Is Technology And Social Media Ruining Sports?

I am sure by now you have all seen the video of Teemu Selanne, and his announcement of him coming back for another year with the Ducks. If you haven’t here it is…

April 3, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks forward Teemu Selanne (8) reacts after scoring a goal against the Dallas Stars during the second period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

So as you can see, Selanne, along with the Anaheim Ducks,  used a YouTube video to announce that he will be back for one more year. Normal protocol would have called for a simple press conference, you invite a few media members, the front office, and Teemu could have announced it that way.

So my question that I set out to answer…is technology ruining sports? I think we have to go a little bit deeper (not to deep though, I don’t want to get crazy about this) than just this single YouTube video to help answer the question. I think you have to examine the use of Twitter and Facebook as well. Every team, a large sum of players, and even some upper management (GM’s, Owners) have Twitter accounts. Not to mention the NHL…you get my point, everyone is somewhere on the social media scene.

So is it ruining sports? Not at all, Teemu’s YouTube video was great! Imagine if this sort of thing could have been done when the LA Kings traded for Wayne Gretzky, or when Mario Lemieux returned in 2000. Granted, this could have gone horribly wrong, but with the right player it was a huge success.

Feb 24, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Fans wearing the jersey of Anaheim Ducks right wing Teemu Selanne (8) arrive before against the Colorado Avalanche at the Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

I am not saying that technology and social media enhances sports all the time, there has been failures, but like everything these days, it is old news just as fast as it is news. In the long run though, technology and social media has ultimately brought the fans closer to their favorite sports, teams, and players.

Lets be real, would we have ever said, “Member that press conference that the Ducks had to announce that Teemu was going to play for one more year?”. Not a chance, now we can say things like this though, “Remember the YouTube video of Teemu golfing, he threw his clubs in the water, went and got them, and then announced he was going to play for one more year!?” Then you can proceed to YouTube and watch it several times. Yup, that is more like it. So for now, enjoy a good use of technology and social media, and lets hope that some player down the road doesn’t ruin it for us!