Isaac Newton said, “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction,” which applies to the choices one makes. While one might think it’s a good idea, another might disagree. Student-run sports social media is a popular craze for every activity, whether volleyball in the fall or golf in the spring. This responsibility is usually assumed by an upperclassman who was given the account by those before them. Posts can include gameday information, postgame scores, team camera dumps, birthdays, senior posts, and even shoutouts. While accounts like this are meant to showcase a team’s insights, they often receive criticism because, even if unintentional, most students in charge unknowingly primarily post their friends and don’t reach out to people outside their social circles. Still, shockingly, a lot of the high school’s sports accounts have been accused of this.
The girls’ soccer Instagram account has been an active account since 2023 and is now run by Kiaya Claypool, a current junior on the team. She was given the account this year and will continue to run it next year. After next season, she plans to pass it down to whoever is the most reliable to keep the account running. This account primarily posts funny photos the team sends to Claypool, along with game-day times and updates. Claypool said, “We haven’t really ever had issues with it not being fair. I typically post Varsity players because they send in the most pictures, but I would post any JV picture if it got sent to me.” While this is seemingly a fair rule of thumb, even for other teams that post, it leaves JV feeling left out because it’s usually not an established rule. It’s not something one does intentionally to hurt others, but that doesn’t change how others perceive these actions. And this is a very common critique throughout most school accounts, even the staff-run ones.
This isn’t to confuse one with the original meaning of these sport pages; like all activity accounts, it does have its benefits. The head girls’ track coach, Sheryll Paige, said, “I think the positive is it promotes our program and gets athletes noticed.” The girls’ track Instagram posts fun photos of the team on meet days, along with information on where the meet is located. Getting more people to show up and support the team. It also shows the fun side of the sport from a student’s perspective, pushing more people to go out.
Everything one takes action on has a reaction; one person might take it in the same way it was intended, but along with that, there is someone out there who could have taken it the opposite way, ruining how they see that person, event, or even environment. Intended or not, we’re all capable of hurting someone, even with something as simple as not getting posted on a school sports page. It’s key to remember every perspective of every action. As a viewer, keep in mind, “Did they really do it on purpose?”And as a poster, “How is this going to affect someone?” practicing empathy and taking a moment to consider what the possible reaction an action might have will create a lasting impression.
