A report this day out of the Dominion Post is that the tweeting live after the event effect has struck again.
We should not be surprised at such realities, as the sporting pursuit encourages such impassions, with Twitter providing the immediacy to allow the emotions to tweet.
Let em Tweet!
We love to read when the spin stops!
As fans, the unfiltered honesty and connection is what speaks, even if this proves louder than some interested parties would find acceptable.
To underscore this perspective, a short time after the event, with a very frustrating opening to their Super Rugby season, after the Hurricanes would go down to the Highlanders at home, Cory Jane would tweet the following —>
“I’m so pissed at playing that sh*t. There is 1 man that was worse than anyone on the field, I can’t say his name (hint) he never got the ball.”
As I live-streamed an audio commentary, one is not surprised with such a response, as Referee Dickinson was definitively calling out an offence.
The account in the Dominion Post goes onto quote Sanzar boss, and fellow Tweeter, Greg Peters,
“As a general rule Sanzar’s code of conduct would see any message on social media as a public media comment, so players need to be careful,” he said. “This serves as a reminder that social media is regarded as an official statement.”
However, just some 30 minutes ago, Jane would affirm the following via his Twitter account —>
@al_nz I only heard bout it from a mate who read the paper.that’s about how told off I got
With the continued rise in this vehicle of the socially mediated world, real time reaction, responses, in the form of tweets is gonna continue to happen.
It seems that sanity has prevailed in this context, although taking Jane’s words at face value, it seems perceived PR sensibilities has encouraged a Twitter-less dialogue and the deleting of the offending tweet; but here is a serious question —>
How far is too far?
In a world of competing commercial interests, is it the money men, most personally and commercially divested from such honesty, who are the ones ultimately influencing the extent of the narrative that a sporting star can communicate?
After all, somebody’s gotta pay?!
As is the case with our humanity, there will be many more moments when the emotion of that moment will tweet.
While there are lines in the sand, when the tweet is sporting commentary in a context that intersects with what has taken place, it certainly adds to the sporting story, and our grasp of the human intersection with the field of dreams.
Are the Refs morally sacrosanct from such outbursts?
If not, and there are still issues, other secondary interests are compelling toward restraint!
In our New Zealand context, we still have strong strictures of etiquette, almost following along with the maxim: what happens on the field, stays on the field.
As in most cases where the status quo moves with a flow, it will probably take a test case or a groundswell of prevailing opinion to change the tenor of what is acceptable.
If the truth be worth the effort, we all criticise the Referee in the comfort of our TV viewing room, where we are the Boss!
I for one, would like to see an increased honesty in our sporting opinions, as we are living in a dream world if we think that such disagreements are not part of what transpires.
I don’t believe there is anything wrong with saying you believe someone got it wrong. However, and on the flip side, the tenor and tone of such interactions tend to too easily descend into name-calling, which makes this shaky ground where even right angles [Yes, I know it is, Angels] fear to tread.
Therefore, there is no easy solution.
Sometimes when you set something free, it may roam where you do not desire or did not expect.
Are we prepared to pay this price?
At this stage, in a New Zealand context, we are wavering between two opinions, seeking to hold the tension between one or the other.
Is this just a reality of life?
Wisdom defined is skillful living, which is a professional calling we all seek to attain… off the field!
In all these questions… What Say You?
Until Next Time
McCawesomeness
iamjonnyking
MikeySmokes February 21, 2011 at 12:17 am
I think Jane answered most of your questions himself when he deleted the offending tweets.
Bottom line is that players and coaches should not be publicly criticizing match officials.
iamjonnyking February 21, 2011 at 12:41 am
In fact, deleting the tweet is merely providing more questions!
I do not see a valid or warranted basis for placing the officials in a sacrosanct category where they are above being called into question.
To be sure, this can be a slippery slope.
However, I would not want to dismiss this from the sporting context because there are occasions when we do not do it right.
It would be akin to those who say ban alcohol because there are examples where it is misused.
The proper response is to use it properly.
I would like to think this would apply to how players/coaches/etc interact with an important part and component of the sporting occasion… The Ref!
Maturation is the Key, in my opinion, which means that not every interaction will by definition be right; but it does mean that such a context of interaction is not presuppositionally taken off the table, and removed from the conversation.
Good to have you on board, Bro!
Tweets that mention Cory Jane Tweeting Like It Is - McCawesomeness -- Topsy.com February 21, 2011 at 2:05 am
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MikeySmokes February 21, 2011 at 2:59 am
I do agree with most of what you say. I do however believe the referees should not be criticized by players and coaches. I would like to see Refs made availabe to questions from journos at the after match press conferences