Baseball. Many are called, few are chosen.

Were all told at some point in time that we can no longer play the childrens game, we just dont dont know when thats gonna be. Some of us are told at eighteen, some of us are told at forty, but were all told. --Moneyball

281.513.7511 StaciaPratt@sbcglobal.net

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140-characters Is it worth your future? Social Media is a tool that up until 10-years ago, none of us could have foreseen the ramifications it would have on our daily existence. We are able to check in post photos, reconnect with friends and connect with acquaintances in far- away places at a click of a mouse. With that comes tons of repercussions, both good and bad. The embarrassing photo posted by your mom, or the game winning slide home can all be immediately communicated to our friends and families. For the student-athlete, the serious prospect, this comes with grave consequences. The news is filled with instances of athletes losing scholarships, being removed from rosters, or even being arrested based on Social Media. We haves put together this guideline on how best to navigate through Social Media as you pursue this next level you worked so long and hard to achieve. What NOT to Do: Do not respond to vicious/negative tweets. Do not get into Social Media arguments via Twitter, Facebook, etc. Do not use homophobic, racially incentive or controversial content Do not resort to name calling Do not use your mother, your sister or any other similar jokes Don't do anything to draw attention to yourself other than (for) the reasons that you want. Don't put anything on Facebook or tweet anything that you wouldn't want your mother to read or read aloud in church Share passwords!! A football recruit almost lost out on his scholarship opportunities when victim of a practical joke by teammate who signed on Facebook account and posted that he had committed to a team. You are a potential investment for universities and MLB-teams, one tweet, or one inappropriate picture on Facebook, could mean the difference between you getting that last scholarship spot, or Joe Smith from New Jersey. Dont accept anyone on Facebook you dont know, or dont trust.
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Dont put any status updates that have curse words or foul language. Dont allow friends to tag pictures of you without your approval first. Dont brag about illegal activity you participated in, or know about. It will most certainly cost you a scholarship! Dont rip your coach, teachers, parents, or teammates on Social Media. Freedom of Speech isnt free when you are seeking scholarship money. Dont announce, tease or hint at commitment or change in commitment on Social Media Pose for photos wearing any college gear or MLB team gear it could appear as a soft commit or endorsement Don't do anything that would cause your coach to take your name off the recruiting board. Share every wart, blemish and regrettable incident online. Do not destroy your chances in 140 characters or less. Forget that the Scout and Coach are looking for reasons NOT to sign you, dont give them that opportunity.

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What TO Do: Consider Social Media as an extension of you as a brand. The Scouts are buying the talent and the brand. In this day and age an individual sportsman is a brand. Taking this in to account an athletes social media platforms should be managed like a brand, the rules do not change. Remove offensive, insensitive or any content that could be misunderstood from all Social Media Get out in the community Volunteer--do charity functions, visit hospitals, attend church events and the like. If it makes you more marketable, it means more dollars for you. Upload your game-day footage and highlight reels to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Post articles highlighting your stats, photos of community involvement, or interviews. Remove your name from inflammatory tweets Make sure that you monitor who your friends are on Facebook and who is following you on Twitter Expect that your social media will be monitored as schools look for any potential red flags. Even after you sign your National Letter of Intent, the school is intent on avoiding anything that might impugn the reputation of the institution, or worse still, lead to the imposition of athletic sanctions by the NCAA Choose your words carefully. Your image online is just as important as your pitching speed. Every tweet or Facebook post serves as a representation of the player, university, team and organization you represent. "Unfriend" and "un-follow" anyone that is tweeting/ posting inappropriate photos, content or tags online immediately. Change your settings to limit access to others

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Consider how this will affect your career! Universities and MLB may hire third-party services such as UDiligence and Varsity Monitor to keep track of players' social media usage Software companies, such as Centrix Social, emails alerts to the coaching staff when a flagged word appears on Twitter accounts Athletic Communications Depts follows as many current players on Twitter as it can find. OSU in Stillwater has interns that do nothing but follow prospects social media. University of Florida said social media also provides another glimpse into a player's character, warning that "kids need to understand that they have to be very careful about what they do on social media." Louisville flags 406 words or slang expressions that involve drugs, sex or alcohol, while Kentucky flags a similar number. NFL personnel source admits to using counterfeit profiles to link to Facebook and Myspace pages of potential draft picks. The source directed Yahoo! Sports to one of the teams ghost profiles a term he coined because once the draft is over, they disappear. Be careful about those that surround you online and in real life. Scouts know who you date, you your friends are, where you go, what movies you like and if you like to drink at parties. They have a file they start in 9th grade, and have entire staffs dedicated to researching and keeping up with you on Twitter and Facebook Assume everyone you meet at recruiting visits or showcases works for the University, Scouting service or MLB, including that cute girl. Most NFL teams, now have someone assigned to monitoring the profiles of potential picks. Their task is simple: pull together as much information as possible that can be used in interviews or to aid background checks. The more questionable the content found, the better armed NFL teams can be when it comes to making a final call on players. Social Media experts at universities and MLB teams combs through pictures, goes through archived comments sections, breezes through friend lists for other potential contacts, and spends untold amounts of time dissecting pages of Give a parent access to your Social Media accounts to monitor them for inappropriate content. If you dont want them to know about whats going on online, then it might cost you that scholarship anyway.
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Stacia E. Pratt is principal of the public relations firm Pratt Communications, and practices in a variety of industries including sports, entertainment, political, B2B, e-commerce, municipalities and not-for-profit sectors. The majority of her 15+yr career has been within the entertainment and sports industries, music, family entertainment properties, movie and television publicity, including touring PR, publicity campaigns, CD launches, Artist launches, branding and special events. Her practice encompasses creating, executing and managing campaigns; developing and writing press materials; media relations including press conferences, press junkets, media training, pitching; special event planning, execution, measurement; crisis communications; message/image consulting; community relations/outreach; product/service launches, and special projects. As a publicist, Ms. Pratt handles daily press for celebrity clients, red carpet events, product launches (CDs, tours, movies, etc.), crisis communications, and long-lead story pitches. She also served as the point-of-contact for all third-parties on behalf of her clients including media, fan clubs, and sponsors.

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