athletes have been placed under a microscope with their every action being scrutinized by everyone in the public sphere. However this was not always the case when it came to Pro Athletes status in society. A pro athlete ten years ago may not have been met with the same strife as a current pro athlete. Athletes of the past lived by a different set of rules and could do no wrong in the eyes of loyal fans everywhere. They were almost in a sense viewed as a deity to some. Athletes of today are faced with challenges not met by past pro athletes. They cannot divulge true emotions in fear of the social backlash, or take a stand on a particular issue due to the people of opposite stance not buying their endorsed product which in turn would cost the athlete millions of dollars in endorsement deals. Yes the microcosm of pro athletes still exist because not everyone can be one, but the status of sports athletes in society has evolved due to influences from the public sphere. We live in a different time then say ten years ago, not only from a social economic standpoint, but also from a technological standpoint. Companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have made a great impact on the social sphere. It is easy for people the share their innermost thoughts and views on particular cultural issues with just a simple click of a submit button. When it comes to pro athletes today, this ease of sharing to the public sphere has become a double edged sword. One side can lead to great publicity of a particular endorsement while the other side can lead ones' public image downwards spiral into a dark deep abyss. Sometimes not only the image of a particular athlete affected by the implications of posting to these social networks affected but their families feel the brunt of the "rip-tide effect" of