Laddish 1

Mandy Laddish

Dr. Erin Dietel-McLaughlin

FYC

28 October 2010

Social Networking and Athletes

Social networking sites have created excessive amounts of controversy throughout school

systems and athletic teams. Some coaches and teachers are concerned that allowing their athletes

and students to have access to social network sites, such as Facebook.com, will potentially put

them at risk of revealing personal content. Their shared anxiety is due to the lack of privacy

pertaining to the website and the abundance of information that is available and accessible about

an individual on their profile. Concerns arise specifically for those who have not taken advantage

of the privacy settings available and now are vulnerable users who could be stalked, threatened,

or become victims of identity theft (Nosko, Wood, Molema). Some schools are taking action and

banning the use of said networks in hopes of protecting their students.

A recent example is the policy that is currently placed on the University of Notre Dame

Women’s Soccer team. It is mandatory that all athletes delete any existing Facebook account to

obtain a spot on the roster. This regulation was first established when pictures of women’s soccer

athletes holding, and being in close association with, alcohol were uncovered by an anonymous

source. There is a no tolerance policy in effect for drinking during season and underage drinking,

both were proven to be broken in the exposed photograph. The athletic coordinator and the

coaching staff was forced to punish those involved by means of multiple game suspensions and

community service, followed by a public apology. This controversial photograph set the grounds

for new policies to be administered. Staff members were not familiar with the website and its
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contents, nor who could access those contents, so to avoid any future infractions they banned the

use of Facebook. The administrations aspirations to avoid future embarrassment caused them to

overlook the possible consequences of limiting access- consequences that involve both the

athlete and the team as a whole. While banning college athletes from Facebook could potentially

protect them from over- exposure and punishment, it prevents them from having easily

accessible social connections, business opportunities, and promotional possibilities.

Although the coaching staff makes a valid argument, they have failed to examine the

benefits social networking can have on a college student. College students rely heavily on their

social interactions, and the amount of interactions they come across. A study conducted by

Lehnhart and Madden provides that 91% of adolescents who use social networking sites reported

using these sites to stay in touch with friends they see frequently (Baker & White). Facebook is

an easy way to access multiple relationships at one time. Students and athletes alike shoulder a

heavy burden of school work which disables them from maintaing face to face contact as well as

other personal means of contact like phone conversations. The effortless task of logging into a

Facebook account allows a user to satisfy multiple offline relationships in a short period.

Deletion of an account prevents students from maintaining frequency with certain relationships,

which in turn lowers an individuals amount of social ties and eventually self-esteem levels. Self-

esteem is involved in a number of physical health factors, and a low self esteem can lead to

deterioration in certain aspects of an individuals health. Series of studies have shown that the

lack of social ties or networks can shorten the lifespan of a man or woman by 1.9-3.1% (Lisa

Berkman). This study contributes to the argument that having access to social ties contributes

positively to an individuals self-esteem levels, and to a persons overall health. Kathrine White

and Rosland Baker insist that, “Memberships to social groups and categories comprise an
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important part of the self-concept, adolescents who enjoy positive peer relationships, such as

quality friendships and peer group acceptance, also enjoy other indicators of well-being,

including higher self-esteem.” This indicates that online social networks can assist in a higher

confidence level and a feeling of acceptance.

Facebook not only increases the frequency of social interactions students engage in daily

but also can give rise to a sense of community acceptance. Utilization of Facebook has been

directly linked with social capital and a variety of social outcomes. Social capital, defined by

Bourdeui and Waquaint is, “the sum of the resources, actual or virtual, that accrue to an

individual or a group by virtue of possessing a durable network of more or less institutionalized

relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition” (Ellison, Steinfield & Lampe).

Researchers have found that various forms of social capital such as having close ties with

friends, family, and neighbors can result in psychological well being like self-esteem and

satisfaction with life (Ellison, Steinfeld & Lampe). The desire of acceptance is a common feeling

shared by college students, Facebook gives its users a sense of belonging and a feeling of

community acceptance, which is crucial in maintaining a positive social outlook in a college

environment. Group norms play an important role in a college students development of

behavioral tendencies and self concept. Hogg and Abrams argue that, “Social identity theory

purports that an important part of the self-concept is derived from individuals’ memberships in

social groups and categories.” (Baker & White) Social networks allow the development of social

norms and allow individuals to be easily accepted into social groups. Without a significant

amount of social ties, students can lose satisfaction with their personal lives leading to

depression and anxiety in social situations.

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Allowing athletes to have access to an account will not only benefit the athlete personally

but the team itself through promotion of the organization, which can be provided on each athletes

home page. Considering most athletic teams have players from various places throughout the

country, the promotional material could potentially be viewed by a widespread community,

further expanding the teams support group. Fellow students who view an athletes page will be

reminded the date and time of matches, which could ultimately increase the number in

attendance at each home event. Larger audiences at home games will motivate the players to

compete at a higher level and thus creating the desire to succeed. In the article, “How to use

social media to promote your business” Karen Klein argues, “Web 2.0 technologies can help you

make a virtual community that keeps your business top of mind for your fans and lets your fans

help you engage new prospective customers” (Klein). The promotional information can draw

awareness to the sport, informing others on the teams accomplishments.

