‘Fans and Brands Want to See the Real People’: How Athletes Handle Social Media. The story was beautifully written and made me wonder why I’d never seen a piece from this apparently multi-talented athlete before. Later that day, I ran into the story’s editor and asked about the revision process. Athletes—who have dedicated their lives to their sport of choice, not writing—often rely on behind-the-scenes help when it comes to public communications. Social media accounts are no different. When he’s not working as a social strategist for ad agency Wieden+Kennedy, Tovar runs the social accounts for Brice Johnson of the Los Angeles Clippers and Joel James of the Kumamoto Volters (a team in Japan’s National Basketball League). (Tovar and James even lived together their senior year.) “In my perspective, fans and brands want to see the real people, so it’s not a good thing to always have these perfect little posts,” Tovar said. (The NBA also prohibits players from using social media during games.) Besides having to adapt to the time zones of his globe-trotting friends, James’ move to Japan presented its own set of cultural and communicative challenges.
When I was an intern at Sports Illustrated, the magazine ran an op-ed by a professional basketball player on my hometown team. The story was beautifully written and made me wonder why I’d never seen a piece from this apparently multi-talented athlete before. Later that day, I ran into the story’s editor and asked about the revision process.
“Nothing against the writing, but what was published was pretty different from the first draft,” he told me. “We always have a heavy hand when it’s coming from a non-journalist.”
I learned a lesson that afternoon about how the world works. Athletes—who have dedicated their lives to their sport of choice, not writing—often rely on behind-the-scenes help when it comes to public communications. If you see your favorite athlete or celebrity’s byline on a surprisingly eloquent piece, well, there’s probably a reason why it’s so well-written.
Social media accounts are no different. Having an adviser on the dos and don’ts of Twitter or Facebook is essential, especially when any misstep can instantly go viral. (Yes, those are all separate links. And no, I didn’t forget about J.R. Smith.)
For Carlos Tovar, a 23-year-old who resides in Brooklyn, helping athletes shape their social media personas has become an unusual freelance gig. When he’s not working as a social strategist for ad agency Wieden+Kennedy, Tovar runs the social accounts for Brice Johnson of the Los Angeles Clippers and Joel James of the Kumamoto Volters (a team in Japan’s National Basketball League).
The three met freshman year at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and stayed close throughout college. (Tovar and James even lived together their senior year.) As the two hoop stars grew their social followings, Tovar began offering guidance on the intricate and often unsaid rules of social media.
“I’ve always enjoyed social media, and once they realized I’d be working in the field, it kind of clicked for them,” Tovar said. “They came to me and asked…
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