While my fascination with Twitter.com has flattened out, there’s one area of the site, at least as it pertains to sports, that continues to intrigue me. If you follow numerous, almost famous NBA and NFL players, it’s hard not to notice that many of these athletes are using the site almost solely as a tool to meet women. (And if single, not a damn thing wrong with that.)
(Resident literalists: Not a ‘groupie’ in question)
That’s not to say that those athletes are seeking out random, attractive females on Twitter. What’s fueling the phenomena is that groupies, for the first time as far as I can tell, groupies have direct access to dozens of professional athletes across the country without ever leaving their kitchen table. Groupies who include the garden-variety hip-hop “video vixens” and, in some cases I’ve seen, baby mamas estranged from other athletes.
In the past, that group of women was limited to stationing themselves at games and hotel lobbies in their hometowns with no guarantee of meeting anyone - let alone their favorite player. Twitter has completely changed that. Now they can get their Travelocity on with countless ballers after a well-placed Tweet or three.
What’s also interesting is that many of the meetings between groupies and athletes on Twitter don’t involve direct messages - though the service is often readily available. The vetting process by the athletes, while usually not altogether obvious, is oftentimes out there for everyone to see.
If you’re wondering about that lack of privacy, you can officially count yourself out of a reality show/Facebook generation that has spawned wide open online correspondence. Most Internet babies don’t email or direct message. Their correspondence goes up on the “Wall” of the recipient for all of his/her 743 friends to see. There’s of course exceptions to this, but thanks to social networking, discretion is now the exception.
Chronicling many of these athlete-groupie correspondences are various urban blogs and message boards. Some of the posters and commenters on those sites are obsessed with tracking the movement of groupies - especially if they’ve been linked to married players. Many entries are astonishing in their accuracy and detail, so much so that it’s reasonable to believe that groupies themselves are posting them.
For example, last month a notorious groupie from a southern NBA city was flown into another southern NBA city by a married NBA player for an apparent hookup. The groupie, on her Twitter account, actually noted her movements throughout the time she was with the athlete, enraging scores of message board commentators. (Reax is equal part outrage, amusment.)
If you investigated that particular situation closely enough, including following Tweets from the athlete himself, you could plainly see what was going on. Though between the two people involved, the tryst was obviously left unsaid on their respective Twitter accounts. Safe to say the player’s wife either isn’t on Twitter, isn’t paying intention, doesn’t care or for some reason puts up with her husband’s affairs.
I’ve often been tempted to post about these situations, at least as it pertains to married athletes, but I’ve held back for a lack of smoking gun evidence.
For those of you who are still skeptical about all of this, consider that there are countless message boards, and in some cases, blogs, chronicling these activitives right now. Those forums contain the names of the athletes involved, along with their groupie “jumpoffs“.
Many of those message boards are well-known enough to have been mentioned in divorce proceeding documents and restraining orders involving current and ex-athletes.
Point is, if none of what I’m noting was true, those message boards and blogs would’ve been sued into the stone age by now.
Understandt that NFL and NBA superstars aren’t engaging in this sort of thing, for obvious reasons. They’d never be able to get away with it because of the media and/or their followers snitching on them. It’s the almost famous guy who is cleaning up with the groupies.
Finally, to clarify on why I haven’t posted on this stuff - yet: If I’m going to out a married, celebrity athlete in an extramarital affair, I’m damn well going to have some smoking gun evidence. If the hookup involves a single athlete that doesn’t involve criminal conduct or downright bizarre behavior, then I think dude has every right to his privacy.
Like we’ve seen with Myspace, Facebook and now Twitter, all online social networking trends slow down eventually. Eventually a fairly famous married athlete or three will get caught cheating, with Twitter cited as evidence. When that happens, and it will, athlete jumpoffs will have to locate another launch pad.
3:30 pm on March 28th, 2010
This is a great article, Brooks. You did a great job covering Tiger’s fall from grace, and I’m amazed that athletes just haven’t gotten the message about social media yet. Are MLB and the NFL warning rookies about the risks in the usual pre-season workshops? If not, there’s a car wreck just waiting to happen. Come to think of it, I wonder what NASCAR is telling its drivers…
4:30 pm on March 28th, 2010
To say sex goes on off-the-camera with professional sports is quite an understatement
I am very good friends with a current MLB pitcher that has pitched for a few MLB teams (and has a WS ring) and to hear him tell some stories….is shocking even to someone like me who should not be shocked as I thought I had heard it all
It is unbelievable what married and single prof players will do for some booty
6:46 pm on March 28th, 2010
Is the purpose of the media to protect wives from their cheating husbands?I am just curious about the statement that it is all right to sleep w groupies if you are single, but if you are married the media needs to out you. Women have different reasons for staying married and I would have to assume that wives are aware of the behavior. So, I am just trying to figure out who is being protected from the cheating spouse? I am truly uncomfortable with the idea of a “morality police force”.
6:49 pm on March 28th, 2010
One of the best real talk pieces I’ve seen in a long time.
7:49 pm on March 28th, 2010
brooks has been rumored to use this site for coded messages to get tee times…free cookies and an appointment with jim nantz tailor…
6:47 am on March 29th, 2010
I heard that Reggie Bush and Jessie James both used Twitter to set up their other ho’s…check it out Brooks…where’s the Reggie coverage??
8:01 am on March 29th, 2010
Links or it didn’t happen
9:35 am on March 29th, 2010
“It is unbelievable what married and single prof players will do for some booty” - Terry is right. As a Canadian I have hockey stories galore. I’m going with the ‘wives put up with this cheating behaviour’ because they can’t be that stupid to not know about lurking puck sluts.
