Social Media Case Assignment Description

            I think we can all agree that President Trump is an avid tweeter. And his tweets are not just boring and political, but are entertaining and sometimes even comical to follow along with. But of course, it is not uncommon for these tweets to create huge controversy and upheaval.

            Today, I want to focus on the following two tweets from our President of the United States of America:

Let’s start with the White House situation. After national teams win championships, it is common— and an honor—to be invited to visit the White House and meet the President. When a team does not end up going to the White House, it is usually due to scheduling conflicts. But NBA 2017 champion Golden State’s Steph Curry stated that he simply did not want to go to the White House. Note that even though Curry and Durrant decided they didn’t want to go, the team was still going to sit down and discuss whether or not they would go. But of course after hearing what Curry said, Trump promptly responded by tweeting that the invitation is withdrawn. The Golden State Warriors released a statement explaining they were disappointed the invitation was withdrawn before they had made a decision as a team, and American citizens should be able to freely voice their opinions on matters that are important to them.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/09/23/president-trump-says-stephen-currys-white-house-invitation-has-been-withdrawn/?utm_term=.ecb9276fac2c

Reflecting on the three times he was fortunate enough to get invited to the White House, NFL player Teddy Bruschi explains, “it didn’t really matter who the President was, whether I agreed with the President or not, it’s just the experience of going there with your team to be celebrated as a world champion by the President of the United States – it’s a pretty big deal”. Bruschi says this was the coolest experience of his life. It is interesting to note this interview took place well before Trump was president.

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/14870667/how-white-house-visits-championship-teams-became-american-tradition

            Next, if you have not heard about NFL players kneeling, sitting down, or locking arms to protest during the national anthem, where have you been? I was not sure what to make of this at first, or what it even means. So this brings up an interesting question. What makes kneeling during the national anthem disrespectful? What does kneeling actually mean? To some, kneeling is to show honor, a way to pray to God, even a humbling gesture. But this certainly cannot be the case in this context. So why? Why do they do it? Apparently it is because “athletes of color are either sitting down or taking a knee and raising a clinched fist in protest of police brutality and racial inequities”.  (1) Many people have opinions of what ‘the kneel’ means now, after all this buzz and twitter drama. But to sum it up, journalist David Corn explains, “the kneel will now become a sign of opposition to Trump”. (2)

(1) https://mic.com/articles/154349/why-are-athletes-kneeling-during-the-national-anthem-here-s-what-you-need-to-know#.SUkYeqb3A

(2) https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-appearances/what-will-taking-the-knee-mean-now

So although President Trump’s opinions or taking offense may be valid, the way he went about expressing it was simply not professional. This is not surprising knowing his Twitter history. Just as he obviously expects respect from these athletes, he should respect them right back. And referring to athletes who kneel as  ‘sons of a bitches’ (as he did when saying the teams' owners should fire them) is certainly not respectful or professional. In fact, his behavior is a little bit embarrassing. 

On the other hand, I do not think the protesting of the kneeling players was effective. Okay, they knelt to express that they have an issue with something… What then? It is not accomplishing anything – besides awareness. Also, it is not the right time or place. It would not be professional for others to do that at his or her place of work (they would probably get fired), so why would it be appropriate at theirs? A more effective approach to be to actually act on an issue, rather kneel down and submit to its “unfairness”.

            Overall, is interesting to notice professionals with large followings on social media get so worked up about certain issues that their professional communication goes out the door. And despite President Trump’s preferred method, deleting regretful comments does not make them go away forever. Famous or not, it is important for everyone to think about their posts, comments, and actions that can – and will – be there for everyone to see.