Views from the Loon: Tweets from the Dallas Cowboys crypt

If you don’t know what Twitter is, then you must be living in a van down by the river.  Much like Friendster, MySpace, Facebook, and now, Twitter, it’s the newest social media fascination. osupride97  joined the craze in early 2009, but didn’t tweet like a mad-woman until April 2010…..I’m up to 705 tweets as of this moment!   While Twitter is not evil per se, this cautionary tale about a young maiden may act as a warning call to all Dallas Cowboy tweeters.

During the 2011 Thanksgiving game, the Dallas Cowboys took on, and beat, the Miami Dolphins in the annual classic.   Jason Witten, unWittingly, crashed into Melissa Kellerman, Cowboy Cheerleader.  Read about what happened HERE or THERE.

Young Melissa innocently tweeted her thoughts, but apparently those thoughts got her into serious trouble with the controllers-of-all-things-Cowboy.  Her twitter account quickly disappeared.  Was tweeting about a Dallas Cowboy a no-no?  Why was she the sacrificial lamb when so many others tweet their every emotion/feeling/agitation and much worse?  Many athletes tweet their personal thoughts, without stopping to think how it might be perceived by the public.  I dare say that our fair lady did nothing to warrant such a harsh penalty, but someone had to be the casualty.

There are over 140 million users who generate 340 million tweets per day.  That’s a lot of chirping going on.   Athletes from every sport are using Twitter to communicate with their fans.  With the increase, however, they have been known to get fined and/or suspended for tweeting.  In 2009, the NFL allowed players, coaches, and team personnel to use Twitter during the season.  The players cannot tweet during games, and now, they will not be allowed to tweet or update profiles 90 minutes before a game and until post-game interviews are completed.  Fans love following our favorite Cowboys; knowing their every move.  Could it be any worse than stalking outside their homes?  Now you can not only follow them home, but you can follow them to Taco Bell or the movie theater.

With the bad already stated, Twitter is a great way for athletes to connect with their fans.  It makes us feel that they are really just like us, at the end of the day.  The number of Dallas Cowboys who use Twitter – 29, more than half of the roster.  Here’s a small list of former/current Cowboys who have accounts:

• Troy Aikman – 726k followers
• Michael Irvin – 68k followers
• Emmitt Smith – 127k followers
• Dez Bryant – 207k followers
• DeMarcus Ware – 75k followers
• Miles Austin – 177k followers
• Dan Bailey – 14k followers
• Raymond Radway – just over 1k followers
• DeMarco Murray – 94k followers
• Jason Witten – 128k followers

Troy Aikman and Dez Bryant are the most popular Cowboys, but even old Troy has a bit of catching up to do to Tim Tebow.  He’s got a whopping 1.5 million followers.  I wonder if Jesus would have that many!

Most of the tweets you see everyday are pretty much babbling, rambling, self-promoting conversation.  Once in a blue moon, you read something profound, and I knew Tony Romo’s wife was in labor due to our own CowgirlCas’s tweet April 9th.

"DCFanatic ‏ @DCFanaticsBlogTony Romo’s wife going into labor right now!!!Retweeted by CowgirlCas"

Twitter is a time-suck and another passing fancy, but if you don’t have a Twitter account, study the Twictionary, then join the other 140 million of us who are part of an elite bunch.  As for our Cowboy cheerleader, she re-activated her account, but it is now private for only approved eyes to see.  Let this be a warning to all Twittering Dallas Cowboys – be very careful, we are ALL watching you.

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