mekka okereke Jan 1, 2023

Question for #BlackMastodon

If I could get some of my pro athlete friends (mostly #NBA, #WNBA, #NFL, #Powerlifting, #MLB, #MLS, #NWSL ) to join Mastodon, what would you want to see / hear from them?

Many avoided Twitter for obvious reasons: "I don't be on Twitter like that. Have fun tho!"

I won't say this question is only for BlackMastodon because everyone is going to answer anyways.

They'd probably be on their own instance to make it easier for other instances to defederate from them

Show threadmekka okereke 

For me, what I do want to hear about is their life outside of sports, off-season workouts, social benefit causes and interests, etc.

I don't mind hearing about self-promotion.

What I don't want to hear about is pushing crypto or NFTs. At all.

Jan 1, 2023 at 9:40pmWeb
Show thread(((Pro-choice Morgana)))Jan 1, 2023
@mekkaokereke This would be an excellent year to not hear anything about crypto and NFT.
Show threadBoredomFestivalJan 1, 2023
@morganarae @mekkaokereke Last year was a great year for that, too, but so is this year
Show threadcourtneyJan 1, 2023
@mekkaokereke *nod* The human things, not the consumer things.
Show threadNot a doctorJan 1, 2023

@mekkaokereke

... or other #Schemes (MLM, etc.)

Show threadTod Hilton Jan 1, 2023
@mekkaokereke I thoroughly enjoy Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's newsletter with his general commentary and wisdom about all aspects of life. He's a perfect example of what I like to hear from celebs.
Show threadTheurv 🏳️‍🌈Jan 1, 2023
@mekkaokereke I think the other thing I’d love to see is making sure their voices are intact so we don’t just hear from leagues and team owners who are much whiter and don’t share the same perspectives on social issues, workers rights, community engagement etc. You need those communications channels in place before anything happens not as a reaction to bad things
Show threadAmelia Bellamy-RoydsJan 2, 2023

@theurv @mekkaokereke This is a good point (about getting player's perspective, not just execs').

It wasn't quite your question, Mekka, but if pro athletes were to join the fediverse, it would be great if it was on a server hosted by the players' associations, rather than the leagues or teams. Still get the verification benefit & discoverability of an official instance, with staff assigned to moderate it & funds to handle scale. But there would clearly be an independence, too.

Show threadmekka okereke Jan 2, 2023
@AmeliaBR @theurv Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. I mean, yeah sure, teams and leagues will eventually be on the Fediverse too. But something more individual focused would be good too.
Show threadLong Truong Jan 2, 2023
@mekkaokereke @AmeliaBR @theurv I just want Kevin Durants burner account to be on the Fediverse.
Show threadTheurv 🏳️‍🌈Jan 2, 2023
@mekkaokereke @AmeliaBR with the amount of corruption and geopolitics of global sports leagues - having players empowered to speak to fans also is a key way to reduce the amount of corruption the league holds by default. And since sport has always had leaders in other issues that’s an area I’d love to see continue both on and offline
Show threadGuillotineJan 2, 2023
@AmeliaBR @theurv @mekkaokereke If the associations can't be bothered, this would be a chance for sports media outlets.
Show threadTheurv 🏳️‍🌈Jan 2, 2023
@Guillotine @AmeliaBR @mekkaokereke or the agencies representing athletes - it’s in their interests to protect branding by having verified channels. And most agents hope to stay with atheletes throughout their career even if they move around teams
Show threadDr. OctothorpeJan 1, 2023
@mekkaokereke I would love to hear from current and former/retired pro athletes about their plans after their playing days end. There’s a gap in mainstream discussion around the reality of what happens afterwards, particularly when plans are derailed by a career ending injury. What post-career training is actually provided for them by the career track/pipeline vs. what advice have they had to solicit via back channels?
Show threadMynameisvuJan 2, 2023
@mekkaokereke I'd love to know more about them outside of their sport. Like that rapid interview KD did was fantastic...
Show threadJosiah MannionJan 5, 2023
@mekkaokereke I mean, I would *love* to see Crystal Dunn coming on here to bang on about social justice issues in athletics and elsewhere.