A Giant on the Social Media-Drawn Sleigh

Like every other competitive sport, Football and its stars owe their growing popularity to social media. Every week, every match and the build to it, drama, injuries, history of rivalries between competing teams, and the internal frictions between managers and the club executives are well-publicized. These amongst other things are what fans take into consideration when placing their bets on Online Casinos, and the tension on matchday transcends the pitch, it’s felt everywhere a fan of the game has access to the internet, a mobile device, or a television.

The NFL is like a petri dish for athletes willing and ready to exorcise their demons or change their fortune. We can’t talk about football without discussing the form and stats of the elites of the game like Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers to name a few. Who won what, when, and for how many times; remains the major talking point among high-spirited fans. Football scholars and commentators run through their notes to give the viewers some history lessons and exciting news about new projects and make bold predictions about what trajectory the careers of Rookies like DeVonta Smith of Philadelphia Eagles and Justin Fields of Chicago Bears will take.

They make sure we stay informed about who holds what records and who could break them. Who is red hot and who has hit a slump. Even the personal lives of stars of the league have become a major source of information when profiling them and in some way, a tool used to humanize these men we have perceived to have little to no weaknesses. Everything they do creates buzz and the league is being thrown into the limelight time and time again with the icons it created.  On a slow-news-days, if Brady sneezes, it can get as much media appeal as when he wins another Super Bowl.

Social media created a relatable image for every head in a helmet, so much that many deeply flawed athletes have been called role models and idols. Any kid with an athletic build can picture himself under the lights, running yards, and making a career off betting on his anatomy. Many active and retired players have shown gratitude in interviews, claiming the league changed their lives by showing them a different path from the prison route or poverty. Regardless of the controversies surrounding the impact of the game on the quality of life after the gear is off the flesh, many will boldly say there’s no gain without pain.

With so much money invested in a game acclaimed to turn men into warriors and enigmas, the internet had made investing, earning, and every business deal a lot less tedious. A skype or zoom call could determine where a player plays football next season and how much such a deal is worth. Social media is responsible for the severity of pain and the gain of the sport.

A player’s political view can do damage to his career as much as a serious injury suffered on the pitch while playing the game he loves. Cornell Kaepernick’s unflattering relationship with the league is a testament to this. Even in situations that questioned the integrity of the NFL, one can say that the league took a hit like its players do, albeit, with barely a scar.

As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as bad publicity, for better or for worse, the league rings in every ear and thuds in every heart thanks to social media.