RSS Feed
March 9th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda Warren Sapp spent 13 years as one of the NFL‘s most talented, verbose and entertaining players. The intimidating mountain of a defensive tackle played in nearly 200 career games, registered nearly 100 regular season sacks and made seven Pro Bowls — numbers that may well lead to a Hall of Fame induction. One season, he even caught two touchdown passes.
Since retiring in 2007, Sapp’s outspoken and gregarious nature has made for a smooth transition into media. He’s currently a commentator for both the NFL Network and Showtime’s Inside the NFL, and has a number of other projects in the works. But Sapp isn’t just successful in traditional broadcast media. He’s also huge on Twitter, where he appropriately goes by the handle @QBKILLA.
[More from Mashable: Half of Sports Fans Visit Bathroom to Check Scores on Mobile Device [STUDY]]
Sapp has amassed nearly 750,000 followers since joining the social service at the coaxing of NFL Network colleague Rich Eisen. He’s religious about replying to fans, and has a whopping 87,000 tweets to prove it. Last month, Sapp was recognized for his social savvy with an Excellence in Social Media Award at Gravity Summit’s annual sports and entertainment conference.
More recently, Mashable gave Sapp a call to talk Twitter, football, media and how he merges all three.
[More from Mashable: Twitter Tool Aims to Put Americans Back to Work]
QA with Warren Sapp
You have always been a big personality, so you’re a natural fit for social media. How’d you get into Twitter?
About five years ago when I first started at NFL Network, Rich got me on. He helped me out a lot — told me I had to actually put a picture up, things like that. Then Rich showed me how to check my mentions and I saw all the people talking to me. I was gone for the next two weeks just talking to people, and from there it was on.
You obviously like it now. Why?
It gives me a chance to interact with fans and it takes down an absolute barrier. It’s something I never had the same chance to do because where else would you do it? Everybody’s there and it’s an open dialogue.
Do you have any keys to success? Things you try to make a point of doing or avoiding?
I’m not idly tweeting. These are almost all replies, not “I went for a swim, it was great.” And I try to be consistent more than anything. When this bounty thing came up, you can’t duck that. I had to defend 13 years of playing the game, it was unbelievable. All the things you can call me, being a liar isn’t one of them. I’m big and bold, but not dishonest.
You’ve managed to stay very relevant to sports fans despite being retired for several years. Has social media played a role in that?
It’s great to build my brand — that and the two TV networks I’m on every week. Post a photo or a video, if that’s the best way to share something. Just build your brand to where it has the most tentacles. The Gravity Award was crazy for me, because I’m just banging away with people, having a good time, but to be recognized for it was great.
When you were playing, social media didn’t exist in the same way it does now. How does that impact pro athletes today?
It gives them a platform and a medium with which to say something. Sometimes it can be to set the record straight, sometimes they make a fool of themselves. So you have to be smart. I had to tell a buddy one time that every time you press Send you’re making a press release.
Who are the best current NFL players to follow?
I actually don’t follow many football players. I wouldn’t get my news from them because, in the business they’re in, they’re the last ones to know. I’ve been in locker rooms the past 20 years, so that’s the last thing I’m reading unless someone brings it to my attention. Give me the GM or the player personnel guy. I want the decision makers, not the news on the ground.
Now a couple questions for Mashable‘s football fans. Who’s one player you never got to play with that you wish you had when you were in the league? And if you got to pick one current player in his prime to anchor a defense with you, who is that player?
For players I never got to play with, it’s Bruce Smith. For anyone still playing, give me Ray Lewis in his prime. If you get me in tip-top shape and him in tip-top shape, it’d be just like the old days in college.
Ray Lewis could learn some things from you on Twitter. Do you guys ever talk social media?
Nah, we just talk about fishing and our kids. We’re old school, so when we get together we don’t talk too much about texting and Twitter and all of that.
Check out Mashable‘s recent sports-related QA’s with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Amy Jo Martin.
This story originally published on Mashable here.
Views: 0
Posted in 
Tags: 
