Athletes have come under fire by the media and society of late, but not because of on-field sledging or foul play. Instead, for their use of social media.
Just this week, Greek triple jumper Paraskevi Papachristou was expelled from performing in this year’s London Olympics after she posted a defamatory tweet on the social network site Twitter.
The tweet, which was labelled racist, read, “With so many Africans in Greece… the West Nile mosquitoes will at least eat homemade food!” Papachristou tweeted.
Papachristou at first left the tweet despite strong negative reactions and uproar, however later she removed it and apologised. But by then it was too late, once a post has been seen, deleting it won’t change a thing.
The remark had already been planted in the memories of Twitter followers and had become a heated topic by outraged critics.
Olympic authorities and the head of the Greek Olympic mission said that the tweet violated Olympic values, therefore she was sent back home, no longer to represent after years preparing for the games.
Is it right to take away someone’s chance at glory because of one mistake made on social media? Where is the line drawn between a slap on the wrist and complete expulsion?
Yes, the tweet was offensive and wrong. She should be punished, but was her tweet a un-sportsmanship like act?
Or more so a personal act that should be punished outside her profession?
I agree it is against the Olympic spirit, though countries are competing against one another, you wouldn’t expect to hear that from an athlete being watched at such a profound time by their nation.
This isn’t the only case where an athlete has got into dangerous territory with a tweet.
Carlton midfielder Brock McLean was suspended for one game because of an offensive tweet directed at a fan. The tweet referred to the fan’s mother as having AIDS. Though McLean knew there was no excuse for his action, he was penalised.
But why should athletes be penalised so harshly for remarks made on social media?
If an athlete sledges an opponent on the field, they come under scrutiny and face a tribunal. It is fair that they can be suspended for this as the offence made was within their sport or profession.
However when the offence is made on a social media network, shouldn’t it be penalised within that format?
When using social networking, the athlete is speaking for themselves outside of their performing arena. Instead of suspension perhaps they should only be fined by their club or representative body, or even have their social networking rights suspended for a period of time.
Athletes are role models just as movie stars and political figures are.
But how are other public faces and celebrity figures penalised for misuse of social media?
Media hype surrounded Rihanna’s controversial Twitter photo posts featuring her at a stripper’s venue, throwing money on the women and drinking.
How was she penalised? I’m sure her label or manager didn’t cancel any of her concerts or shows because of it.
In reality an athlete is a human being just like the rest of us.
People make mistakes, unfortunately in today’s society due to social networks – everyone knows about it within minutes – even seconds. Yes, athletes should pay for their mistakes just like we do, but the question still reigns – does the suffering consequence fit the crime?
I’m not saying offensive or misconduct on social media by athletes should be ignored, it should be addressed.
I don’t believe athletes shouldn’t be punished, but instead they be penalised in a different way.
McLean was given a $5000 fine and requirement to undergo a short education program alongside his suspension, but was the suspension necessary?
Perhaps a suspension from social media, rather than the playing field, would be appropriate.
TheRealTruth
Guest
Yes I do want them on my team and reflecting my country. The Greeks have been invaded for thousands of years. Useful Idiots like you scream "racism" 24/7 while white countries and only white countries are FORCED to accept non-white squatters. Greece is overrun with African and Arab squatters and invaders. They have a right to be a 100% Greek nation with no apologies. "racism" now means that whites cannot have a country. "racism" now means that whites cannot have a voice. If a white is "racist" it means they're defending their country and using their voice. I say the more "racism" the better!
amazonfan
Roar Guru
Very true, :D although I would argue that racism is directly linked to a lack of intelligence.
Pot Stirrer
Guest
Why not just make Twitter an olympic sport
AndyMack
Guest
we have not all done it. if you want to make a few inappropriate jokes with your mates, go for your life. But do not express them socially and expect to be accepted into mainstream society with a pat on the back. You will (and should) be met with a very stiff cold shoulder. Not good enough.
AndyMack
Guest
agree. well said apaway. perhaps some questions need to be answered prior to getting a twitter account. if it turns out u r an idiot racist u dont get a platform to express those views.
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
i disagree tony, we haven't 'all done it': the swiss dude compared south koreans to down syndrome people. I love a laugh or can say some pretty stupid things sometimes but never ever would i make this kind of comment in a social media. A line has to be drawn.
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
Same here, I thought it was about the swiss guy. His tweet was 10 times more offensive than the one highlighted in this article. Imo, the swiss should be banned from representing his country for a very long time and fined heavily. To hide and say sorry afterwards is clearly not enough.
Steve
Guest
Can't they just keep their inanities to themselves for the duration of the Olympics? Can't they find something else to occupy themselves with? Training, reading, thinking, even daydreaming about doing so well they have to introduce a new platinum medal? They could even come on this site and bitch about rival athletes under a pseudonym. Given that Tweeting is as inane a pastime as Farmville, and has the added benefit of being able to derail everything an athlete has devoted his/her life to, I think athletes who run into trouble through Twitter deserve as much sympathy as pianists who take up mouse-trap juggling.
apaway
Roar Guru
General rule of thumb: Don't use social media if you are too dumb to realise you are racist.
tonysalerno
Roar Guru
I think the media and public are forgetting something very important: whether they are professional athletes, celebrities or politicians; they are human beings too. Granted what they say may have more premise and be more newsworthy than the next person but they are all still very young and will make mistakes. We shouldn't banish them for a stupid spur of the moment tweet- WE'VE ALL DONE IT!
Matt F
Roar Guru
No it doesn't matter in terms of their chracter. Whether they say it to one person or to 100,000 people the end result is still that they said it (what exactly "it" is varies from case to case.) I obviously wasn't clear in my previous comment. I'm not condoning or excusing the comment, or others like it, in any way. I have no issues with the punishment dished out My comment was more about the general use of social media as opposed to this issue specifically. My point was more that there are people out there who do believe these things (as wrong as they are) but would never dare to say it in a room full of thousands of people, yet for some reason they'll say it to thousands of people over the internet, and I was trying to work out why this is the case.
