West Brom boss Sam Allardyce sounds a social media warning
Albion boss Sam Allardyce has advised footballers to weigh up the pros and cons of being on social media.
Online abuse towards footballers up and down the country has risen drastically in recent years due to trolls, many of whom hide behind anonymous accounts.
Allardyce thinks social media can be a great tool for connecting with people and supporters. But he thinks players should think carefully about putting themselves out there due to online abuse.
“I am not a social media person,” Allardyce said.
“More and more oldies like me are on social media and I gave it a try about 10 years ago.
“It can be a great thing if you enjoy doing it – in terms of who you can contact via Facebook and Twitter, people you haven’t spoken to for years and years and years.
“But when it comes to the other side of it – the abuse – whether that is abuse directed towards anybody or racial abuse, it is just unacceptable.
“I decided to come off it. I don’t entertain it whatsoever.
“Now the abuse seems to be escalating once again and the crime of what they are doing – I don’t think the punishment is big enough.
“I’d like to see it controlled better and where the punishment suits the crime which is not the case at the moment.
“I think social media can be very, very, good but I also think it can be very, very, dangerous.
“So as an individual you have to make a decision does the beauty of using social media outweigh the abuse you get. That is a decision for you to take. But when it comes to abuse, the punishment must be worse than it is at the moment.”