12:06 pm on March 29th, 2010
I am shocked to learn that the media’s role is that of Morality Police. Do you really think it’s your role as a reporter to out any individula? If so, please get a real job!
12:22 pm on March 29th, 2010
I’m a little unclear why a single guy has a right to privacy and a married guy does not. Whether or not a “wife” is involved seems arbitrary. How about a guy with a live-in GF and kids or a married guy separated from wife, where is the magical privacy line?
My point not that married celebs should be given privacy. The point is that wherever you place the bar above which one is considered a public figure and worthy of reporting, should have nothing to do with marital status.
Right or wrong, athletes have become celebrities, which means that the public like reading their gossip. The general interest in celebs is why they make loads of cash (generally). It’s a devils bargain, but should have little to nothing to do with marital status. Married, single gay, whatever, if someone is considered a celebrity, the loss of privacy should be the same.
12:25 pm on March 29th, 2010
Not necessarily the media’s “job” to out anyone. It’s media’s job to report “news”. For the media “news” is what will attract an audience and therefore sell advertising. Therefore, famous people engaging in acts that might be considered “news” will likely be outed and so may need to consider whether they want their news to be good news or bad news.
1:21 pm on March 29th, 2010
It’s no one’s place to do any coverage on anyone regarding their fall from grace or their own personal life. Besides being a celebrity - they are all “human beings”. nothing more. THe media/ country has gotten too nosy, too concerned, too involved in other folks life that they dont have any sense about what is good and right for their own self. It is truly stated. Stop worrying about the toothpick in someone else’s eye when you have a toothpick in your own eye.
Less gossip will make the world a much better place - rather than looking to compare ourselves to someone.
As for the groupies… are there male groupies as well ??? or are guys assumed to be stalkers if they persue (gals) girls/ ladies / women that are worth the time. If grown folk dont’ know by the time they graduate H.S. if it’s appropriate or not. All we’re dealing w/ is just a immature person that hasn’t grown up.
1:56 pm on March 29th, 2010
You can’t take a person with terrible morals, give them fame for playing a sport, WAY too much money for what they do by providing entertainment and expect them to act any different than they used to. You can take people out of their upbringing, but you can’t take the upbringing out of the people. Viewers are stupid for paying to see these morons play a game. No matter what game it is.
2:02 pm on March 29th, 2010
I luv me some head!
3:42 pm on March 29th, 2010
You haven’t outed anyone “yet”? I didn’t know it was your job to “out” anyone in the first place. While I don’t condone Tiger’s infidelity, or that of any other married athlete, it really is no one’s business. They are human beings, they fall prey to lust and desires just like any other man or woman. Just because they play a sport doesn’t mean they all of a sudden become bulletproof. Too many people are trying to be high-and-mighty moralists right now, and it’s a lot of bulls**t. The same people acting so appalled at Tiger, they’ve cheated or lied to someone they love at some point.
You, or anyone else who wants to “expose” others better be damn sure there’s nothing lurking in the dark themselves.
7:48 am on March 30th, 2010
It gets really interesting when you start looking into baby momma rings - Antonio Cromartie may have stepped into one of them.
The groupies get together and ponder their ovulation schedule, nail an athlete and then get the 18-year cash flow that comes with child support.
Pool that cash and you can buy yourself quite the spread. 5 women getting 3 grand per month per child can pool at least 15,000 a month.
That’s a nice, albeit morally reprehensible, living.
9:42 pm on April 3rd, 2010
“Like we’ve seen with Myspace, Facebook and now Twitter, all online social networking trends slow down eventually”…
Facebook surpassed Google as the most-trafficked website in the U.S. last month.
2:44 am on June 30th, 2010
Does anyone out there know if Coach Pete Carroll is now divorced? My husband has read he is after a nasty divorce but then you read an article and it talks about a wife. Since Pete has been married why has he never wore a wedding ring? Friends telll me that he left LA and took girlfriend and a baby with him to Seattle. So someone please answer my question is Pete Carroll now divorced? Thank you!
1:07 pm on April 11th, 2011
Very on point article. How do I know? I am a woman who has been hooking up w/ a prominent NFL player that I met thru twitter. Because of this I know this a HUGE story if someone could undercover whats really going on..I can hardly believe it myself and I am living it. I will never expose the player because I respect him too much and respect his right to privacy, but let’s just say he is very well known, not a lower level player - top 5 in the league in his position, pro-bowler, etc.
Out of respect for him, I will not state his marital status, but I am married. This is why I will never expose this. But the author of this article is right - twitter is a totally new phenomemon which has put fans directly in contact with the players in a way which never would have happened in the past. I would have never met this player if not for twitter.
And no, I am not what one would deem a typical “groupie”, I have never sought out to meet a player, I am a professional with an advanced degree, have a great career, I just really love football, and in particular really supported this player. The only reason I started using twitter was because so many of the players from my favorite team were on it, and then I realized it was a great forum for me to correspond with fellow fans of my team.
We corresponded thru DMs for about 6 months before anything became sexual. (This player is way too smart than to post tweets that all could read. In fact, if he had, I would have never responded because discretion is key for me) I honestly had no intention for this to happen at all, but I take full responsibility for my actions.
Just wanted to encourage the author of this article - you are on the right track to expose a great story, if you can find someone (a professional groupie with nothing to lose? lol) to verify it for you on the record. Good luck - the story is definitely there!!
4:19 am on April 27th, 2011
Just wanted to encourage the author of this article - you are on the right track to expose a great story, if you can find someone (a professional groupie with nothing to lose? lol) to verify it for you on the record. Good luck - the story is definitely there!!