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When pressure builds, what do you tweet?

Running through my various lists of San Diego Sports Tweeps today, I came across this tweet from Bill Johnston, the PR Director for the San Diego Chargers.

Saying there's pressure on team to have great draft seems ridiculous considering we won't know results until year(s) down the road.

— Bill Johnston (@ChargersPRguy) April 25, 2012

I was a little surprised to see the PR Director tweet something so negative.  Ridiculous?  How is pressure for a great draft ridiculous? Or is it the fans who are ridiculous for putting the pressure on the team?  I felt compelled to point this out to him. You can see here my response and his “save.”

@ChargersPRguy Ridiculous or just fanatical enthusiasm for a great @Chargers team/season in 2012? Fans can hope for a great draft. No?

— Shanna Bright (@shannabright) April 25, 2012

@shannabright Agree. Love it when people care. Just wanna WIN.

— Bill Johnston (@ChargersPRguy) April 25, 2012

This is a really great example of someone not taking that one extra moment to re-read a tweet before hitting the send button. With 6281+ followers, I suspect there are a few Chargers fans in the mix. Would Bill’s tweet have made a more positive impact had he posed a question?

“Who are you hoping the Chargers pick up in the NFL draft?”

Or could he have shed some light on the secret wishes of the players?

 “The buzz in the locker room is that so-and-so is high on the wish list.”

To keep the communications in the positive zone, I responded with:

@ChargersPRguy We wanna WIN too! Do we know who fans are hoping for the most? What about the players? Very excited for the draft!

— Shanna Bright (@shannabright) April 25, 2012

Main point being, there was a good chance to engage fans and let them have a say, take a moment to interact. The comment/opinion from the PR Director only sets a stage for negative replies, as some might interpret him calling the fans ridiculous.

I’m all for being human and authentic, and certainly feel that even frustrations can be creatively vented online with a dash of humor and an open invite to comment.  When you are a public figure, or sit in a position like the PR Director for a professional sports team, you really must remember that every time you post to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest or elsewhere, you really have to give second thought to how your post will resonate with your audience.  For someone in Bill’s position, he should be able to turn what seems like a personal frustration into a positive interaction with Chargers fans. Furthermore, and no less significant, when the PR Director for a sports team sends tweets out a bit haphazardly, what kind of example does that set for the players and FO staff?

How do you think Bill should have tweeted his pressure-filled comment? What examples have you seen where a negative sentiment or frustrating situation is turned into a positive moment where fans feel included?  Thanks for sharing your links in the comments!

Tags: branding, Chargers, education, how-to, NFL, san diego, social media, Sports, strategy, takeaways, twitter