Published May 3, 2011 - 11:52am
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The blossoming relationship of social media and college football doesn’t come without its obstacles, and the Kirk Herbstreit / Ohio State relationship has taken the torch previously passed from the likes of Will Hill and CJ Johnson.
Kirk Herbstreit has recently announced that he is taking a break from communicating with fans via Twitter. He’s mostly referring to Ohio State fans because the idiotic Buckeye faithful took to the Twitterverse to blast Herbstreit over his criticism of Jim Tressel.
I walked through some of Herbstreit’s tweets and I don’t really think he handles it that well, as he seems to react to every Joe Blow who tweets something at him. Why let some slob working at a gas station in his Buckeye jersey get under your skin?
The reality is that Twitter isn’t the problem. The problems are the Buckeye fans who have now pushed Herbstreit to move out of Columbus and now get off Twitter. The other problem is that Herbstreit cares too much about pleasing people (as shown in how he responded to tons of tweets directed at him).
Herbstreit is an excellent analyst, and most fans outside of Columbus and the few rational ones inside it understand that he is giving objective insight into college football and the Ohio State program. Post your thoughts on Twitter and stop reading the ones aimed at you. You can’t please everybody.
For now, it seems that Herbstreit will be communicating his thoughts and insight via television broadcasts where there can be no back and forth interaction with idiotic fans.
Are Buckeye fans the worst in the country?
Random side note: I was sitting in LAX yesterday and a guy decked out in blue and orange Boise State gear sat down next to me. I struck up a conversation and the guy was the brother of the Boise State Athletic Director. Enjoyed the brief conversation and the older gentleman who couldn’t have been nicer and was excited to travel to Georgia for the opener against the Bulldogs in 2011. Quality fan unlike what seems to be a growing percentage of the Ohio State fan base.
I mean, damn. The man already had to move from Ohio to Nashville to get away from those nuts. I feel bad for the guy, and for the people who are so consumed and blinded by rage they attack anyone who has an opposing viewpoint.
When it’s so easy for people to hide, yes, hide like cowards, behind their keyboards and say whatever they want, you’ve got a whole sect of Internet tough guys who we all know wouldn’t say 99% of the things they say online to people’s faces.
It sucks. And is sad.