Does social media motivate in high school football?

12:54 AM, Sep. 12, 2013  |  Comments
Mt. Juliet coach Roger Perry retweeted '3 more days until we blow out Mt. Juliet #SC'

Each week, Tennessean prep insiders Chip Cirillo and Maurice Patton offer opposing views on a high school football topic. This week, it's using social media as motivation.

PATTON: Just ignore it

Focus on the task at hand. Concentrate on us. Don't be distracted.

All are coaching bromides that have been handed down through the years.

So why do some coaches then turn around and introduce or create outside forces in the name of preparing their teams to play?

Leading up to last week's Mt. Juliet-Station Camp contest, a tweet came out saying:

"3 more days until we blow out Mt. Juliet #SC"

Understandably, the Mt. Juliet coaching staff seized on the message and retweeted it - to no avail, as the Golden Bears did in fact get blown out, 41-3.

But is social media trash talking, and were other forms of "bulletin board material" in earlier days, overblown as a motivational tactic?

If worrying about what opponents are saying is what it takes to get a team mentally prepared to play, that team is probably in trouble anyway.

Surely players and coaches have more - and more important - matters to concern themselves with heading into a game than what another player or coach is saying about them or their team.

Ideally, staying focused on the task at hand and eliminating distractions puts teams in the best position to be successful.

CIRILLO: Just avoid it

Social media gives high school football coaches one more thing to worry about.

It probably does more harm than good.

Teenage players inevitably will post something they regret or something that motivates opponents.

But Twitter, Facebook and message boards have become part of the modern world, so they're not going away.

All a coach can really do is advise players to think before they tweet.

Many posts are permanent. They can't be deleted.

Some coaches might even make some guidelines. Don't say things like this or that. This is what happens if you do.

Free speech is a right. But remind players of the responsibility for things they say or the consequences of an ill-advised remark on social media.

Some schools monitor students, taking the extra burden away from busy coaches.

The Internet gives fans a place to vent, too. In the heat of the moment, it's easy to post something that might be regretted later.

It's a new headache.

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