Industry Trends: College Coaches Banning Social Media

A recent article from the Journal Inquirer describes the new challenges many college basketball coaches are having to face.  The article highlights an instance where UConn forward Jamaal Coombs-McDaniel tweeted ‘I should have taken more time making my college choice.’  Coming after a difficult loss, Coombs-McDaniel was simply venting some frustration, but it put his coach and teammates in a difficult situation.  It brings to light a very serious and emerging challenge for college coaches.

College athletes, more so than most other athletes, have grown up with social media and use it as a way to express what they’re thinking, often without realizing the widespread ramifications of a single tweet .  They are closer to their fans through social media, but with this comes more responsibility.  Particularly for coaches, with transparency comes a challenge.
More and more coaches are simply banning Twitter altogether.  High-profile schools such as UNC and Villanova have apparently implemented such bans.  Fans are clearly upset when this happens, but it is a trend that will likely continue.  In a digital era where every post or tweet can be accessed by anyone, the risk of a misstep by these athletes is simply too high.  Expect more college coaches to ban Twitter in the near future.