Australia's batsman Phillip Hughes, left, plays a shot as South Africa's fielder Jacques Kallis, right, follows play during the third day of the second test match at Kingsmead stadium in Durban, South Africa, Sunday March 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Just before the Bodyline Series, the Australian Board of Control didn’t like the fact that Sir Donald Bradman had signed a two-year deal to write a column for the Sydney Sun. Something had to give and Bradman threatened to walk away from the game for two years in order to honor the contract.
All was settled, though, when the Sun released Bradman from the contract.
What then would they make of Phillip Hughes announcing his axing from the Third Test via Twitter, before the side was officially announced?
Through the likes of Facebook, Twitter and blogs, it is a brave new world. Anyone who has got something to say can tell the whole world. And invariably when it is a celebrity who is doing the talking, it makes the news.
Athletes such as Shaquille O’Neal, Lote Tuqiri and Lance Armstrong love the fans and interacting with them as much as they dislike the media and journalists.
Twitter allows them to kill two birds with one stone: cut out the middlemen and get straight to the people who count.
Of course, communications and media managers are freaking out.
They like to control, manage and maintain all dialogue between athletes and the rest of the world, which is why a ghosted column of fluff by Ricky Ponting is acceptable. Through the internet, the dog is let off the leash with the potential to run amok.
The whole definition of news is blurry. Often journalists are given the story hours, if not days, beforehand, with the information embargoed until a time in the future.
The AFL teams are sent out on Thursday afternoon, but it is only hours later that they start to trickle out.
Will Hughes be censured by Cricket Australia for this?
They could do it privately and we would never know about it. If they do it publicly, it will only blow up in their faces. The Australian ran the story before Hughes Tweeted, so why would an inside scoop to a journalist be okay but a Tweet not?
Probably because they can’t control it. And it is the lack of control which freaks out sporting organizations.
The Wallabies have RugbyTV and the cricketers have Cricket Australia TV, so there is as minimal interaction with the press as possible. When they do, you get Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey playing a straighter bat with the press than they do while in the middle.
It would be news if Clarke or Hussey ever said anything newsworthy while speaking at a press conference as opposed to the clichés they trot out.
The whole reason why people like Twitter is because it is the athlete doing the speaking and not someone pretending to be him.
As soon as it reverts to the latter, it loses all currency.
Viva La Revolution! Viva La Twitter!
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