Oh So Now Everyone Respects McDonald's Workers

Professional athletes love the idea of Twitter and blogs to talk to fans because, lets face it, the job of the sports media is to stand on a pedestal and rip the athletes they dislike because they don't act they way reporters think they should appreciate what they have and instead decide to break rules and laws and get preferential treatment.

And some athletes do more than just talk directly to their real fans. Shaquille O'Neal and Ron Artest to name two, give fans who follow them on Twitter free tickets to games and a chance to hang out with them. Cincinnati Bengals Chad Ochocinco hooks his fans up too.

But the past couple of months athletes proved there will always be a need for PR and media relations specialists. The NFL isn't fond of Twitter; they implemented an official NFL Twitter policy. So when Washington Redskins' rookie Robert Henson took to Twitter to call out fans who booed by calling them dimwits who worked 9-5 at McDonald's people weren't happy. And make no mistake, the Mickey D's comment was meant to be an insult.

That was enough to send people into a rage. People like ESPN's Mike Greenberg who cares about the poor souls at fast food restaurants working hard to provide for their families. Greenberg, whose rant has become amusement and is featured on every ESPN page article referencing Twittergate, didn't have an equal rant for Henson's organization when they seemed to have the same lack of empathy for fans struggling in this economy. The Redskins sued fans who could no longer pay for their season ticket plans.

Henson apologized and then went on to delete his Twitter account. Social media is not for the overly emotional who don't have an editor to save them from themselves.

People talk crap about those who work at fast food restaurants; they are the butt of many jokes. People make fun of their hairstyles, mouths, grasp of the English language and their education. And don't let them have to count your change without the register or mess up your order because you really go to town then. But a high-paid professional athlete slights McDonald's workers and folks want to get offended and come to their rescue. I guarantee you 80% of the people ripping into Henson have talked crap about fast food workers.

Does the fact that others do it make Henson's comments appropriate? No, it makes the people who ripped him hypocrites. In the end, Robert Henson joins Serena Williams and Kanye West in the blown out of proportion files.

I love the comment by commenter IrvJoe on ESPN's site about the situation:

Players making comments like this = Arrogant, spoiled, ignorant athletes. Fans making comments like this = Passionate, Caring about their team. Not that Henson was right but fans/media get a lot of leeway when it comes to insulting athletes. And they can get away with insults, harassing their families, racial slurs, who knows what else all because 'they pay the player's salary'

For a moment I had to think if I came up with some fake name because IrvJoe sounds a little too much like me. Since he ended with player salaries I will too. You pay the players' salaries? I know you like to say that and you may even believe it but you don't. A team pay roll could be cut in half and the ticket prices will be the same. Why? Because the players' salaries don't determine the ticket prices, your purchasing history does. Teams charge what fans will pay - no less - and it doesn't matter if the players make $60,000 a year.

Other links:
Fitzgerald has a Twitter problems
Charger fined for tweeting...about team's food
Emotional tweets aside, Packers linebacker Barnett no Twitter quitter