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Opinion

The pitfall of social media cesspools for young players

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Roar Guru
17th February, 2022
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Manchester United are a club that makes headlines for all sorts of reasons, but one that has gone relatively unnoticed is that the club has hired social media experts to help their stars navigate the cesspools of the online world.

Clubs have started to become more concerned with social media usage, in particular the negative mental effects of being abused online that can lead to a player’s wellbeing and performance suffering.

Scientists have conducted case studies on how the lack of energy from long periods of cognitive activity on social media can be detrimental to a professional player.

A recent study published by the Journal of Sports Sciences proved just how negative social media is.

Their subjects were players from the Campeonato Brasileiro, the Brazilian first division.

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Players that were found to have been on their smartphones 30 minutes prior to playing a match had significant difficulties in making a simple pass as well as decision making.

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Now, once you factor in that the average person can spend up to 2.5 hours a day on all forms of social media, this can be particularly concerning for any coach.

Long gone are the days of managers like Bob Paisley and Sir Alex Ferguson ruling all aspects of their players’ lives with an iron fist.

This generation of players have more fragility, emotion and less mental toughness than the ones before them.

Football generic

(Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)

They cope better with a reassuring word and arm around the shoulder, rather than being shouted at.

Perhaps one of the greatest failings of the A-League Men was its lack of support for former Melbourne Victory player Josh Hope.

Hope was the star pupil of Tasmanian football’s national training centre several years ago, before joining the FFA’s centre of excellence in Canberra.

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He was a crucial member of the midfield in a side that also featured James Delianov, Joel King, Kye Rowles, Daniel Arzani and Jacob Italiano.

Hope was the finest midfielder in that team. He had all the traits and technical skills to have a career in Europe, but he needed to get through the A-League Men first.

Melbourne Victory beat several other sides for his prized signature. Victory are a massive club and can be very daunting for a young, impressionable player.

In hindsight, moving to a side that is known to handle development well – like Adelaide United, Central Coast Mariners or the Brisbane Roar – would’ve been better to nurture his talent.

The then-18-year-old started life initially well for Victory, before the perils of social media destroyed his confidence.

Players are advised to never look at social media after a match. The comments can be extremely vicious over something as minor as a misplaced pass.

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Hope was viciously trolled by his own club’s supporters not just for his on-field performances but for how he looked, how he spoke as well as his haircut.

At just 22, he made worldwide headlines by announcing he was walking away from football due to the online abuse he received.

Hope will be returning to football with Green Gully in the VNPL this upcoming season and it would be no surprise to see A-League Men clubs keeping a close eye on a player who had the potential to be one of the best of his generation.

The venom on social media seems to have dramatically increased in the past year alone, with two clubs being particular targets: Adelaide United and Western Sydney Wanderers.

Josh Cavallo – who is the only openly homosexual male footballer in the world – has suffered sickening homophobic abuse, while teammate Kusini Yengi has seen his social media accounts fill up with racial abuse.

Joshua Cavallo of Adelaide United looks on during the A-League Mens match between Western United and Adelaide United at AAMI Park, on December 17, 2021, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Jonathan DiMaggio/Getty Images)

(Photo by Jonathan DiMaggio/Getty Images)

Tomer Hemed caused quite a commotion on social media with his religious views, while some of his teammates have copped abuse for openly supporting known anti-vax propaganda groups.

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Like anybody in the public eye, the best thing to do for any young, up-and-coming player would be to stay off social media.

It does more harm than good, especially when transitioning from being a teenager into an adult.

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