Dealing With Inappropriate Posts Via Facebook And Twitter

[ADaniels5510]

How do coaches and gym owners deal with their athletes dropping F bombs and talking about partying and doing drugs? They are a product of that gym but make the gym look bad with these inappropriate updates and tweets... How do you deal with it?

 

[CoachMandiCF]

We have a clause in our contract regarding social media postings. You can never fully stop kids from posting things that may seem inappropriate, but we monitor it quite frequently. We talk to the kids if we see things like cussing, inappropriate pictures, etc. Most of our kids are only on Facebook and their parents also monitor it. I think we have a good handle on the social media aspect of it.

I did see on Twitter that Cheer Athletics sent out a tweet reminding all their athletes to be classy on social media or face removal from the gym.

 

[ADaniels5510]

I have a lot of athletes that are on Twitter and they tweet the F word a lot. Things have been said but it doesn't seem to stop them. We don't want to creat a twitter account for our gym either since we already have facebook... Maybe sending out a friendly reminder will help. It is in our contract as well...

 

[cupieqt]

A friendly reminder may help. You might have to make an example of someone though. Think of some consequences you are prepared to follow through with.

 

[Cheercoachmz]

I have always had a zero tolerance policy when it comes to bad sportsmanship. I don't care whether it's in my practice, at a competition, or online... anywhere. The first day of every single season I sit my teams down and tell them that I won't tolerate it. I don't care if you're the best flyer, the best tumbler, the best dancer... if you post inappropriate stuff (F bombs about teammates, other teams, coaches, etc) related to the sport then you will face consequences. I have removed people from my practices, I have removed people from my teams... my rules are very clear... zero tolerance means zero. I have always said to my athletes "you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but if it is negative in any way you need to wait until you are in the privacy of your car, your home, your room... whatever, just do NOT let your negative opinions spill out where I can see or hear them. If you are in uniform you represent the organization you cheer for, and we will not tolerate negativity tarnish our image. Your views are your own, have them, believe in them, it's your right. It's also my right as your coach to enforce my rules and remove you from the team if you display bad sportsmanship to your fellow athletes, coaches, teams in our sport. (*I don't buy into the whole 'Kids will be kids' or "my CP didn't mean anything by it, they were just upset" theories. Sorry)

 

[Cheercoachmz]

I have always had a zero tolerance policy when it comes to bad sportsmanship. I don't care whether it's in my practice, at a competition, or online... anywhere. The first day of every single season I sit my teams down and tell them that I won't tolerate it. I don't care if you're the best flyer, the best tumbler, the best dancer... if you post inappropriate stuff (F bombs about teammates, other teams, coaches, etc) related to the sport then you will face consequences. I have removed people from my practices, I have removed people from my teams... my rules are very clear... zero tolerance means zero. I have always said to my athletes "you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but if it is negative in any way you need to wait until you are in the privacy of your car, your home, your room... whatever, just do NOT let your negative opinions spill out where I can see or hear them. If you are in uniform you represent the organization you cheer for, and we will not tolerate negativity tarnish our image. Your views are your own, have them, believe in them, it's your right. It's also my right as your coach to enforce my rules and remove you from the team if you display bad sportsmanship to your fellow athletes, coaches, teams in our sport. (*I don't buy into the whole 'Kids will be kids' or "my CP didn't mean anything by it, they were just upset" theories. Sorry)

***as for what they tweet, post in their private lives - non sport related, I let the Moms & Dads worry about that, that's not my issue to correct nor is it my business***

 

[Christy Eidson]

Kids these days do not understand that what they put out on the internet stays on the internet