It's not just about what you had for lunch: Twitter, that is. Let's say you are a professional athlete. Locker room interviews are great, but often get edited (and are old news) before they even reach your fans and supporters. I had a great conversation last week on The Press Box show on KFNS radio (590 The Fan) in St. Louis with Rams' Executive Vice President and General Counsel Bob Wallace and hosts Howard Balzer and Andy Strickland about how Twitter is giving athletes another great way to engage their fans and build their brand. [Sports Business Segment with Bob Wallace, 10-20; click on the link in the "Audio" section].

Athletes: use Twitter to build your brand, drive traffic to your website, and promote your causes. No need for a filter between you and the fans who love you. Get your information out there. Many media utilize Twitter as well.

Being based in St. Louis, I follow a variety of athletes and teams from around the country, including the following:

Rams: Stephen Jackson @sj39, Donnie Avery @donnieavery Blues: David Perron @DP_57
Cardinals: Blake Hawksworth @BlakeHawksworth, Todd Wellemeyer @Todalion

I follow each of the team Twitter accounts for team news/scores/stats:

Rams: @OneRamsWay
Blues: @St_Louis_Blues
Cardinals: @stl_cardinals

Many St. Louis media are found on Twitter, here are a few:

Bernie Miklasz: @miklasz
Howard Balzer: @HBalzer721
Jeremy Rutherford: @jprutherford
KFNS: @590thefanKFNS

You can check out any of these and others by going to: http://www.twitter.com/.

Sign up for a free account, then check out what your teammates are doing. You can search for people to follow by name. Click the "follow" button and they will be added to your list of those you are following and you will receive their updates.

Resources:

Good list of other NFL players and athletes who Tweet: http://twitter-athletes.com/index.cfm?CatID=2&People=1

And watch out for the fake Twitter sports accounts: WSJ: PR guy busts fake athletes on Twitter just for fun http://bit.ly/29byUW (There is an authentication process for athletes (and other celebrities) on Twitter now!)

Top 10 Athletes on Twitter by Numbers of Followers courtesy of Twitter-Athletes.com:

Shaquille O'Neil
Cleveland Cavaliers - Center
2,468,276 followers

Lance Armstrong
Cycling - Pro Cyclist
2,157,484 followers

Tony Hawk
Skateboarding - Pro Skateboarder
1,778,395 followers

Serena Williams
Tennis - Pro Tennis Player
1,294,569 followers

Paul Pierce
Boston Celtics - Forward
1,268,318 followers

Dwight Howard
Orlando Magic - Center
1,219,775 followers

Ryan Sheckler
Skateboarding - Pro Skateboarder
1,178,182 followers

Stewart Cink
PGA - Pro Golfer
1,032,814 followers

Nick Swisher
New York Yankees - Outfielder
997,894 followers

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Retired NBA - Center
959,117 followers


It's easy to build your brand and promote your charitable efforts via Twitter!