B.C. athletes' behaviour slammed on social media

Clayton Stoner has been the subject of much online and social media backlash after an online video of himwith a grizzly bear kill came to light.

But it's hardly the first time or the lasta celebrity's questionable behaviour has been slammed in the court of public opinion.

"It's almost like they think it's not going to happen to them ... it's part ignorance [of how social media works] and part confidence that comes with being an athlete," says Jimmy Sanderson, a sports and social media researcher at Clemson University in South Carolina.

B.C. athletes and their social media gaffes

Just weeksafterStoner's videos came to light,then-Vancouver Canucks playerDavid Booth upset many animal loverswhen he tweeted a photo of him in 2013 holding up two dead racoons with the comment "It's like getting both assists on the game winner. #raccoonkabob."

Defensive lineman Khalif Mitchell came under fire when he was playing for the BC Lions back in 2012 for atweet during the U.S. presidential debate, saying BarackObama and Mitt Romneyhide money with the ch--k,a derogatory word for Chinese people.

Mitchell made things worse for himself when he revealedhe didn't realize the word was racist."It's a fact statement not a derailing of the Chinese," he tweeted.

He was alsofined undisclosed amounts by the Canadian Football League and the Montreal Alouettes for inappropriate posts onTwitter, including a link to a Holocaust-denial videoearlier this year.

Winnipeg Jets forward Evander Kane, originally from B.C., drew plenty of online backlash after heposted a photo of him in Vegas with a money phone.

And he wasn't afraid to reference it again by posting another Instagram photo of him doing pushups with a large wad of cash on his back.

And lest we forget, theCanucks came under fire when theyfirst tweeted a photoofplayers building a campfire as a team building exercise despite the province being under a strict campfire ban.

The team then tweeted out a photo just days laterofCanucksprospects using a water hose to knock down wooden pegs at the same time much of B.C. was under water restrictions.

Fans were less than impressed,as these tweets came at atime when the province wasgoing through itshottest, driest spell in more than a decade.

The team's CEO Trevor Linden apologized for both tweets, saying they were poorly timed.

Ramifications

CBC contacted the Lions, NHL, CFL and Canucks to find out if they have a social media policy for their teams and players, but did not hear back.

The Whitecaps says it provides social media training at the start of every season for its players and says the club views social media as a "fantastic medium" to engage with fans.

"We encourage our players to be themselves and have fun," said a spokesman in an email. "Positive messages towards fans and teammates are encouraged. The biggest message is to always have respectfor others."

Sanderson, who closely studies sports and athletes in the U.S., says most leagues and clubs do not have official social media policies, and when they do, it generally features rules such as not tweeting anything about the club's business andhow close to game timeplayers are allowed to tweet.

"If it's an inappropriate photo, the fans might let itslide," he said. "But when they [the athletes] say something controversial that is social commentary or political commentary, that's when it can have an impact."

Pittsburgh Steelers'Rashard Mendenhall lost his endorsement dealwith Champion when heexpressed uncertainty over official accounts of what happened on 9/11and the celebration of Osama Bin Laden's death.

Athletes have to be aware of the social climate of the place and brand they represent, he says.

"Examples like this speak to the need forsocial media training. If it's embarrassing for the brand.You can be sure there will be some pushback and not just from fans."