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The current climate of leaked recordings, ambush exclusives and social media crises continues to make Twitter a feared channel for high profile sportspeople.

As a PR company we work with various sportspeople and other figures and we too share the usual fears – will something be said, however innocently, that may create a media problem. The mantra of fearing change has never rung truer than when it comes to social media as a host of high profile individuals found themselves caught up in a media storm when they believed they were merely commenting to a select number of followers. The speed with which the Andy Gray and Richard Keys videos spread across the internet was devastating, and it’s little wonder why those figures who are followed by press and the public alike with intense interest do so with vigilance.

It is very easy, in these instances, to try to control or mute the issue, and various bodies and organizations have tested this approach in professional sport. In sport more than many other industries, the maintainence of image preserves clubs’ most valuable assets – the players. They have, though, found themselves to be among a declining number attempting to stemt he tide, trying to muzzle when intrigue in the private lives and opinions of sportspeople continues to increase.

The danger of social media platforms such as Twitter will always be there, as it is whenever a client undertakes an interview or makes an appearance in front of the press and media. PR control can only go so far, and I sense that sportspeople who send shivers down the spine of their employers should the take to Twitter will, at some point, encounter PR problems anyway. The issue lies not with the platform for discourse but with the individual, and no matter what control is exerted that issue will out itself.

Sportspeople are well aware that in many circumstances, they can’t win. Footballers are accused of living in a world of their own (which some do), failing to connect with and embrace the fans that pay their wages. This is a line reproduced by certain press and media too. Yet a certain hypocrisy exists in that when sportspeople do engage Twitter, there is a scrutiny that leans towards the sensational, finding something from nothing comments and spinning them.

It’s an ongoing battle and one that I see diminishing as the novelty of being able to read the unaltered words of a footballer or a high profile sportsperson declines. Recently, Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas took to his Twitter account to play down talk of a rift with teammate Denilson. I’m sure that most fans welcomed the clarification, and I’m sure the only people disappointed were any individuals hoping to blow up the rumours and fill some column inches. Interestingly, the credibility of certain journalists has risen through their use of Twitter and other social media to engage with fans. They are able to elaborate on stories and speculate in much the same way as the common man does. In the same breath, and as players dispute individual rumours directly, the credibility of other journalists has been eroded.

I’m certain that the many journalists who use Twitter welcome the insight that sportspeople’s personal accounts bring. From my side as a PR, it’s invaluable to follow some of the great journalists such as George Caulkin (@CaulkinTheTimes), Simon Bird, Henry Winter, Owen Gibson (@Owen_G) and many others to understand their focus and attentions, and I also welcome the development in journalists being able to connect directly with sportspeople as long as it’s above board.

For a long period many companies ignored social media, viewing it as a time-wasting mechanism for employees and little more than informal chit-chat. Now, it is undoubtedly seen as a vital channel of communication by companies in the 21^st century – most companies will see much of their website traffic coming via their social media accounts instead of traditional means such as search engines (a point elaborated on in this article on WWE’s successful social media strategy).

Clubs such as Manchester City (@MCFC) use social media as a vital part of their communication, enabling them to provide specialist content through their various channels and address fan queries in a more informal manner where permitted.

In much the same way that media training within professional clubs is a relatively recent phenomenon, I’m certain that all clubs will offer some form of tuition when it comes to social media too. Rather than steering players away from Twitter, clubs will look to advise players on its best use, and this will only help them to strengthen their individual brands as sportspeople which benefits employer and employee.

There’s a lot of myth about the lifestyle of footballers and what they do off-the-field. For every scandal there’s a footballer working his way through the latest HBO box set. It is natural for PRs and people involved in image management to fear Twitter, but for what it’s worth, my view is that if we’re doing the job we’re paid to, we are not merely fire-fighting. Certain individuals will always require that support, but there’s many more who would like to join the social media conversation, and why shouldn’t they?