Message Boards

[bball_backer]

After having a couple topics locked tonight out of "respect to families," I started thinking. Do you really think players parents get info from message boards? Obviously different people are, well, different. However, most college aged kids I know would definitely call their parents relatively quickly if they had something as disappointing as a season-ending injury happen to them. I'm guessing that as well as talking to players about the internet, coaches or schools also inform the parents that a lot will be said on the internet and that rumors will run rampant, so keep in touch with your kid and ignore what is said online.

Am I way off? Do parents these days follow their kids through online message boards?

[deedsker15]

don't know but my thoughts exactly

[bball_backer]

also, it's not like their kid has died... he got hurt. it happens. would it really be so terrible for a parent to find out from a stranger that their kid hurt his leg but will still live a healthy life?

[HuskerNMO]

Are you a parent? If I found out via the internet that my kid was hurt before he, or the staff called I would NOT be happy.

[bball_backer]

Are you a parent? If I found out via the internet that my kid was hurt before he, or the staff called I would NOT be happy.

 

i could understand being worried and trying to contact your kid if you read something like that online. but if you just flat out believed it and became upset, maybe you should stay off message boards. should we lock all topics that rip on a player or coach for something they did in a game? out of respect to the family, maybe we should not allow any kind of talk other than compliments.

[HuskerinLibertyMO]

also, it's not like their kid has died... he got hurt. it happens. would it really be so terrible for a parent to find out from a stranger that their kid hurt his leg but will still live a healthy life?

 

Seriously? You must not be a parent. As a parent there's not a day that goes by that you don't worry about your child and to find out that type of information second hand as a rumor before you knew for sure would be less than ideal...to say the least.

[bball_backer]

i'm not callin you out or anything jliehr, but i did just chuckle when i returned to the home page and saw that your status update thing was about blue getting hurt...

[zoogs]

My thought on this is if a kid gets a severe injury, parents would be worried, probably out of their minds. It'd be unfortunate if the info got to them through the grapevine before it came directly from the coaches. It was mentioned on the Rivals board that this had happened before, which is what I based my decision on.

 

Then again, given that the player's name has already cropped up I'm not really sure it's possible to cap discussion and probably the family already knows too. OTOH, before an official announcement is made there's really nothing more to know about the injury, is there? At least, it seems to me as the kind of info that would be up to the player and team to release if they chose to.

 

And it's not that parents follow their kids on message boards (but they might). Put it out there and rumors can travel pretty quickly. My worry is not just information, but misinformation making its way around the grapevine prematurely.

 

That said, I hope you don't feel I'm coming down hard on you for starting that thread. I feel this is a very gray area and I just made a judgment call on that. If another mod disagrees with me, they can reverse it.

 

My initial reaction was to play it safe at the expense of a discussion, but perhaps that wasn't a necessary recourse. I hope that explains why I locked the thread though (it's the only one, right?). And my intention is to open it again once an announcement is made.

[bball_backer]

also, it's not like their kid has died... he got hurt. it happens. would it really be so terrible for a parent to find out from a stranger that their kid hurt his leg but will still live a healthy life?

 

Seriously? You must not be a parent. As a parent there's not a day that goes by that you don't worry about your child and to find out that type of information second hand as a rumor before you knew for sure would be less than ideal...to say the least.

 

then don't read message boards, that's all i'm saying. i don't think i should be unable to talk about the possibility of losing a potential starter just because his parents may be lurking in one of the message boards and their kid isn't considerate enough to call them asap before it gets leaked out, like he knows it will.

[mmmtodd]

maybe parents should lock themselves in a room with a red phone.

[bball_backer]

My thought on this is if a kid gets a severe injury, parents would be worried, probably out of their minds. It'd be unfortunate if the info got to them through the grapevine before it came directly from the coaches. It was mentioned on the Rivals board that this had happened before, which is what I based my decision on.

 

Then again, given that the player's name has already cropped up I'm not really sure it's possible to cap discussion and probably the family already knows too. OTOH, before an official announcement is made there's really nothing more to know about the injury, is there? At least, it seems to me as the kind of info that would be up to the player and team to release if they chose to.

 

And it's not that parents follow their kids on message boards (but they might). Put it out there and rumors can travel pretty quickly. My worry is not just information, but misinformation making its way around the grapevine prematurely.

 

That said, I hope you don't feel I'm coming down hard on you for starting that thread. I feel this is a very gray area and I just made a judgment call on that. If another mod disagrees with me, they can reverse it.

 

My initial reaction was to play it safe at the expense of a discussion, but perhaps that wasn't a necessary recourse. I hope that explains why I locked the thread though (it's the only one, right?). And my intention is to open it again once an announcement is made.

 

it's fine, i understand your decision. i disagree, but i understand, and since you are a mod and i am not, i'll respect your decision. i didn't intend to start a thread bashing on the mods either, i just really wanted to know how other people felt. in general i think you guys do a great job!

[bball_backer]

maybe parents should lock themselves in a room with a red phone.

 

if their kid is a division one athlete at a major program with a rabid fan base and they can't handle rumors/grapevine info, then

[zoogs]

Just because I'm a mod doesn't mean I made the right call, so feedback on this is important. Criticize away if you like! I'm definitely going over whether it was the right call or not and whether, if it happened again in a few days or weeks, whether I'd do the same thing or not. One thing I'll agree with is that by now, the parents probably SHOULD know already. I mean, kid probably has a cell phone. I decided to be on the conservative side of the line with this one, but again, I don't know if either is right or wrong.

 

Thanks for your understanding though.

[n.e.husker]

I guess you never know whos on these boards. Maybe friends of players read on some board that there buddy, whom they grew up with, just suffered a cuncusion and imediatley calls/runs over to that players house to inform parents. Grapevines.

[n.e.husker]

Just because I'm a mod doesn't mean I made the right call, so feedback on this is important. Criticize away if you like! I'm definitely going over whether it was the right call or not and whether, if it happened again in a few days or weeks, whether I'd do the same thing or not. One thing I'll agree with is that by now, the parents probably SHOULD know already. I mean, kid probably has a cell phone. I decided to be on the conservative side of the line with this one, but again, I don't know if either is right or wrong.

 

Thanks for your understanding though.

 

I agree with you Zoogies. Until its put in print from the proper authorities, it should be left alone.