Atlanta Falcons star Roddy White found himself on the defensive recently after an offensive series of Twitter posts that turned many fans against him.
After a fan asked White if he would rather have an amazing statistical season or win a Super Bowl, he tweeted back: “Would u rather be gay or straight come on u know that answer?”
Followers quickly took White to task and he eventually apologized — sort of.
With NFL players embedded in a macho culture, it can be tough to get the message across that tweets like White’s aren’t OK, one social media consultant who works with several high-profile football players.
In addition to calling things “gay” as a negative label, the phrases “no homo” (to strip a compliment of any possible homesexual undertones) and “pause” (after a potentially misinterpreted statement) are popular among Twitter’s general male population.
Jeff Weiner, who runs ESBL Social Media, says his clients take the message in different ways. He says players around the league have varied reactions when told “no homo” is a no-no: some don’t need to be told; others immediately understand; and some just don’t seem to get it, or simply don’t agree.
“You’re not saying a curse word exactly, or giving away a play — they know they can’t do that,” Weiner says. “I just think, most of the time, it’s something that may escape their minds at first.”
Mistakes are regrettable but sometimes understandable, says Weiner — what’s most important is responding more gracefully than White did last week and moving on positively.
Not long before White’s gaffe, Ben Tate, a running back for the Houston Texans and a Weiner client, posted a somewhat similar tweet, telling a teammate “no homo.” Within a minute, Tate says, Weiner was on the phone. Tate understood the mistake and deleted the post before it became an issue.
“I think almost everyone I know uses the word, but when Jeff called I was like, ‘Damn, I shouldn’t have done that,’” he told in an interview. “When you’re an athlete and people potentially look up to you, you want to stay way from that.”
Major American sports still haven’t seen an openly gay active sports star, but a movement toward more tolerance is growing. A NBA executive recently revealed he is gay, and two players star in a public service ad against using the word in casual conversation. But Twitter — with the instantaneousness of a casual conversation and broadcast reach of a press conference — represents a different stumbling block for players.
Tate says his NFL peers are more sensitive about what they tweet now compared to a couple years ago, but there is still progress to be made.
“I think players are becoming more aware, but I think there’s always going to be that chance because it’s just something that’s still in our culture and in our society,” he says. “Little kids say it — I mean, my 12-year-old cousin says ‘no homo.’”
What do you think is more important — whether a celebrity makes an insensitive tweet, or how they respond? Let me know in the comments.
Reference: http://on.mash.to/I9vBTT
