“Thanks for all the well wishers..im fine no problem here..excited for first preseason and get this year rolling.”
Greg Olsen won’t win any points for grammar or punctuation, but that’s not really what he’s trying to accomplish with the message.
It’s Twitter-pated.
Olsen, like many professional athletes, including several members of the Chicago Bears, has taken to social networking Web sites to have a closer connection with fans.
The message listed above was posted on Olsen’s Twitter page (twitter.com/gregolsen82) at 5:08 p.m. on Aug. 13, just after the team wrapped up its final practice before Saturday’s preseason game in Buffalo.
Olsen, who was held out of that practice and eventually the game due to a minor hip injury, used the forum to let fans know that he is not seriously hurt.
The Internet is an outlet that athletes have exploited much more this year, with blogs, Twitter and other sites such as Facebook and ustream.tv rising into prominence.
“It shows a little more away-from-football interaction,” Olsen said. “(The fans) always read stories about practice and catching the ball. This kind of gives people a chance to see what you do off the field.”
The National Football League has welcomed social networking sites, with NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy telling The Associated Press, “We have embraced Twitter.”
The commissioner tweeted from the draft. “When done properly, it’s a tremendous opportunity to talk with fans.” McCarthy added that approximately 300 players use the site.
However, certain teams like the Miami Dolphins have taken hard-line stances against using such forums, going so far as to temporarily ban media from using Twitter during training camp practices. (The ban was eventually lifted.)
Those teams have concerns about things their players or staff may put on their social networking sites. The San Diego Chargers fined cornerback Antonio Cromartie $2,500 for complaining via Twitter about the cafeteria food at training camp.
Olsen, though, says that as long as players are careful with what they say, social networking sites can be a great way to connect directly with the fans, without having to go through the media.
“You don’t want to give out too much information, but if you’re smart about what you say it can be a cool way to talk to the fans,” he said. “The fans kind of enjoy the interaction. As long as your responsible with it, it’s not a big deal.”
This sort of interaction isn’t entirely new. For years, many players have given sporadic updates and notes through authorized personal Web sites. Alex Brown has taken things a step further this year on his Web site (alexbrown96.com), blogging almost daily from training camp at Olivet Nazarene University and talking about camp in video updates.
“It’s fun,” Brown said. “It gives fans a chance to see things they wouldn’t normally see, like behind the gates and behind the ropes.”
Brown says the Chicago Bears, who do not have a policy against social networking, have not directly given him any limitations for the blog, but he said coach Lovie Smith is monitoring it.
“I’ve been here long enough, so I understand what I can and can’t say,” Brown said. “Coach (Smith) comes in and says, ‘Alex, you’re doing a blog’ and kind of gave me that look. When he gives you that look, you know.”
Apparently, Brown does know. In his blog updates, he has been only complimentary in his several references to the cafeteria food at Olivet.
