COMMENTARY: Baker Mayfield's social media antics are good for sports
Baker Mayfield had fun on social media last night.
Describing a scene which would bring a smile to Ridley Scott’s face, Mayfield claims he and his wife bore witness to a UFO sighting while returning home from dinner last night.
Now what actually happened at Lake Travis, TX, last night, who knows, but I’m not generally one to question the field vision of Mayfield.
More importantly, people seem to have genuinely had fun with Mayfield’s experience.
These days, elite athletes are exposed to the bright lights of stardom and complete media coverage in high school, and as a result, the stars of today are as polished as ever when presenting themselves to the world.
During the season, players are so concerned about appearing amicable and try to avoid providing bulletin board material, and often appear as well spoken but bland and robotic. With more access than ever, it can be hard to get a window into a player’s true personality.
Which brings us back to Mayfield.
Never afraid to do things his own way, Mayfield decided he was just going to walk on at Oklahoma and win the starting quarterback job, an absurd notion at a program of that stature.
The story writes itself, but Mayfield connected with the OU fanbase with his enormous personality.
Jason White and Sam Bradford were excellent quarterbacks in their own right, and deserving Heisman Trophy winners, but they didn’t leave a mark on the Oklahoma program quite like Mayfield.
Why? Because Mayfield is fun — something which is often forgotten in sports.
When Mayfield took the field, he exuded a childlike joy which took you back to playing touch football with your friends at the local park after school — football in its purest form. He reminded people that the pressure of quarterbacking at an elite program can actually spark cheer and ignite an already rabid fanbase.
He’s continued to have fun even when things haven’t gone to plan in the NFL.
Baker Mayfield
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Starring in fun commercials and taking on Colin Cowherd, Mayfield has remained himself, no matter if the Browns underachieved expectations like in 2019, or were a possession away from toppling the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead last year.
This approach to sports should be celebrated.
Even Cowherd was able to have some fun with the UFO tweet, breaking from his normal tropes of a “franchise quarterback” to note that Aaron Rodgers has won a Super Bowl and he believes aliens exist.
If athletes are hammered every time they try to have fun on social media, we run the risk of players receding back into their shells, and continuing to preach cliches and coachspeak.
Take a look at Kyrie Irving. After claiming to be a member of the flat-earth movement, Irving has been shredded over and over by fans and media alike. As a result, he’s been willing to eat fines from the NBA to avoid having to appear before the press, and has lessened his social media presence.
Irving is one of the most entertaining basketball players on the planet, dazzling with his handle on the ball, with no desire to be himself outwardly to the world.
In a week’s time, we could all discover that Mayfield was just planting the seeds for an elaborate marketing campaign, announcing the next show to come to Hulu or something of the sort — it would surprise no-one in the era of guerrilla marketing on social media.
But for now, we should enjoy Mayfield’s willingness to be himself, no matter how crazy the ride gets.
