October 9, 2014. A day that will be long remembered. Just over a week ago, the University of Georgia's star running back Todd Gurley was indefinitely suspended for possible NCAA allegations, and boy, did the social media world freak out. Within five minutes of ESPN posting the story online, I have my roommates crying in despair, my dad calling me from a work conference, and the Twitter world exploding with sadness. Everyone and their mother was using the hashtag #FreeGurley and posting pictures of vigils or memes expressing their hatred for the NCAA. That hashtag was not only trending on Twitter, but on Facebook as well. Even after the first day of shock, Facebook had Todd Gurley as one of the trending topics.
Having social media react the way every UGA fan did can be a powerful force. Not only has the trend of Todd Gurley been talked about through the university students, but as well with big broadcasters, such as ESPN and College GameDay. Both those entities have been using their social media platforms to connect with knowledge-craving fans and relate as much information about the investigation as possible. This is why social media is so crucial in this day and age - it connects us all together in times of "crisis." People can vent to the audience, start a conversation, and get creative all about some trending topic. The social media movement about "Free Todd Gurley" (mind you, he is not arrested) has definitely gotten the NCAA's attention. With fans tweeting, football players Istagramming, and even people making up new theme songs about Todd Gurley, the NCAA has to address the issue of college football players receiving money. This outcry from the public has grown so much and it's all because of social media. I can't wait to see how the social media world reacts when a decision is made, but at least for now we get some entertainment by people's creativity to #FreeGurley.
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