ESPN: No tweeting about sports for 48 hours

[Versatile]

http://deadspin.com/5968619/

In brief: ESPN leadership has decided that staff members should not tweet about sports beyond breaking news until noon Sunday because of the tragedy in Connecticut.

 

[21]

Bristol is about 30 miles from Newtown. Too close to home.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I think this is a good idea, because of the format.

Until everyone kind of caught wind of Newtown this afternoon, it was odd to read Tweets about the Michael Bourn or Nick Swisher sweepstakes interspersed among updates from Connecticut.

 

[YGBFKM]

This makes up for Rob Parker.

 

[LongTimeListener]

I'm all for less tweeting of everything, but WTF do ESPN's sports tweets have to do with the shooting? People won't talk about RG3's injury status because of this?

I think it's just as likely they issued the ban in order to quell the Parker situation.

 

[the_lorax]

Also happens to end just in time for NFL Sunday.

 

[champ_kind]

"Also happens to end just in time for NFL Sunday."

Yes, but they're not calling it Showdown Sunday anymore. Huge sacrifice

 

[ringer]

Did they do that after the shootings at Virginia Tech or Aurora, Colorado ... or even at the Oregon mall this week?

If not, then it seems odd to make policy by cherry picking your tragedies.

 

[Armchair_QB]

Did they do that after the shootings at Virginia Tech or Aurora, Colorado ... or even at the Oregon mall this week?

If not, then it seems odd to make policy by cherry picking your tragedies.

Pretty sure they didn't.

This is just grandstanding on ESPN's part.

 

[SnoopyBoy]

Cherrypicking indeed. Just like Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi, etc., holding a benefit concert for Hurricane Sandy victims, but we don't hear a peep out of them when the Gulf Coast is ravaged by a hurricane.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

How fortunate for them that they can end the moratorium just in time for the glorious NFL on Sunday.

 

[Azrael]

Cherrypicking indeed. Just like Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi, etc., holding a benefit concert for Hurricane Sandy victims, but we don't hear a peep out of them when the Gulf Coast is ravaged by a hurricane.

Seriously?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Hurricane_Katrina_relief_benefit_concerts

 

[Azrael]

Did they do that after the shootings at Virginia Tech or Aurora, Colorado ... or even at the Oregon mall this week?

If not, then it seems odd to make policy by cherry picking your tragedies.

Pretty sure they didn't.

This is just grandstanding on ESPN's part.

Bristol isn't that far from Newtown. Hits much closer to home.

 

[Riptide]

What about Hoppes? Does he have to follow rules now? :D

 

[JackReacher]

Did they do that after the shootings at Virginia Tech or Aurora, Colorado ... or even at the Oregon mall this week?

If not, then it seems odd to make policy by cherry picking your tragedies.

Pretty sure they didn't.

This is just grandstanding on ESPN's part.

Bristol isn't that far from Newtown. Hits much closer to home.

So? ESPN has reporters in places other than Bristol.

This is pointless. Why 48 hours? Why not 72? Why not a week?

We all know why.

 

[Armchair_QB]

Did they do that after the shootings at Virginia Tech or Aurora, Colorado ... or even at the Oregon mall this week?

If not, then it seems odd to make policy by cherry picking your tragedies.

Pretty sure they didn't.

This is just grandstanding on ESPN's part.

Bristol isn't that far from Newtown. Hits much closer to home.

So? ESPN has reporters in places other than Bristol.

This is pointless. Why 48 hours? Why not 72? Why not a week?

We all know why.

Yep.

I'm surprised someone hasn't suggested the NFL cancel their games this weekend.

 

[podunk press]

In all honesty, as a Redskins fan, I'm allowed to be deeply troubled and saddened about the killings in Connecticut and still be curious about RGIII's availability.

Then again, as a Redskins fan I was already disgusted and pissed at ESPN to begin with.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Like I floated earlier on the thread, I think it's because of the nature of Twitter.

Yesterday, you'd have 14 posts in a row with updates from Newtown. Then you'd have one post along the lines of, "WTF are the Tigers thinking on the Anibal Sanchez deal? #Wasteofmoney #LOL"

Because of how Twitter just tosses all headlines into one stew like that, it made the sports Tweeters - and entertainment Tweeters, for that matter - seem insensitive. It wasn't the case, but the nature of the medium made it so.

 

[Cosmo]

I thought PTI handled it the right way yesterday ... opened without its usual fanfare music, TK opened acknowledging the tragedy and offering prayers but said this was a show about sports and that it would continue as such.

 

[boundforboston]

Did they do that after the shootings at Virginia Tech or Aurora, Colorado ... or even at the Oregon mall this week?

If not, then it seems odd to make policy by cherry picking your tragedies.

This is just grandstanding on ESPN's part.

Not that they're the only ones. Jim Rome spent much of his show grandstanding about the tragedies, but remember he's also the kind of person who does this: