Social Media Just Ruined This Guy’s Day

In case you missed it this week, or perhaps you don’t watch SportsCenter loop the same 10 clips for 24 hours (I have a fiery hate for SportsCenter, but that’s for another day…), you might not have seen Wilmer Flores, New York Mets shortstop, crying on live television. There have been many emotional moments during events throughout sports history, however the cause of these tears are surprisingly upsetting. Rumor had it that the Mets were looking to make a deal, and trade a couple of players (Flores included). The Internet being, well, the Internet, was first to get wind of this and reporters and fans spread the word all over Twitter. They spread the word so well, in fact, that Wilmer Flores himself heard the rumor while he was playing a game. Imagine: you’ve been with a team since you were 16, and have to hear through the grapevine that you’re being traded. To make matters worse, they keep you in the game and expect you to play. Fans, and presumably Flores, were pretty confused and clearly upset, which led to this scene:

Fans even gave a heartfelt standing ovation for the teary eyed shortstop as he took his last up at bat. It was all very dramatic and heartwarming.

Now why am I telling you this? It’s not because I care about baseball, or that I like to watch people cry (debatable). It’s because PLOT TWIST: the Internet got it WRONG! The deal was never official, and through the power that is social media, everyone assumed it to be true, and even made someone cry.

The way news spreads so quickly through social media is truly remarkable – and sometimes that can be dangerous. Luckily in this case no real damage was done (just emotional trauma to spark years worth of therapy). Moral of the story: just because something is on social media, doesn’t make it true. Also, apparently there is some crying in baseball.

~ Samantha Banner, Account Coordinator, The S3 Agency

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