Michigan and Big Ten players navigate social media battles and fan criticism

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Maybe he was caught up in the excitement of playing close to home. Maybe he was pushing and trying to do too much. Maybe it was just a night off.

Either way, Michigan first-year guard Dug McDaniel wasn’t at his best in Thursday’s loss to Maryland and he seemed to hear about it on social media.

About an hour after the 64-58 loss, McDaniel took to Twitter to highlight the volatile nature of the fandom based on the post-match reaction and some of the messages he had received.

I was just a fan favorite a few days ago. I have a bad game now, I’m terrible, I need to be benched, worst player, etc., McDaniel tweeted with laughing face emojis. Big fanbase we have for sure lol. Make sure you go out and support on Sunday. We are going back Go Blue!!

I was just a fan favorite a few days ago, I’m having a bad game now I’m terrible, I need to be benched, worst player, etc. Go blue!!

— Dug McDaniel (@AyooFlyy) January 20, 2023

Many responses to McDaniels’ social media post were supportive, encouraging the Washington, D.C.-area native to ignore the haters and keep working hard after posting four points (2 for 10 shots), seven assists decisive and three turnovers against the Terrapins.

Assistant coach Howard Eisley noted that there is a period after games where things are still emotional and his advice is not to even read, let alone respond to, anything posted on social media. during this period.

Give yourself some time to really breathe deeply and get away from it all and figure out what just happened, Eisley said. Let your emotions come down to where you are on equal footing before you respond, if you respond. My advice for him would be not to respond, not to enter into a dialogue like that because nothing really positive can come out of it, especially when you converse with people you don’t even know who they are.

That’s easier said than done, given that social media has become part of the fabric of everyday life. Eisley said he’s glad it wasn’t prevalent when he played college basketball at Boston College in the early 1990s and wasn’t sensitive to the negative comments that are being thrown around online about people. players these days.

This is the world we live in now. The only way to fight that is to not engage and read it, Eisley said. But I understand that nowadays people like interaction, engagement. I believe the best way to stay focused on the task at hand is to not read and get involved in this platform.

More: Terrance Williams II looks to get back on a productive path for Michigan: ‘We need him’

McDaniels’ tweet is the latest example of fan criticism college players are facing. Earlier this month, Indianas Trayce Jackson-Davis posted a photo on social media of a handwritten letter he received.

It was from an Indiana fan who was unhappy with the Hoosiers’ play. The memo, in part, detailed how Jackson-Davis is a horrible leader and how he and his teammates are all limp, gutless quitters.

Junior center Hunter Dickinson knows all too well the weight of expectation that comes with playing in the Big Ten and can relate to those kinds of harsh remarks.

I think I get a few a day at this point, Dickinson said last week. I will say that’s one positive that no one can take away from my podcast, it’s how I was able to handle, I guess, hate mail much better. I don’t really look at comments anymore, especially on Twitter.

These are pretty common for me, especially after (the loss to Michigan State on Jan. 7). I guess Trayce usually gets a lot of this and I could see why this one was the tipping point for him, as some people can only take so much before they hit a breaking point.

Jackson-Davis wrote, Wondering why players experience mental health issues and struggles, on his social media post, which came a day after Iowas’ Patrick McCaffery announced he was taking time off indefinite to combat anxiety.

Asked last week about dealing with the heightened scrutiny and public pressure at the college level, McDaniel said he’s always had people criticizing his game since he was young, and it’s no longer a bother. At this point, he kisses her.

Sometimes I even take (the criticism) into consideration. They say my jump shot isn’t working, I’m going to hit the gym and work some harder, McDaniel said. You can say the most absurd things, it still won’t reach me. I can still laugh about it.

Dickinson said it’s easy to say college athletes shouldn’t react or should be the bigger man when you’re out of place for them, but added that it’s hard to say when you’re making yourself up. attack like that every day.

Dickinson admitted that a letter like the one Jackson-Davis received would have bothered him a lot when he was a freshman two years ago.

Everyone has their own battles, Dickinson said. But I realized how stupid people can be and how stupid Twitter is and stuff like that. People can literally create an account in a second and say something they never have to confess.

They can say the craziest, craziest things. When someone attacks you personally, it’s really hard for you not to want to react. But it’s the life we ​​live as athletes who are always in the spotlight. It’s never easy.

Minnesota to Michigan

Tip-off: 1 p.m. Sunday, Crisler Center, Ann Arbor

TV/Radio: BTN/950

Records: Minnesota 7-10, 1-6 Big Ten; Michigan 10-8, 4-3

Outlook: Michigan won the teams’ first meeting, 90-75, on Dec. 8 in Minneapolis. The Golden Gophers have lost four of five and rank last in the average scoring margin in Big Ten play (minus-10.9 points). In conference play, Minnesota scores 64.7 points and allows 75.6 points.

[email protected]

Twitter: @jamesbhawkins

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