Indiana Basketball Players Get Into It With Fans On Instagram

You know things are bad in Indiana when your players are fighting with fans on Instagram.

The IU Barstool account posted a relatable meme on Instagram simply detailing the roller coaster most of us experience with our sports teams.

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Indiana began the season with a top-15 ranking, and many had them as the favorite to win the Big 10. Now, the 10-5 Hoosiers are on a two-game skid and are 1-3 in conference play. So, yeah, fans are frustrated.

But some of Indiana’s players didn’t think the post was funny. And a few of them even argued with fans in the comments.

My guys, this is a bad look.

I spent much of my career running social media accounts for sports teams and professional athletes. I have read DMs that would make your skin crawl and replies that would send your grandmother into shock. This meme is as harmless as it gets.

But, because I have a soft spot for my home state, I’m going to give the boys from Indiana a few simple tips:

• Fans are fickle. They’ll call for your head one day and worship the ground you walk on the next. Don’t take it personally.
• If you wouldn’t say it on TV, don’t say it on social media. That includes calling your fans “pencil neck clowns.”
• Never attack someone’s physical appearance. It just makes you look like an a**hole.
• A fan dissing you on social media is never a story. You dissing a fan is a story every time. It’s not fair, but that’s showbiz, baby.

Hopefully the Hoosiers will appreciate my advice and shift their energy from Instagram to basketball.

If not, I’m sure they’ll let me know in the comments.