BEYOND THE COURT

The idea behind my project is that I believe the iconic image of athletes has shifted because of the advent of social media. Current players and their use of social media such as twitter, facebook, and etc. have enabled their fans to evaluate their “role models” not only on terms of talent, but also personality and morality. Former athletes had the ability to acquire a larger fan base because of their humanistic anonymity. The current athlete who uses social media has surrendered this anonymity in exchange for a more personal voice, which I believe, has ultimately in most cases limited their fan base potential. By allowing fans to grade the players on more than just their talent, social media has empowered fans with the ability to choose their idol based on personality traits. Current athletes are now burdened with the damage a tweet can do to their brand and their image as a whole. Although some players such as Shaquille O’Neal have embraced social media to bolster their stardom, others have fallen victim to its negative consequences. The question still remains; has social media changed the way fans view athletes as role models? Through the development of our video, my group and I will address the progression of change and social media’s sociological impact on how idols are categorized in sports.