Twitter Backfires On NBA Players
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By DERON SNYDER
Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher, who is also president of the NBA Players Association, is a pretty sharp individual and has represented his side well in the ongoing lockout. But even smart guys can make dumb mistakes, and Fisher made a doozy as the NBA was canceling the first two weeks of the season.
Fisher thought that it would be a great idea if players flooded people’s Twitter timelines with the catchphrase “Let Us Play” and the hashtag #StandUnited. The NFL Players Association used a similar tactic last spring during that league’s protracted labor dispute.
But the responses were totally different because perceptions of the two leagues and their athletes are totally different. NFL players are in a violent, often debilitating sport where contracts aren’t guaranteed and fans are virtually rabid in their passion. Conversely, NBA players are considered spoiled and pampered in a driveway sport that nets them goo-gobs of guaranteed money for playing hard sometimes, which makes them much less sympathetic characters.
