It’s common for professional athletes to synthesize criticism and doubt into motivation. Since the beginning of time, athletes have used the doubt of others to fuel their success. For much of the modern sports era, athletes have used quotes from the media or opposing players and coaches as “bulletin board” material. However, the age of social media has given a loud voice to a slew of new critics – the fans.
Most star athletes understand that harsh criticism from sports fans is the cover charge for fame and fortune. After all, this is the golden age of the internet troll. Everybody knows that the best way to get rid of trolls is by not to feeding them. Kevin Durant just gave Twitter trolls a meal to last a lifetime.
Durant, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, is suspected of attempting to use a secret account to counter-troll critical fans. When Twitter user @ColeCashwell tweeted “…give me one legitimate reason for leaving okc other than getting a championship.”
Durant’s response was much more than he bargained for. Whether by accident or on purpose, Durant responded from his official @KDTrey5 account.
The newly-crowned NBA champion tweeted, “he didn’t like the organization or playing for Billy Donovan. His roster wasn’t that good, it was just him and russ [sic].”
Durant followed up with, “imagine taking russ off that team, see how bad they were. Kd can’t win a championship with those cats [sic].”
The fact that Durant referred to himself in third person, led many to believe he was attempting to reply from a secret account, but forgot to hit the switch button like Ted Cruz. Durant has denied using a second Twitter handle, but admits that he did send the since-deleted tweets.
The Golden State Warriors forward did admit to using two Instagram accounts. So despite his denial, the idea that he uses a secret Twitter account is not far-fetched.
To his credit, Durant eventually fessed up about the tweets’ origin. Many celebrities and public figures claim they were hacked or blame interns for their social media missteps. For once, Durant took the criticism on the chin, apologized and didn’t make any excuses.
“I own up to it. I want to move on from it,” Durant told USA Today’s Sam Amick.
“My peers are going to look at me like an idiot,” he added. “All the jokes – bring ’em. I deserve it.”
Durant apologized to Billy Donovan and the Oklahoma City Thunder for his comments, but the damage is done.
A player who fought through unwarranted criticism for putting himself in the best position to succeed on the basketball court just gave the Twitter trolls unlimited ammunition. Durant’s seeming desire to be loved and respected by all isn’t just unrealistic, it’s a liability.
He admitted that he couldn’t sleep for two days after the incident, and the predictable Twitter roasting, became public. Durant essentially showed everyone that his sensitivity to criticism can be a weakness. Instead of worrying about what us fickle fans think or putting so much energy into clapbacks, Durant should just channel the hate into buckets. He should block shots like the POTUS blocks Twitter users. He should stay focused on winning championships, not Twitter wars.
As a strong advocate for players not needing to “just stick to sports,” I’m not suggesting that Durant should not tweet to or disagree with fans at all. I’m simply pointing out that it’s dangerous to expend so much energy trying to gain universal love and admiration. It’s just not going to happen.
Also, when it comes to defeating online trolls, as they say, “the internet is undefeated.”
Byrd trolls Golovkin
Speaking of trolls, boxing judge Adalaide Byrd trolled the heck out of Gennady Golovkin with her ridiculous 118-110 card in favor of Canelo Alvarez during Saturday’s middleweight championship fight. The fight was fairly close, though a majority of onlookers seem to believe that Golovkin won (this writer included). Somehow, Byrd managed to come up with a completely lopsided score in favor of Alvarez that bewildered everyone.
Judge Dave Moretti scored the bout 115-113 for Golovkin and Don Trella scored it even at 114-114. Both cards were respectable, considering the ebb and flow of the fight. Alvarez controlled the early rounds and came back strong near the end of the fight. Golovkin controlled the middle rounds.
If Alvarez was given the benefit of the doubt in all of the close rounds, the best he should’ve walked away with is a draw. There’s simply no comprehensible way that Alvarez won 10 of the 12 rounds as Byrd scored it.
I’m not sure if Byrd was binge watching Power, setting up her MyPlayer on NBA 2K18 or watching ‘iPhone X vs Note 8’ videos on YouTube, but she certainly wasn’t paying attention to the fight in front of her.
According to The Telegraph, Bob Bennett, the executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission is preparing to give Byrd “a small break.”
“I’m not going to put her right back in,” Bennett said. “She’ll still be in the business, but she needs to catch her breath.”
This isn’t the first time that Byrd has put forth a wildly disputed scorecard. In 2008, she scored the bout between Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe 114-113 for Hopkins despite a clear victory for Calzaghe (who earned a split decision victory).
Byrd was summarily dragged on social media for her atrocious score in last weekend’s bout. Fortunately for her, there are no reports of her going undercover to defend the card. If she wants to outsource the job, I know a guy.
Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @IshmaelSistrunk
