With his recent attempts to engage Vikings fans on Twitter, it may be time for Kirk Cousins to quit that social media platform.
In today’s world, like the general public, pro athletes can offer a window into their lives via social media. Instagram, Twitter and the like are a double-edged sword for public figures though, as responses can come unabated and turn harsh quickly. If he didn’t realize the negative side of social media before, Kirk Cousins is finding it out now.
After the Minnesota Vikings went 13-3 and reached the NFC Championship Game in 2017, Cousins was signed a three-year, $84 million contract as expectations remained high.
But that faded into a 8-7-1 season, as the Vikings missed the playoffs and Cousins fell short in every important game against a good team.
Cousins’ salary is an easy crutch for criticism, but it will remain the chief narrative for disappointed fans over the next two seasons if he and the team continues to fall short.
No one is saying he has to be a hermit, or stay in the frozen and snow-bound tundra of Minnesota during the offseason. But his recent vacation tweets did not play well with local fans.
Inviting fan engagement on Twitter is not a bad thing, but it is a slippery slope. And Cousins put some grease on that slipper slope with a giveaway poll on Tuesday.
The responses were not hard to see coming, even with “Other” only pulling in 11 percent of the final tally. A fair sampling of that 11 percent appears to have registered a snarky comment along with their vote.
One guy just wants better on-field production from Cousins.
In the end 71 percent of vote called for Cousins to give away a signed jersey and it’s assumed a winner will be randomly picked at some point soon.
Self awareness is not a strong suit for a lot of athletes. Cousins means well in trying to engage and share with Vikings fans, but he has to see he’s inviting negative response, right? Or maybe, through a smiling face, he’s being defiant, can ignore it and just flat doesn’t care what anyone says about him on Twitter.