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Published in Casing Sports Communication. Ed. Diana Tucker & Jason Wrench. Kendall Hunt, 2015.

Managing Social Media Responding to Critics on Twitter

Theo Plothe

ABSTRACT

When a struggling star running back calls out the team’s play-by-play announcer on Twitter, the

team must deal with the workplace and public relations aftermath.

***

“Can you believe this hogwash?” bellowed an irate Stu Montague, otherwise known as the radio

play-by-play voice of the St. Louis Buckhorns. A vein in Montague’s temple was throbbing a

bright blue in the blue and gold of the Buckhorn team colors.

An exasperated Bud Swanson sat at his large, mahogany General Manager’s desk, silently

shaking his head in supportive acknowledgment of his now irate announcer.

Montague furiously pointed to his tablet computer, on which appeared the Twitter stream for one

Florian “Chicago Flo” Flanders. “These damn millennials,” growled Montague. “They just can’t

be respectful and keep their thoughts to themselves. Do you know how embarrassing this is?”

Montague glared accusingly at Swanson.

All Swanson could do was nod his head and mutter, “I know, I know.” The Buckhorns star

running back had just placed him in an untenable position. The reasons Montague was so irate

were the social media missives Flanders had fired toward the team’s media representative.

Montague collapsed into the fine leather chair in front of Swanson’s desk. The anger dissipated a

bit into disbelief and a slight sense of betrayal as Montague said, “You know, I was his biggest

defender early on this season. To think Flo would react like this to a little criticism? It’s wholly

unacceptable.”

***

Flanders arrived in St. Louis with the pomp and circumstance any big name free agent pick up

would. He certainly wasn’t in town for a lack of performance having just come off one of the

most successful years for a running back in Tampa history. Flanders knew it was just business,

he wanted to get paid, and the Swashbucklers didn’t want to invest in a 27 year-old with five

seasons of mileage on his legs in a league where tailbacks are chewed up and spit out at age 30.

As such, though his signed a free-agent contract with Buckhorns, he clearly felt as if he had

something to prove.

Fan expectation of the titles “Chicago Flo” would bring to Mound City and the records he would

break in the Dome were nearly as high as the Gateway Arch. For a team that made the Wild Card

Published in Casing Sports Communication. Ed. Diana Tucker & Jason Wrench. Kendall Hunt, 2015.

in Tampa, a moribund of a franchise if there was one, Flanders had run for 1,258 yards and 12

touchdowns. With a better team and a better organization, why wouldn’t ‘Horns’ fans (and the

media who stoked the fire) expect the sublime?

***

“Look, Stu,” Swanson said as he looked at the still simmering play-by-play announcer, “What do

you want me to do? You want me to cut a guy just for talking garbage on Twitter?”

Montague bristled. “I’m not saying that,” he replied as he stabbed his stubby index finger on

Swanson’s desk, “But you’ve got to do something.”

Swanson sighed and sat back in his seat. He certainly knew how the ‘Horns got here, which

made the situation all the more difficult.

Flanders’ season got off to a very slow start. He fumbled twice in the first game in his new digs,

and a rumble soon followed every time he touched the ball in the Prometheus Funds Dome. His

2.7 yards per carry were the worst of any league running back with at least 70 carries. The

‘Horns as a whole, and not just Flanders, struggled mightily in the first half of the season, losing

their first five games before winning 14–6 yesterday over the New Jersey Griffins. In Sunday’s

game, Flanders had his best start of the season by gaining 82 yards on 23 attempts, but was

pulled late in the game on the winning goal line touchdown.

Shortly after, Flanders hit Twitter in a rage, reacting to fan criticism:

Don't ever question my heart or effort.. You should want over achievers! That means they have a

pulse and give a damn each game!