Facebook has recently been expanding to those outside the realm of social circles,

grasping the attention of some businesses. The website has now become a competitive strategy

certain companies are taking full advantage of. Companies are making use of the social tools

provided on profiles, and are creating and promoting job opportunities specifically for Facebook

members. Businesses have been creating profiles to promote and increase their amount of sales,

marketing recruitment, and identification of opportunities (Caroline Geck). Access to such

opportunities can enhance the probability of acquiring a pleasurable job after graduating from a

university. “A Jump Start Social Media survey of hiring managers indicated that 66% go to

LinkedIn to find candidates for openings, 23% go to Facebook, and 16% to Twitter. ‘Job seekers

who frequently post and update profiles are nimble and often get to job opportunities first,’

Hudson says” (Denise Campbell). This statement provides that certain job openings are obtained
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easier by those with access to social media platforms that can help business owners quickly acess

personal information.

Some may argue that Facebook allows photos to be posted that potentially contain items

that will deem an athlete ineligible, such as photos containing alcohol. If a member of the

network uploads a picture of any kind it is most likely accessible to anyone who has a Facebook

profile. If an athlete unintentionally uploads a contaminated photo they are putting themselves

and fellow athletes in danger of possible suspension. The coaching staff came to the conclusion

that the only way to solve this problem was to force the athletes to delete their Facebook

accounts. Studies show that Facebook members reveal large amounts of information about

themselves but are unaware of the privacy settings accessible (Dwyer, Hiltz & Passerini).

Although this is an affective solution, they failed to investigate the privacy settings available, to

see if other option beside removal from the site may be attainable.

Privacy settings have recently been updated allowing Facebook users to block the

viewing of photographs from every member of Facebook. The only picture that can be presented

is a single profile picture. With this setting, users will not be allowed to be tagged in photos by

friends also helping minimize the risk of exposure. This means that athletes could still obtain a

Facebook profile while avoiding the problem of being exposed in photos. In her article “New

Digital Ditribution Options, Facebook Backlash Top The News” Paula Hane informs readers of

certain new settings:

In late May, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would roll out (over

several weeks) a new, much simpler way for users to control their privacy settings. With

one control, users will be able to determine who they want to share all of their content on

their profile with, though more granular controls would let users specify who could see
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individual updates. Users will also be able to easily turn off access to their profile info by

third-party apps and updates.

Learning these settings could protect athletes from outsiders who could put them at risk or those

who are trying to find material that will deem them ineligible. The new privacy policies will

allow athletes to continue their friendships with those who they rarely come face to face with,

and will also allow them to use their profile as a promotional tool for the team.

Although online privacy is a major concern associated with Facebook, the benefits that

accompany the website are far greater. The coaching staff of the University of Notre Dame

women’s soccer team should consider the benefits and rethink their viewpoints about Facebook.

Instead of forcing their athletes to delete their Facebook entirely, they should instead enforce

mandatory privacy settings. This can help prevent unwanted outsiders from viewing an athletes

profiles, minimizing the possibilities of stalkers, identity thieves and snitches. Demanding that

the athletes block the uploading and tagging of photos on their profile can help them avoid the

exposure of revealing photographs containing illegal content. Coaches can also monitor athletes

Facebooks to make sure there is little personal information revealed and no inappropriate

activity. These new essential rules will allow student athletes to have access to all of Facebooks

advantages. They will have easier access to friends and family, resulting in psychological well

being and a higher self esteem. Job opportunities could be easily found with the businesses who

are taking advantage of Facebooks social tools. Finally, The mass amount of profiles will aid in

the promotion the group which could cause an increase in attendance at home games.

Works Cited
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Baker, R.K., & White, K.M. “Predicting adolecents’ use of social networking sites from an

extended theory of planned behavior.” sciencedirect.com. Elsevier Ltd. 14 July 2010.

Web. 26 Oct. 2010.

Berkman, Lisa F. "Social Integration, Social Networks, and Health." Encyclopedia of

Health and Behavior. Ed. Norman B. Anderson. Vol. 2. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Publications, 2004. 754-759. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 12 Oct 2010.

Campbell, Denise. “If you’re not connected you should be-with a plan. Here’s how to make

virtual networking work for you.” content.ebscohost.com. Graves Ventures LLC.

2010. Web. 6 Dec 2010.

Dwyer, C., Hiltz, S., & Passerini, K. Trust and Privacy Concern Within Social

Networking Sites: A Comparison of Facebook and MySpace.

aisel.aisnet.org. Thirteenth Americas Conference on Information Systems, 9 Aug 2007.

Web. 12 Oct 2010.

Ellison, N.B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. The Benefits of Facebook “Friends:” Social

Capital and College Students’ Use of Online Social Network Sites.

Ebscohost writers. “A Peach of An Opportunity” web.ebscohost.com. Economist

Newspaper Limited, 30 Jan 2010. Web. 12 Oct 2010.onlinelibrary.wiley.com. John

Wiley & Sons, 23 Aug 2007. Web. 12 Oct 2010.

Geck, Caroline. “The Facebook Era: Tapping Online Social Networks to build better

products, Reach New Audiences, and Sell More Stuff.” Galegroup.com. Library

Journals LLC. 15 June. 2009. Web. 26 Oct. 2010.

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Hane, Paula J. New Digital Distribution Options, Facebook Backlash Top the

News. web.edscohost.com. Information Today, Inc. Web. 12 Oct 2010.

Klein, Karen. “How to Use Social Media to Promote Your Business.” web.ebscohost.com.

Bloomberg, L.P. 10 Aug. 2009. Web. 26 Oct. 2010.

Mason, R., & Rennie, F. E-Learning and Social Networking Handbook: Resources

for Higher Education. New York: Routledge, 2008. Print.

Nosko, A., Wood, E., & Molem, S. “All About Me: Disclosure in online social networking

Profiles: The case of FACEBOOK.” sciencedirect.com. Elseveir Ltd. 23 Dec. 2009

Web. 26 Oct. 2010