Todd Gurley Suspension: How social media is working to #FreeGurley

Can social media do anything to help suspended Georgia running back Todd Gurley?

Social media and sports go together like peas and carrots. Both strengthen the user experience whether you are at a sporting event or at home on the couch.

Recently, the power of social media in the sports world was quite evident.

The University of Georgia indefinitely suspended their Heisman Trophy candidate and star running back Todd Gurley for allegedly taking money for autographs. What ensued over the next several days was madness on social media.

Social media has power. It has helped to take down governments, make political campaigns or break them, and even forced companies’ hands at time. This is a power that shouldn’t be taken likely. It’s the world coming together for a cause – whether good or bad.

As of writing this, there has been no decision made on the reinstatement of Todd Gurley, but what has transpired over the past several days, mainly on Twitter, is something to take note of.

Because of the power of social media…

• The hashtag #FreeGurley has been trending off and on worldwide. As soon as the news hit on Thursday, October 9, University of Georgia fans, supporters and players started including this hashtag with their tweets. At one point, #FreeGurley was trending higher than the Nobel Peace Prize. Also throughout the weekend, #BryanAllen and #3sup were trending as well (Allen is the person who ratted Gurley out and 3 is Gurley’s number).

• The issue of paying college players has been reignited. You have news outlets and sports pundits all over the country sharing their opinion via social media, so much so that now the NCAA has got to take a look.

• The man who ratted out Todd Gurley has been found out, located and has since gone into hiding. Thank to the internet, people have been able to discover his identity, find out where he lives, find his phone number and publish it all over Twitter. He’s since hired an attorney. People need to understand you can no longer hide.

• The college sports world & all fans are uniting in support. Players, both former and current are tweeting their support of Todd Gurley. Most are in favor of players receiving payment from schools using their likeness. Even celebrities are getting on the support. Johnny Manziel, who was suspended half of a game last year for the same alleged offense, shared his support as well.

and lastly,

• Once again we see how social media can take something and spread it like wildfire. It can be good or it can be bad, but if enough people get behind it, we all better be ready.

Will any of this makes a difference? Maybe. Maybe not. It doesn’t matter if it does because the sports world has now seen how rabid fans can get over something happening to their favorite team.

What are your thoughts?