Professional Athletes Using Twitter

Twittering has become a pretty big fad among today's professional athletes. Whether it's during a game, at halftime, or even at their homes, these athletes seem to grow very fond of www.twitter.com. Their love for Twitter has actually gotten them into trouble with league officials in the last several months. One NBA player by the name of Charlie Villanueva was even scolded by his coach after discovering he had tweeted at halftime during a game against the Boston Celtics. In more extreme cases there have been athletes who have been fined money for twitting during games. According to www.espn.com, Rasheed Wallace, Amare Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler became the first professional basketball players to be fined for twittering during a basketball match. This has easily gotten the attention from media analysts and fans alike. Basketball fans love the fact that these players share their experiences from the basketball court with their fans, but some analysts believe it has gotten slightly out of hand even though it has helped them learn a little bit more about the specific player.

I am actually for the use of Twitter during professional sporting events. It just seems so awesome that these guys actually share their moments of success with their beloved fans. League officials from all sports should make Tweeting legal under most circumstances because it might actually help their leagues garner new fans. Can you imagine if Michael Jordan had tweeted during the NBA Finals? He would instantly have millions of fans on his account! It is just too bad he isn't playing basketball anymore because he would have definitely benefited from it.

Unfortunately, there have been instances where these pros have revealed a little too much from their personal lives on Twitter. According to www.espn.com, Miami Heat star Michael Beasley actually posted disturbing information on his Twitter page that revealed he was battling serious depression. After the incident was discovered, Beasley immediately checked into rehab for not only depression, but substance abuse as well. For a young individual to quickly admit his problems is quite admirable since many celebrities take years to reveal their issues. Beasley is currently having a great season so far with the Miami Heat averaging over fifteen points per game. The sophomore pro has show signs that he can become a superstar within a few years.