Players tweeting irresponsibly. Embarrassing photos. Unwanted news leaks. Now you can add a new item to the list of ways social media can be a headache for sports teams -- unsavory characters scaring away potential stars.
That's what happened at Ohio State University, where a lauded high school football recruit de-committed from the school after a convicted sex offender posted photos he took with him on Twitter.
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Alex Anzalone of Wyomissing, Pa., is one of the mostly highly rated high school linebackers in the country and had pledged to play in college at Ohio State. During a campus visit last month, according to the Associated Press, Anzalone posed for a photograph with an apparent fan named Charles Eric Waugh. Waugh later posted the photo to Twitter and used the network to contact other Ohio State players, recruits and coaches.
Hardcore college sports fans frequently use Twitter and Facebook to tell hotshot recruits how great they'd look in their school's colors. The problem here? Waugh, who is 31 years old and reportedly lives in Ashland, Kentucky, pleaded guilty in 2008 to five counts of possession of underage sexual content.
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"You don't want your son to go to a place where there's a potential issue," Anzalone's father told the Reading Eagle on Saturday. "You expect the staff to have some sort of control on how things are handled with recruits when they visit. This is ridiculous."
Ohio State released a statement in which it said the episode was symptomatic of social media's power to enable wide-ranging and unexpected connections, and sent a cautionary email message out to more than 1,000 student athletes.
"The email message also reminded them of the negative implications that can be realized through simple associations on social networking sites," the school's statement read. "This individual is not associated with Ohio State. He is not a booster. He has not engaged in any activities on behalf of the University. The Department of Athletics will continue to monitor this issue and it will remain proactive in its efforts with regard to precautions for its student-athletes."
Is it fair to blame a school if creepy fans contact athletes via social media? Let us know in the comments.
Image courtesy Scallop Holden, Flickr.
This story originally published on Mashable here.
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