Throughout any given season, college athletes endure an immense amount of pressure. Coaches, players and parents all influence the stress of an athlete. However one not usually considered is the pressure presented by fans.
An influx of users on platforms such as Twitter and Instagram has significantly increased targeting of college athletes, especially for large and well known programs. The spike in cruel speech towards college athletes exists mostly in men’s sports, mainly basketball and football.
A local example of such actions remain very prominent in Iowa City, as quarterback for the Iowa Hawkeyes, Spencer Petras, is slandered on social media with disrespectful comments surrounding his slacking play.
Tweets appear on a daily basis, attacking Petras when his play is sub-par. With a recent shoulder injury, the flow of negative comments seems higher than ever. Lots of athletes like to believe that negative comments don’t affect their play, but for athletes like Petras, fans can see that words do have an impact.
Rusty VanWetzinga is a senior at PVHS. With immense talent in the game of football, VanWetzinga receives lots of criticism on twitter before or after games. High school Barstool accounts, similar to college Barstool accounts, enjoy posting negative comments to belittle their competitors. VanWetzinga has been a target of these tweets countless times.
He states, “I never respond to anything online. People are keyboard warriors these days and arguments get nowhere when debating over a screen.” VanWetzinga insists that the negative comments don’t get to him. Users will say whatever they wish in order to make themselves feel empowered.
“When I do get chirped at (on twitter) I make a mental note of it. I make sure they won’t have any fun playing against my team or I, especially in football where I get to physically hit someone for four quarters. The comments most definitely motivate me to bring my A game every time.”
The way athletes respond to negative comments tells a lot about their character. Letting the words affect them shows signs of weakness and signals a lack of confidence. Athletes like VanWetzinga who use negativity as motivation are much more likely to persevere through challenges on the field. Being able to battle the mental side of a sport is just as difficult as performing physically.
