From Ohio State to LSU, Maryland, Louisville, Wisconsin and more, it’s been a busy month for brand clean-up in college athletics. This week, I was commiserating with a nationally recognized journalist as one of my clients was getting hammered by inaccuracies written by an online influencer piping in on the case.

My professional friend simply reminded me, “Our story is accurate — but because of Google, it isn’t trending anymore.” Sadly, he was right. Think about it: When you want to know something about someone, what do you do? You Google them. Whoever’s headline pops up first on Google is perceived to be keeper of the facts, and it doesn’t matter who penned the article. Thus, many legitimate stories are getting pushed to the bottom of searches and the person with the “clickbait” headline is at the top of the page. In a court of law, there is the presumption of innocence; in the court of public opinion, however, an uniformed mob mentality online is more and more in control of coaches and executives’ careers. Not everyone is guilty, but in the high-dollar sports world of sponsorships, advertisers and donors, it may not matter anymore. Employers must take into account how their program, franchise or school could potentially be dragged across the internet superhighway if they continue to employ or hire anyone with a reputation that has imploded online. It’s critical that sports stakeholders understand how to defend their reputations in real-time to balance the narrative. As of right now, many of them are getting crushed: Google 100, Accused 0.

KEEP IT LOCAL

Being a Tucson-raised girl, I try to support our local economy and the incredible people who spend their lives pouring back into our city. NYPD Pizza, located at 1521 N. Wilmot Road, was founded by former Arizona football player Mark Fontana, who decided to make Tucson his home after college. Smart move! Made fresh and in house every day, check it out if you’re craving a delicious, gooey slice. I promise you won’t be disappointed. Have a local business you want spotlighted? I would love to check it out. The yummy eatery was recommended to us by our friends, Melissa and John Fina. John played left tackle for the UA and with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.

Does it seem like your athlete is addicted to their phone or social media? Well, maybe they are. A study at the UCLA brain mapping center used fMRI scanners to look at the teenage brain on social media and what they found was certain regions of the brain — including the brain’s reward circuitry, which is particularly sensitive during adolescence — was getting lit up by social media engagement as if they were eating chocolate or winning the lottery. Who wouldn’t want to keep logging on? The good news is that you’re not crazy; the bad news is that our young people are subconsciously getting addicted. As a working mom of a 13-year-old, I understand there are many positive and negative aspects surrounding social media. The answer is not to kick them off platforms or devices, but to teach them healthy boundaries and safeguards surrounding screen time. Our kids’ brains are not fully developed; thus, it is a great first step to set reasonable and respectful rules and perhaps accountability contracts for kids when they get any device and subsequently hop onto social media.

I have to say it’s been fun to watch UA president Robert C. Robbins go grassroots on-campus. I honestly don’t ever remember a university president across the country being as accessible with students, faculty and staff as the current prez at Arizona. From hanging out in the student-sections at sporting events to helping moms and dads during move-in week and rolling his sleeves up to support faculty and staff, Dr. Robbins — or “Bobby,” as he’s asked Tucsonans to call him — has inadvertently become the heart and soul of the leadership on campus.