NBA veteran and TNT analyst Charles Barkley opens up on why he won’t join social media, revealing the toxic side of things on the internet.
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It would not be wrong to say that NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley has changed the dynamics of sports broadcasting. The former MVP is a delight to watch with his brutally honest takes, one-liners, and sense of humor. The Chuckster has added a dash of candidness to the otherwise formal nature of sports.
Barkley is one of the few personalities on television that does not hesitate to speak his mind and is never afraid of the consequences. His bold and witty behavior makes him endearing to all. Surprisingly, Barkley is not present on any of the social media platforms.
There is no doubt that the best of brands would be willing to pay Barkley millions of dollars to engage in social media for promotions. However, this hasn’t prompted the eleven-time All-Star to join. Barkley believes the internet has a lot of negativity, especially if you’re a famous personality.
During a recent appearance with Renee Paquette on The Volume, Chuck would speak at length about how trolls and haters unnecessarily went after successful and famous personalities on the internet.
Charles Barkley talks about social media and dealing with criticism.
Barkley’s absence on any social media platforms was evident during a recent episode of Inside the NBA when he asked co-panelist Kenny Smith to explain to him the meaning of Instagram DMs.
Despite being photoshopped on umpteen things on the internet, Barkley never gave in to the pressure of joining social media. While speaking to Renee Paquette on a podcast, Chuck said the following about hate and trolling on the internet.
“They don’t have a life. That’s why they’re such losers. You know what, let me sit around and look at the Internet, and let me just harass somebody who, first of all, is probably more successful. When you’re successful, you have to accept the fact that, man, a lot of people, because their life sucks, are gonna take shots at you.”
Barkley recollected how when he was becoming a star in 1986-87, he realized that he couldn’t please everybody and that people felt empowered when they put someone down. Thus Chuck has no interest in engaging with fans on the internet.
“I say, hey guys, never gonna do the Internet, no Twitter, no Instagram, no Facebook.”
This doesn’t mean Barkley shies away from criticism, the Alabama native is always open to feedback, backed with facts. We all know The Chuckster can take a joke on himself.
“The first thing I ask myself when a guy writes an article about me, you have to look at me and say,’ Well, I did play bad, so I really can’t go after the dude.’ That’s what I tell every guy, you have to ask yourself, is it true? and you can’t get mad at a guy if you did play like sh*t last night.”
Though Barkley makes valid points, as fans, we cannot do anything but hope the Inside the NBA analyst joins social media due to his ability to bring smiles to everybody’s faces.
