MobileSportsReport.com identifies first sports social media blunder to costs a team victories
The Nashville Tennessean reported Wednesday that Perry County High has been forced to vacate three wins because of a parent’s Facebook blunder.
Although the incident does not involve a professional sports franchise or major college athletic program, it is significant. MobileSportsReport.com identifies this as the first known incident that information posted on a social media service cost a team victories. It underscores the increased scrutiny families of athletes are under, and how shared sports information is becoming an actionable part of the sports experience.
The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) ruled that the Perry County High football team violated rules that call for the family of players to reside in the county where they attend school and play. Offensive linemen Rodney and Ryan Belasic transferred to Perry County High before the 2011 season, but their mother’s Facebook posts revealed that they are not full-time residents.
The mother wrote: ”How can two boys mess up their room as badly as they do when they’re only here on Saturday and Sunday?” That was enough to prove that rules were being broken in order to allow the two boys to play for a more competitive football program.
According to TSSAA executive director Bernard Childress, the Belasics’ mother provided enough information to prove that they were not in compliance with league rules, according to a Yahoo.com report. The Perry County High football team was 5-0 and on its way to a top seed in Tennessee’s smallest division, Class 1A, before the decision to take down the three victories was handed down.
[…] appropriate, and don’t get your team disqualified like a mother did on Facebook, according to The Nashville Tennessean. Once you do that, it is OK to send out newsworthy information that will help fans engage with the […]