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Old 06-01-2022, 01:18 PM
 
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Also, sometimes I think people get carried away with how many followers they have on IG. I have lots of people/groups i follow and then never look at that page again. It just happens. I'm not saying it isn't impressive if someone reaches 100k followers, it's like, ok you are getting people's attention...but i think sometimes people put too much value on the IG follow number. If I had an account where i pushing myself or a business I'd want to know who is actually engaging/watching videos I put up (i know you can see video views) Or how many people are actually walking through the door of your business or buying something (this is for restaurants, hairstylists, clothing designers, interior design, make up people, etc.)
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Old 06-01-2022, 01:24 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by msRB311 View Post
My son plays hockey, he just turned 8. I have noticed this year that quite a few parents have created an instagram page for their 7 or 8 year old (in some cases 6 year old) that documents their hockey life. Which teams they play for, which tournaments they're in, highlights of the kid in a game. Some of the accounts of kids in Canada have the kids being brand ambassadors for certain brands and a few kids have 3k followers. I can't imagine how or why a 7 year old could have so many followers.

Is this the new thing for getting your kids popularity in a sport? I guess Im old school in that I think what they actually do on the ice or playing field is what should matter.

Does this seem safe/unsafe? or just a way to boost the parents ego?
Sports is entertainment. Professional athletes are entertainers. If you want your child to be a professional athlete then you should treat them like you would if you were a pageant mom, hollywood parent, or what-have-you. That means starting a social media blitz early and praying that your kid has the ability to develop enough talent in the chosen sport to get into the big leagues some day.

An exceptionally gifted player might still be able to be "discovered" by scouts, but everyone else is going to have to work for it--and that includes a social media presence, "brand", etc.


If your child is not exceptionally gifted, you have no interest in them having a career as an entertainer/athlete, or you treat sports as a personal hobby/fitness/fun then I would certainly not put them on social media.

IMO sports is a bad investment as the majority of--even talented children--are unlikely to even get a college scholarship, and even for college-level athletes the chosen sport may limit their college choices.

A college fund is a better investment than a misery of money and time wasted on coaching, camps, trainers, travel leagues, and just have your kids play in cheap fun recreational clubs.
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Old 06-01-2022, 01:35 PM
 
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I don't think anyone should be treating an 8 year athlete as if they will one day become a professional athlete. That can be dangerous. How about just do the actual work and see what happens? As you said, if they are good, they will be good and be noticed. It happened for decades without social media.

I can see having an account in middle school/high school geared towards the sport of someone's choice. I am just shocked that parents have started doing this for 7 year olds many of whom have been doing that sport for like 2 years.
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Old 06-01-2022, 03:07 PM
 
Location: Somewhere in America
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I would never create a social media profile for a child. I don't share photos of children online.
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Old 06-02-2022, 07:20 AM
 
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I wouldn't encourage any kid to have SM at 7-8. If the kid is a hockey superstar they will find him. Wayne Gretzky didn't have social media and he was a superstar and it worked out just fine for him.
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Old 06-02-2022, 08:17 AM
 
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Originally Posted by City Guy997S View Post
I wouldn't encourage any kid to have SM at 7-8. If the kid is a hockey superstar they will find him. Wayne Gretzky didn't have social media and he was a superstar and it worked out just fine for him.
I agree. I think some of these parents are trying too hard.
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Old 06-02-2022, 09:41 AM
 
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Originally Posted by City Guy997S View Post
I wouldn't encourage any kid to have SM at 7-8. If the kid is a hockey superstar they will find him. Wayne Gretzky didn't have social media and he was a superstar and it worked out just fine for him.
Yes, but professional hockey teams are made from all the other guys too, not just Gretzsky. Even the benchwarmers are well-compensated. An infinitesimally small number of kids are naturally gifted in a certain sport and will be picked up no matter if they spend the rest of their day hiding under the mattress.

Everybody else has to work for it. The kid with more/longer/deeper social media exposure is more likely to be scouted.

Scouts and coaches need to sort through thousands of applicants. Somebody who looks like they've got a dynasty's worth of hockey/baseball/whatever instagramming showing them playing the sport since they were a toddler is going to get picked over the equally-skilled player who has no social media presence.

I'm not saying it's good. I'm saying that's how it is. That's why parents who (foolishly, IMO) groom their kids to be entertainers start these accounts publishing their sporting/singing/dancing skills.
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Old 06-02-2022, 09:56 AM
 
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Really so scouts use instagram rather than just show up at the rink these days to actually see someone in action? I actually know a few hockey scouts (and baseball) so I will check in with them to see if they frequently use instagram. Also they would be looking at high school kids, not 8 year olds.
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Old 06-02-2022, 10:30 AM
 
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Yeah, it's just humblegragging and showing off. But sadly this is what people come on social media for. They want to see folks showing off so they can judge them. It creates drama which creates engagement in these dumb apps.
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Old 06-02-2022, 10:43 AM
 
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I've even seen a few people comment on the kids pages things like, meh he's not that good. I wouldnt want to deal with that.
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