For every heckler you see in the stands at a sporting event, chances are there’s a dozen more on Twitter desperately trying to get the attention of a particular team or player.
Most utterances never get heard. But once in awhile a stray remark sneaks through the cracks and really riles someone up.
This was the case Sunday night when some tweets from Minnesota state representative John Kriesel and other Minnesota Vikings fans rubbed receiver Bernard Berrian the wrong way.
The tweets were critical of Berrian and the Vikings, who lost their fourth game in a row Sunday and tied them the worst record on the league.
“Anytime u wanna watch the film with me. Not just one game but all of them,” Berrian tweeted in response to a message from Kriesel criticizing his performance. “And if not sit down n shut up!!”
What Berrian didn’t seem to realize is this sort of criticism is unavoidable on Twitter, a social media platform where everyday people can openly criticize public figures by mentioning their account in a message.
It’s not like Berrian didn’t have a long list of other athlete-feuds to learn from. Just check out these lists of sports feuds complied by Comcast, Bleacher Report and Business Insider. Some of them pit player against player, player against fans and player against the media.
But unlike many Twitter feuds involving celebrities, sport related feuds don’t typically involve vicious, personal attacks, unrelated to the game. They’re often sparked by a botched kick, injuries, and poor on-field performances.
In the end, these feuds amount to almost nothing because there’s always another game where these players can prove themselves. So, here’s a message to Bernard Berrian: Don’t take Twitter too seriously. It’s nowhere near as life and death as, say, a game of football.
Photo by mtellin