Understanding Players Part 2: Twitter

Welcome to the second instalment of Understanding Players: a guide to Professional Rugby. Lesson 1 taught you how to read deeper into what players really mean in interviews. Lesson 2 will delve into the written word of our professional tweeters rugby players.

The emerging role of new media in professional sport means that now, more than ever before, players have their own voice and are able to communicate and interact directly with their fans. Twitter allows the players to communicate a message that is free of media spin immediately and directly. GAGR understands that this might be confusing and confronting to people without the requisite Burke-like Super Rugby Experience, and we’re here to help.

Throughout the coming season, GAGR will publish a weekly twitter wrap-up. Before the season really gets underway, we wanted to explore some of the themes and memes of twitter life from some of our more prominent professional tweeters rugby players

#1: Let the fans know about your injuries and fitness

Rugby fans love to see how the sausage gets made – metaphorically. They are concerned when their players leave the field, the want to know how you are when you’re sick or injured. Hey, they may even want to know if they should drop you from your fantasy team for this week, they want to know what sort of shape you’re in. However if you are going to share that information, it’s probably a good idea to tell the truth. Especially when your teammates are on twitter too.

#2: Show the world how popular you are with the lady-folk

The career of a professional rugby player is short, so it’s important to take advantage of your professional-player-induced attractiveness to the fairer sex before you become just another former player struggling to stop the insidious advance the corporate-lunch-kgs. How do you do this? Retweet every time someone refers to your attractiveness of course!

#3: Establish your intellectual superiority over your teammates

Rugby union  players are intellectual beings, holding themselves and their teammates to high academic standards. They pride themselves on their command of the English language, they revel in the witty wordplay afforded by 140 characters. And they subtly remind their teammates of these standards*.

*when denigrating the intellect of your teammates, it’s a good idea to make sure your own spelling is correct. Nathan: the correct Australian spelling is favours, and the “your” you should have used is “you’re” –  #youredumb would have been, well, #lessdumb 

#4: You can have a public platform on issues that you are passionate about

The Faingaa Twins are breast cancer ambassadors, David Pocock has his 8020 charities, Beau Robinson and Laurie Weeks are Febfast Ambassadors. Let’s face it, Twitter can alert people to a LOT of good stuff. Or, ummmmm, not….

If you’re looking to check out this twitter thing for yourself, take a look here for how to get started.