Many students are Facebook friends with athletes they’ve never met
Sitting in class, it is not uncommon to see someone’s Facebook page on their laptop during lecture.
Facebook, a social website connecting over 64 million users, has invaded college campuses everywhere. Now, students at CU are using Facebook as a way to connect with student athletes, even if they have never met each other before.
Senior football standout and track and field athlete Hugh Charles said he may not be real-life friends with the students now, but that does not mean they won’t be in the future.
“One day you may meet a few of those people, and they can become your best friends,” Charles said. “They could be a shoulder to lean on if you ever need help.”
On Facebook, it is easy to search for people and “friend request” them, which adds one person as a friend to the other’s personal page. Through this venue, many CU students will request to be friends with athletes whom they may not have met before.
Though some see no problem in friend-requesting strangers, others feel it is intrusive.
Freshman psychology major Becca McNeal said she feels that friend-requesting athletes just for the purpose of having them on your profile is not what Facebook was intended for.
“There is a difference between friend-requesting a normal athlete at college and friend-requesting a celebrity group that’s supposed to have thousands of members,” McNeal said.
Charles said he has no problem with the amount of friend requests he receives, and he currently has over 1,600 friends on Facebook.
“I approve their request because I enjoy the support I have been getting from the community and student body,” Charles said.
Whether athletes share the same mindset as Charles or feel that it is bothersome, it appears that this practice of friend-requesting college athletes will remain popular for much longer.
In the days after National Signing Day, Feb. 6, top-rated running back Darrell Scott gained over 60 Facebook friends at Colorado after committing to play football for CU next year.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Rachael Fischer at
rachael.fischer@colorado.edu
