You’re doing it wrong: Don’t abuse players on Twitter

A dejected Christopher Samba was torn apart by Dimitar Berbatov at the back. He took to Twitter to apologize to fans but also defended himself after much abuse.

Dimitar Berbatov admitted last night after Fulham’s defeat of QPR that he targeted a tentative Christopher Samba, and it worked. Berbatov dismantled Samba and the QPR defense, unleashing 2 goals and displaying the class he so often has this year.

However, after the match, Samba took to Twitter to apologize for his poor effort. Instead of appreciating his effort and apology, the classy QPR fans (and to be fair even fans of other teams *cough* Everton *cough*) decided to harang the center back about his wages. He did a bit of defending himself as well, but kept it clean and classy. Samba took it in stride, making a fantastic point in the process:

Then 2nd of all to all you keep talking about 100 k performance,tell me what is a 100k performance?we as players go out and give our all—
Samba Christopher (@cs4christsamba1) April 01, 2013

Obviously we judge a player’s performance on the pitch; we do it all the time. I do out all the time. Pundits and journalists do it all the time. But to question a player’s effort who goes out and simply has a bad game is silly, and quite frankly hurtful, a especially after he came out and publicly acknowledged his poor performance. It’s not like he TRIED to be bad, or decided to just take a day off.

I gained a decent amount of respect for Samba after refusing to capitulate to some pretty nasty abuse and instead taking the high road. Twitter can be a damaging tool for athlete, as often it’s better the public doesn’t know what’s actually running through their minds despite our innate desire to know, and their innate desire to express. Just ask Peter Odemwingie. Expressing his inner thoughts and desires via social media bought him a spot on the bench, an awkward gander to Loftus Road, and a private VIP room in the supporters’ doghouse.

Nothing good is going to ever come of expressing negative opinions of anyone to their face on Twitter or any social media site. So don’t do it. All it does is make the abuser look like a coward and a lowlife. It breeds hate and often times racism, something the game is furiously looking to stamp out.

Don’t get me wrong here. It is without question the coach’s, media’s, and ultimately the fan’s job to hold players accountable for their actions on, and sometimes even off the pitch. These players are in the public eye as part of their occupation, and sure are compensated handsomely for it. Dealing with what others have to say about their play and personality is part of what they signed up for. But in an eWorld which gives fans more access directly to the players, to their face yet anonymously over Twitter is the last place for fans to exercise that right.