The story happens all the time, and this week, the victim was Cade Foster.
It goes something like this: Athlete makes blunder on big stage. Fringe fans reflexively flood his or her social media account with mindless vitriol. Tweets are aggregated and put into stories that generate thousands of hits. Fans pour out support for the athlete.
There are multiple layers to this phenomenon that were all on display this weekend. Idiots have a stronger voice in the social media age and can lob their irrational criticisms with more effect and attention. And news outlets can take advantage of that, giving them the attention they so desperately crave, while drumming up a compelling story that will drive plenty of traffic.
Foster’s story followed the script nearly perfectly. He, of course, missed three field goals in Alabama’s 34-28 loss to Auburn.
Some moronic “fans” lashed out at Foster, spewing thoughtless garbage that included harassment of his family, friends and even threats on his life. Later, support poured in from different avenues, including a “Bama fans supporting Cade Foster” Facebook page and a #BamaFansForCade hashtag on Twitter.
The story was picked up by just about every major outlet in the state and across the country.
We’ve already seen that this season. Missouri kicker Andrew Baggett missed a field goal in double overtime of the Tigers’ only loss this season. He also received death threats.
That’s not to say stories like this don’t deserve attention. But there is a balance between reporting the news and giving internet trolls attention.
When Washington Capitals forward Joel Ward – one of the NHL’s few black players – scored a game-winning goal in a Game 7 against the Boston Bruins two years ago, Bruins fans took to Twitter to call Ward a number of racial slurs.
But those self-proclaimed Bruins fans don’t represent the fanbase any more than the people sending threats to Foster represent Alabama fans. Every fanbase has its lunatic fringe. Places like Alabama and Boston have more fans than most teams, so there are more idiots.
And we should use caution when giving airheads the attention they want.
