clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Anthony Davis, Kassim Osgood show us how social media can tell us so much, and so little

Social media has provided all sorts of insight into our favorite professional athletes, while also creating headaches. We take a look at two such instances over the last couple days.

By David Fucillo
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The world of social media really has been both one of the best and one of the worst things for the world. Twitter (and to some extent Instagram) has become the place where news breaks first. Whether it be a free agent signing, or a revolution halfway around the world, news generally breaks on Twitter. It has also allowed people to become more closely connected to famous people. It can remove the media middle man and allow a random person to talk with some of the most well known people of our time.

There are countless examples of fun, random things happening on Twitter. Late last night, Anthony Davis found himself talking with former world heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe. Davis is one of several 49ers who have taken up boxing to help improve themselves. Boxing can be great cardio work, but the hand-eye coordination seems like it can be useful for offensive linemen.

Davis and Bowe had a brief exchange. It's nothing earth shattering, but it's fun seeing this kind of thing.

On the other hand, Twitter has brought its fair share of problems. One of the most notable problems is idiots sending threats at people, and generally thinking they can act disrespectful to people with no repercussions. Given the amount of time I spend on Twitter, this has become fairly familiar to me.

Another area where Twitter creates problems is in context. People send out vague tweets and we're left wondering what they're talking about. People are entitled to say what they want, but it should be no surprise when people start asking questions about vague tweets.

We had such an example yesterday:

That could mean a whole assortment of things. All the responses on Twitter asked him football-specific questions, which should not really be all that surprising. The 49ers have added a lot of depth across the board, and Kassim Osgood faces an incredibly tough challenge. Some will assume this is about football. I personally am not so sure given the random timing of it. The tweet came over the weekend when most players are off doing their own thing before this week's minicamp. Additionally, while the 49ers did sign Blake Costanzo recently, it's been long enough that the timing again would be odd on this tweet.

Of course, I'm also generally a bit more of an optimist by nature, so feel free to take this with a grain of salt. If there is anything to this, we might hear a little bit more during minicamp. For now though, it remains just a vague comment sent out into the ether. It creates drama with fans, but who knows what it really means. It's not a surprise that people on Twitter responded the way they did. We are inherently curious, and I think a lot of people automatically assume anything vague must be about football.

Next Up In San Francisco 49ers News