Can you imagine being Coach Chauncey Billups;
you’re at the halftime of an NBA game, and in the locker room a player is caught posting a highlight video of a dunk he had in first half. Maybe the vibes were high because of an early lead? They weren’t - the team trailed by 18 points. Or how about this Sixers player caught texting on the bench with Joel Embiid. As a coach, fan, player, spectator - how does that make you feel?
There are so many things wrong with it obviously. And some teams even have their own policies about cell phone and social media usage, that go beyond league policy.
According to SNY’s Ian Begley,
“the NBPA now has worked closely with the league on a revision that will build on an existing social media policy prohibiting social media usage from the period starting 45 minutes before tipoff and ending after media obligations have been fulfilled.”
“As part of this policy, teams will designate one point of communication for players and coaches during the period in which cell phones aren't allowed. That staffer would be able to take calls and messages in the event of an emergency.” (CBS)
In sports, the only real opportunities you may have to use a cell phone are at these halftimes.
However, it’s become more common in the NBA to see players who are not playing, dressed in street clothes, to keep their phone in their pockets (in their possession) on the bench.
Unless you’re in the MLB, where players have access to the locker room / club house every inning. During long innings a player can end up visiting a team doctor, team facility and even underground batting cages. So you can see where an MLB player shooting a quick text may happen. But using social media is a whole different story.
One has to wonder why the NBA and NBPA felt so strongly about this, where they needed to not only address the situation, but regulate and remedy the problem as well.
To enforce a new cell phone policy that is the first of it’s kind in professional sports, hints at a potential underlying, behind-the-scenes norm that could have been growing, and began aggravating the NBA’s inner circles.
I wonder who the first player will be to get fined for using his phone. It sounds like high school, but I got Russ Westbrook (+305) because he don’t give a….
How do you feel about athletes using cell phones or social media during games?
Comment below and let your voice be heard🗣️
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