– The fans at the stadium and the fans on social media were two different kinds. The fans at the stadium always supported me. On social media, if we lost, it was me who got the blame. “
It was Georginio Wijnaldum, one of Liverpool’s greatest servants in the 2000s, who spoke after leaving the club on contract.
And if you think he’s wrong, then I’m afraid you’re part of the problem.
Just like there are two kinds of Liverpool fans, there are two kinds of football fans. Two kinds of sports fans. Two kinds of people.
After 90 minutes, we are lucky that most of our audience falls into the category that Wijnaldum will forever appreciate. People with compassion and respect, who understand that our words weigh, so we do not spit them out on social media for effect, just because we can.
But as the popularity of Twitter and Instagram continues to grow, more people are falling into the latter category, who think it’s okay to fire messages about abuse of football players and athletes just because they did not meet your expectations.
In some cases, it ends up just criticizing performance and ability. In others, it falls into discrimination. However, it is becoming more and more obvious that people who are exposed to this endless stream of critical abuse are reading it, and it has a real impact.
Wijnaldum’s comments are one thing, but in recent weeks we have heard from gymnast Simone Biles, who felt the anger from half the internet just because he lost a battle against mental health. Tennis star Naomi Osaka faced a similar vitriol when all she did was decide to take a break from the press reports. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka all missed penalties and were all hung out to wipe off some toxic corners of social media regardless of how they might have felt. Who knows which cricketer Ben Stokes can now face after choosing to take a break from cricket.
More importantly, they are just some of the higher profile of the kind of things that happen daily.
In her IG stories, Simone Biles responds to people who think she “ends” in her team by explaining “the twisties” she has experienced and how it feels like “not having mind and body in sync”. pic.twitter.com/79hN973rkd
– Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) July 30, 2021
When you take it out of the context of sports and social media, you realize how insane it is. If your service at a restaurant is not good, you would not approach the staff and tell them that they are a “f ***** g shame”, and that it is all their fault.
If your boss at work had to postpone a meeting because their head was not in the right place, you would not remind them of their responsibilities – you would ask them how they were doing and post.
Why should it be different for athletes and people in the eyes of the public? Because they owe us something in some way by virtue of their profession? Spoiler; they do not. And the sooner we stop treating them as infallible fictional characters and start behaving like real people, the better.
Completely agree with you. All of these players deserve and need public support after that. Everyone seems to be brilliant guys. Nothing can prepare you for that level of pressure / attention / criticism at 19/20 years. Respect ? https://t.co/D1BGJqeCsN
– Andy Murray (@andy_murray) July 11, 2021
We are all obliged to expect more from our idols and role models than we should. We get it, and we get disappointed when they miss it. The difference, which Wijnaldum alludes to, is drawn between those of us who know how to express it responsibly and those who do not really care.
Was just nice and was reasonable. Because if we are not, the next generation of Wijnaldum, Biles, Osaka, Rashford, Sancho and Saka may not even bother.
And what would be the point then?
