Rick Pitino and John Calipari have many things in common. They are two of the most recognized names in men’s college basketball, they both coach in the state of the Kentucky and they are both top contenders in the battle for the NCAA championship every year. Their teams have also won the title the last two years, Kentucky in 2012 and Louisville in 2013.
One thing the two have very different views on is social media. Pitino sees social media as a “waste of time” and has banned his players from using Twitter.
Via CBS Sports:
“I think anybody who reads social media who’s in sports is not all there. To me, I think it’s the great class of underachievers who live on the Internet with social media. I think it’s people that waste their time, and underachieve because they’re not paying attention to what they should be.”
“It poisons their minds,” he said. “I think technology is a great thing in many instances, and I think it’s poison in others, and for people in sports especially.
Calipari strongly disagrees with Pitino and believes social media is a great teaching tool. He also reiterated that it’s important for players to get their message out to the public.
Cal says on ESPN radio: no disrespect, but coaches who hate social media “know nothing about social media.” You have to manage it, use it.
— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_CJ) February 20, 2014
Calipari says he teaches his players how to use social media for good and to “build your brand.”
— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_CJ) February 20, 2014
Cal on ESPN radio says of social media: “For anybody to say, ‘Don’t do it; you’re crazy,’ I don’t know what you’re saying.”
— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_CJ) February 20, 2014
I’m going to have to side with Calipari on this one. Like everything else in the world social media has its pros and cons. Depending on how you use it, social media can be a very great tool to build your brand. It also teaches players how to deal with being in the spotlight before they get to the NBA.
What do you think? Is social media just a waste of time like Pitino says or do you agree with Calipari that it can be a positive tool?