B.A Sports
Does it really matter if they say it on twitter, on facebook, in a press conference, in private to teammates or if they hang a banner from their bedroom window? If they are racist do you want them in your team or representing your country period? It doesn't matter the forum, its the message that reflects the person they are and you should select/punish people based on who they are and what they represent or say.
Matt F
Roar Guru
I agree. It seems that are still coming to terms with using social media, especially Twitter. They seem to treat it as the same as a private conversation when it's far from private. I think it has to be because, while the tweet might be going out to thousands of people, it is generally sent on their phone in a fairly private setting. It's sort of like the comments section on news sites and forums etc. people will say many things online that they would never say in front of a crowd of people. The rule for twitter, especially for people with a high profile, should be that if you wouldn't make the comment/joke in front of thousands of people then don't put it on Twitter.
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
After clicking on the link I actually expected this article to be about the Swiss footballer Michel Morganella. Morganella has also also been sent home from the Olympics in disgrace after tweeting a racist comment about Koreans. This came after he took a dive in Switzerland's loss to South Korea, and was subsequently booed by the crowd; and with good reason too, his collapse to the ground when the nearest opposition player was about 10 feet away was disgraceful. I think that what Morganella and Papachristou's expulsions show us is that sportspeople really need to manage their online presences better (or have them managed for them), consider who could be viewing them, and only post comments and photos that don't offend. They wouldn't say these things in a press conference or on the field of play (well, maybe John Terry might, but look where that got him), so shouldn't be saying them online either. While I think that the swift reaction of the Swiss and Greek teams is to be commended, it's worth noting that the Swiss football team are unlikely to qualify for the next stage and Papachristou, while considered a bit of a celebrity in Greece, probably due more to her looks than her sporting prowess, is not considered one of the favourites for the triple-jump. I wonder how a team might respond should a genuine medal contender behave in the same way as these two.
katzilla
Roar Guru
Rhianna doesn't represent a country, she isn't responsible for the perceived sportsmanship of her country (Jamaica), an athlete is. This stuff needs to be cut off as soon as it sprouts it's head. It's the responsibility of the athlete to adjust to today's spread of information and communication, and not the Olympic teams need to go easy because of it.
andyincanberra
Guest
An admission before I dive in. I have never been on twitter, and for the life of me cannot understand why an athlete feels the need to publish what seems to be an unfiltered stream of consciousness for the world to read. Firstly, I'd like to address your point '…when the offence is made on a social media network, shouldn’t it be penalised within that format?' For me the answer is no. The reason that someone like Brock McLean has followers is that he is Carlton player. Therefore, it is appropriate that the sanction be levelled by the Carlton football club. It would be unfair of Carlton to be tarnished by a stupid internet post done by a player in the heat of the moment. Secondly, racism is reprehensible. While I don’t believe that the Greek athlete’s tweet was intentionally racist, it was stupid. If we allow things like this to go unpunished at an official level, we risk passive racism creeping into our society. Punishment also reinforces the notion that racism is unacceptable.
Rabbitz
Roar Guru
Pretty much anyone can lose their job over inappropriate behaviour. Social media applications are not exempt from the idea of behaviour, so why shouldn't the norms of accepted behaviour suddenly be removed just because it was done on facespace or mybook or twoodle? Similarly, why shouldn't an athlete lose their job for misbehaving in the same way? I have worked hard over many years to have skills in my chosen career, just like our sporting "heroes", if I can be boned for an inappropriate twoot why shouldn't they?
B.A Sports
Guest
If i put out a tweet out like the one the Brock McLean did on my personal twitter page, and someone complained to my boss, I would be punished. If i have listed the company I work at on my facebook page, and then put up a profile pic of me covered in beer with strippers hanging off either arm, i would get punished as well. You are always representing your company, and yourself. In Mclean's case, his club has a right to punish him as they see fit. It is their brand he is tarnishing. As for racism. I would fire anyone who worked for me who was racist, as i think most would. So send the Olympian home and hope they learn a lesson and become a better person rather than just letting them say "sorry"...
yewonk
Guest
racism is a low act and should not be tolerated in society. to claim ones race is inferior to another stands against the whole ideology of the Olympics. abusive speech is also reprehensible we would never want to speak to our partner in this way or children because it is harmful likewise a football player who speaks like this even in retaliation to equally abusive speech should be banned according to the laws the afl set about abusive speech. so both organisations are entitle to punish as they see fit. racism and abusive speech are still very much unacceptable in society even when labeled as a "tweet" i cannot believe this article.
Maolojiang
Guest
It has become standard practice for people to say some really wrong and tasteless things...THEN APOLOGISE...and it is ok. The apolgies are always predictable. Something like "I did not mean to offend or hurt anyone" . And the world is expected to forget. Then some one comes up and does a similar thing becaus they will apologise. The apologies do not even make any sense as they are not even directed at the people who were offended. So stiffer punishment is the only way to ensure people engage their brains before they open their mouths...whether its on social media or not. Punishment is meant as a deterant and so far apologies and fines (really small fines) have not been deterrent enough. Look at this girls apology- she does not even apologise to the people she offended. That's enough confirmation of what she thinks and that she did not mean any of this as a joke....it was a joke to fellow racists not the world....of course people who think like her will find this to be a joke....she should be smart enough to know that's tweeter reaches all corners of the globe including west nile.....she was wrong and the correct punishment was given...yes a bad, tasteless and misplaced tweet should end ones Olympic dreams....Engage your brain before you put anything out for public consumption.....she deserves the punishment