Richard Sherman is a very talented US football player, and I, like many of you, have become a fan. It’s clear that in the post-NFC championship days, he’s emerged as a divisive character. No matter your opinion, when it comes to Twitter he has some very sage advice. From a post he wrote earlier this week on the MBQ…
I have always had a good sense of this, but there came a point in the aftermath of the NFC Championship game when I had to cut off the attention. The incident was so polarising that you had to pick a side. You either hated it or you loved it. I looked at Twitter and I saw two guys having a conversation about me in Spanish; I was going to Google translate it, but I just decided to let it go.
Emphasis mine. Sherman has a point. Every day you have a choice of getting into an argument or staying out of it. So stay out of it! If Richard Sherman can put up with the following without getting drawn into a dumb internet fight, you can too. (Fair warning: there’s some offensive language ahead):
That lady was scared cause Richard Sherman’s Compton side was showing
— Marta (@mratacomm) January 31, 2014
https://twitter.com/Spanky5agm5/statuses/429282268847149056
I hate Richard Sherman.
— Ben Adams (@buff_ben) January 31, 2014
@RSherman_25 You’re a thug you faggot
— Jacob Fischer (@JacobPFish) January 31, 2014
@RSherman_25 @Drizzydre87 Who cares if Sherman gets a ring he still a BUSTER ass TRICK from 90210
— tito barksdale (@titobarksdale) January 31, 2014
Remember, these are tweets just from today, nearly two full weeks after Sherman first hit the headlines. And Sherman has brushed almost all of them off.
There are always going to be people who don’t like you. That’s life. There are also always going to be people who don’t agree with you. But the only way for you to come out looking like the better person is to not engage. Say nothing, and they can’t say anything back. Taking the high road is good on Richard Sherman, it’s good on you, and it’s good on everyone.