B.C. athletes' behaviour slammed on social media

Clayton Stoner has been the subject of much online and social media backlash after an online video of him with a grizzly bear kill came to light. 

But it's hardly the first time — or the last — a celebrity's questionable behaviour has been slammed in the court of public opinion.

"It's almost like they think it's not going to happen to them ... it's part ignorance [of how social media works] and part confidence that comes with being an athlete," says Jimmy Sanderson, a sports and social media researcher at Clemson University in South Carolina. 

B.C. athletes and their social media gaffes

Just weeks after Stoner's videos came to light, then-Vancouver Canucks player David Booth upset many animal lovers when he tweeted a photo of him in 2013 holding up two dead racoons with the comment "It's like getting both assists on the game winner. #raccoonkabob."

Defensive lineman Khalif Mitchell came under fire when he was playing for the BC Lions back in 2012 for a tweet during the U.S. presidential debate, saying Barack Obama and Mitt Romney hide money with the ch--k, a derogatory word for Chinese people. 

Mitchell made things worse for himself when he revealed he didn't realize the word was racist. "It's a fact statement not a derailing of the Chinese," he tweeted. 

He was also fined undisclosed amounts by the Canadian Football League and the Montreal Alouettes for inappropriate posts on Twitter, including a link to a Holocaust-denial video earlier this year. 

Winnipeg Jets forward Evander Kane, originally from B.C., drew plenty of online backlash after he posted a photo of him in Vegas with a money phone.

And he wasn't afraid to reference it again by posting another Instagram photo of him doing pushups with a large wad of cash on his back. 

And lest we forget, the Canucks came under fire when they first tweeted a photo of players building a camp fire as a team building exercise despite the province being under a strict campfire ban. 

The team then tweeted out a photo just days later of Canucks prospects using a water hose to knock down wooden pegs — at the same time much of B.C. was under water restrictions.

Fans were less than impressed, as these tweets came at a time when the province was going through its hottest, driest spell in more than a decade.

The team's CEO Trevor Linden apologized for both tweets, saying they were poorly timed. 

Ramifications

CBC contacted the Lions, NHL, CFL and Canucks to find out if they have a social media policy for their teams and players, but did not hear back. 

The Whitecaps says it provides social media training at the start of every season for its players and says the club views social media as a "fantastic medium" to engage with fans.

"We encourage our players to be themselves and have fun," said a spokesman in an email. "Positive messages towards fans and teammates are encouraged. The biggest message is to always have respect for others."

Sanderson, who closely studies sports and athletes in the U.S., says most leagues and clubs do not have official social media policies, and when they do, it generally features rules such as not tweeting anything about the club's business and how close to game time players are allowed to tweet.

"If it's an inappropriate photo, the fans might let it slide," he said. "But when they [the athletes] say something controversial that is social commentary or political commentary, that's when it can have an impact."

Pittsburgh Steelers' Rashard Mendenhall lost his endorsement deal with Champion when he expressed uncertainty over official accounts of what happened on 9/11 and the celebration of Osama Bin Laden's death.

Athletes have to be aware of the social climate of the place and brand they represent, he says. 

"Examples like this speak to the need for social media training. If it's embarrassing for the brand. You can be sure there will be some pushback — and not just from fans."