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Twitter Investigations

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Twitter Investigations
Jun 27, 2018; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Josh Hader (71) walks off the mound after pitching in the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Miller Park. Photo: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

By Fred Cromartie, Ed.D. |

By now fans of Major League Baseball (MLB) and those who simply follow the game have heard all about the young Twitter antics of Josh Hader, pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers. I’m not here to rehash what he did and said on his Twitter account as a teenager.

But, there is a serious lack of serious investigative work on the part of Major League Baseball and the Milwaukee Brewers. When teams decide that they are going to engage in the process of drafting a talented young player they are now going to have to add another aspect to the investigative aspects of finding out all information regarding potential prospects. They are going to want to identify the social media imprint for all that have an established social media platform and usage, meaning all social media platforms. They might even go as far as establishing a social media policy league wide for future MLB prospects.

The MLB currently has a social media policy for active 40-man roster players and that policy was developed in conjunction with the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA).

With social media being in the public domain it is imperative and critical for teams to do all that they can to investigate social media for the generation of players that were accustomed to using social media long before their MLB career. Being aware of a prospect’s Twitter postings can go a long way in making the decision to draft him and dealing with a public relations nightmare such as what occurred the evening of the All-Star Game earlier this month.

Josh Hader apologized for what he said on Twitter, saying “I was young and stupid.” The MLB and MLBPA need to hear clearly what Josh said and not continue to be old and out of touch.

The message sent for MLB can and should be considered by all major sports leagues.

The following sources contributed to the writing of this piece.

https://thebiglead.com/2018/07/18/josh-hader-twitter-racist-homophobic/

https://deadspin.com/giving-a-guy-who-was-racist-online-a-standing-ovation-t-1827785357

Dr. Fred Cromartie is the Director of Doctoral Studies at the United States Sports Academy.

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