Sideline tweets: Pro tweeters connect with amateur fans

Daniel J. Cook, commentary

Mock it all you like, but Twitter is here to stay. Personally, I’ve loved it since the day I signed up, and 1,953 tweets later, I don’t see this relationship ending anytime soon.  The biggest argument against it is, “No one cares what you are doing”; but my 75 followers and counting would beg to differ. But for the most part, they’re right, no one cares what I’m doing. But millions of fans do care about athletes like Shaquille O’Neal (a.k.a. @THE_REAL_SHAQ), Charlie Villanueva (@CV31), and Jozy Altidore (@JozyAltidore17).

The 140 character-limit is slightly more than the average sentence contains, so it doesn’t take a lot of effort to get one’s point across. There is a tweeter out there for everyone. Whether you care about breaking news, secret sales, or new music being released today, no one is excluded for lack of interest.

Where I get the majority of my pleasure from does not come from commenting on a professor’s recent lecture, but rather hearing from NBA All-Star Kevin Durant (@KevinDurant35) about what it was like to play against a rejuvenated Tracy McGrady. Athletes hate talking to media people who notoriously misquote them, but Twitter gives athletes the opportunity to say what they want, how they want. Good or bad.

The Durant example was good. Anything Shaq, Dwight Howard, or Steve Nash tweets is good. However, there is a dark side to all of this. During the last off-season, the Minnesota Timberwolves fired then head coach Kevin McHale behind closed doors and planned to hold a press conference about it days later. Rookie forward Kevin Love didn’t know that.

“Today is a sad day … Kevin McHale will NOT be back as head coach this season,” Love tweeted.

Love was fined a small amount for “conduct detrimental to the team,” and has since stopped tweeting.

Though that was an unfortunate incident, more good comes from the little blue bird then does bad. Of the 22 athletes that I follow on Twitter, 11 of them wear a Vanguard uniform. Since I didn’t discuss this article with any of them I won’t mention their names, but thanks to them keeping up with scores, injuries, and game times is significantly easier. Not to mention that having some of this inside knowledge makes watching their games that much more entertaining.

Fans love getting as close to their sports idols as possible, and Twitter allows this to happen, at a safe distance. Just the other night I got to see what Ochocinco was eating for dinner. I didn’t really care, but athletes somehow always get built up to be some sort of super human race that doesn’t eat normal food. Let me tell you, Ochocinco eats McDonalds and loves it, and there is nothing more normal than that.

Twitter allows athletes to connect with their fans without really having to do anything about it. Kevin Durant will occasionally give away gift boxes, which is awesome, and guys like Chris Bosh will take and answer fan questions. What it comes down to the fans getting the “intimate” relationship they crave, while protecting the athletes from the crazies.

I’m a believer, and as long as there is even a possibility that Dwight Howard will talk to me, 140 characters or less, I’m going to keep coming back. Terrell Owens mentioned me (@SportsManDC) last year, why would I stop now?

Nonprofit pairs with Reef to sell Ugandal

Hannah Petrak, editor in chief

31 Bits, a nonprofit organization made up of five alumnae, has partnered with the shoe company Reef to produce a sandal that shows off their individually unique beads normally strung on necklaces and bracelets.

The nonprofit started in 2008 when Alli Swanson, Jessie Simonson, Anna Nelson, Kallie Dovel, and Brooke Hodges saw an opportunity to help women in Uganda support themselves through careful rolling of recycled paper. 

Before 31 Bits, the women would make the beads but leave them in their huts with no chance to make a profit. Now, they are made into jewelry and then sold in the U.S. 

Just over a year ago, when the business was still sprouting and only employed six struggling women, Swanson’s mother happened to be wearing one of the colorful necklaces at the right time.

Swanson’s father is involved in the surfing industry and was having Brianna Brownley, the lead designer from Reef, over for dinner when Brownley noticed the necklace and had an idea. 

After 31 Bits’ first business meeting and then looking forward to the mountain of production ahead, the two companies agreed on a contract and now are ready to sell the “Ugandal” for $58 at Jack’s Surf Shop, Surfside and on the Reef Web site.

While 31 Bits’ main purpose is to help the women support and set goals for themselves, the shoe company has never lost sight of the original aim.

“It’s cool because Reef makes it all about our ladies,” Simonson said.  

The number of women has since grown to 35 and, after all of their hard work, each is receiving a pair of the sandals. 

While the beads do not make up a majority of the shoe, the rest of the material is also made from sustainable materials and manufactured in a Brazilian factory with strict humanitarian standards.

“Not only is it good for the environment, but it’s also good for the ladies,” Swanson said. “It’s a very green shoe.” 

To receive updates on the Ugandal launch parties and other information, become friends with 31 Bits Designs on Facebook and visit www.31bits.com.