This might not be football news, but it is Pittsburgh Steelers news, of sorts, and probably is actually relevant to many of you who comment on this site—certainly hundreds of you who read it. Apparently Ben Roethlisberger’s Twitter page is going to get a lot more user-friendly for those in the past who have had a sharp tongue.
The Steelers quarterback’s Twitter account has become somewhat infamous over the years, because his social media manager has blocked tons and tons of people. The extent to which people have been blocked is at the point at which I almost find myself surprised that I’m not blocked, though I don’t believe I’ve ever said much of anything harsh about him, and certainly nothing directly to his account.
While I haven’t been blocked, I’m betting a number of you have. Especially if you speak on Twitter at all the way you do here about certain players. So this news may well directly affect you. If you are one of those who have been subject to the Roethlisberger accounts blocking spree, feel free to chime in, and share if you have yet been unblocked.
Can confirm that @_BigBen7 will begin the Twitter unblocking process today. #Steelers
— Steelers Depot 🏆👑 (@Steelersdepot) June 10, 2020
While the unblocking process was set to begin on Tuesday, and indeed people have said that they are now unblocked, it remains ongoing, which is probably a reflection of just how extensive the list of blocked accounts is. Apparently the intention is to have everybody unblocked—at least for a fresh start.
The mute button, though, will be his media handler’s friend.
The issue with a public figure—or his representation—blocking people is that it cuts off information access. Members of the media have certainly not been immune to the blocking. So whenever he posts something of significance, we see journalists mention that they missed the news because they were blocked—and may not have even realized that they were blocked.
Now, this doesn’t mean that Roethlisberger is suddenly going to start using social media himself, though you never know. Tom Brady and Eli Manning recently jumped on the ship, so there is always time for him to start Tweeting for himself.
It’s not at all difficult to get around being blocked as long as you know that something significant is posted, of course. You can simply log out of Twitter to access the page, or have a separate account, or most simply, use a private browser setting.
But it’s not like Roethlisberger often shares much of significance through his Twitter account. Yeah, the video of him throwing, that was a big deal. And perhaps that was even the spark of his wanting the change this. Will everyone actually get unblocked? And how long will it take?
