No, the NFL hasn’t suddenly allowed on-field tweeting. The surreal effect is possible because Devin shares Twitter and Facebook accounts with his identical twin brother and fellow NFL pro Jason.
On Super Bowl Sunday, Jason will be in Indianapolis pulling for his brother while sending out tweets and Facebook posts from the Lucas Oil Field stands.
The twins’ shared accounts are a unique twist to the typical ways athletes use social networks to connect with fans and build their marketing potential. They credit “social media coach” Jeff Weiner with originally cooking up the idea of joint accounts. They say it allows then to showcase their personalities in a different way and let fans share in their competitive — but close — relationship.
Devin and Jason frequently banter back and forth via the accounts, ribbing one another and letting fans join the conversation. Both said that they believe their novel approach helped then land a national endorsement deal with Palmer’s Cocoa Butter.
“The biggest thing people like is seeing our bond, just seeing how two siblings get along,” Devin told Mashable. “Sometimes parents tweet us pictures of their own kids and twins playing sports too, so it’s very cool to see fans interacting that way.”
When Devin’s Patriots were playing in the AFC Championship game last weekend, Jason set up a live Ustream broadcast from where he was watching the game on TV so that fans of the twins could join the fun.
Jason gave away memorabilia during that game and said that fans enjoyed the experience, though many poked fun at him for “screaming and making a fool of myself rooting for Devin to do well.”
According to the twins’ mother, Phyllis Harrell, Devin and Jason teaming up on Twitter (Twitter.com/McCourtyTwins) and Facebook (Facebook.com/McCourtyTwins) is very much in character.
“The only time they’d really get upset at each other growing up was playing basketball or video games,” she told Mashable. “Other than that, they’ve always been each other’s best friend and shared everything.”
Devin and Jason have been football teammates their entire lives all through college until joining the NFL. (Jason was drafted in 2009, Devin in 2010.) They will eventually find themselves taking the roles of rivals, when the Patriots go against Jason’s Titans sometime in the next couple years.
“That’s going to be fun,” Jason said.
But it leaves one important question: Who will provide the status updates during that match-up?
The official account of the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee is a must-follow for fans going to the game. It will function as one of several channels directing fans to entertainment venues and addressing logistical concerns from the committee's social meda command center.
The New York Giants are the "road" team in Indianapolis, and this is the franchise's official Twitter account.
The New England Patriots will be the "home" team on Super Bowl Sunday in Indy. Follow this official team account for the stream out of Foxborough.
Shalise Manza Young is the Patriots beat writer for the Boston Globe. Follow her for the day-to-day on what Bill Belichick is doing to try for a fourth Super Bowl ring with the Patriots.
Ian Rapoport also reports on the Patriots and NFL, but for the Boston Herald. Following both him and Young will give you a taste of what it's like to be a local Boston sports fan right now.
Ralph Vacchiano covers the Giants for the New York Daily News. Follow him for the latest on how Eli Manning and company are prepping for the Pats.
Garafolo is the Giants beat writer for New Jersey's Star-Ledger. Between him and Vacchiano, you should have every Giants angle covered.
Patriots receiver Branch was the Super Bowl MVP the last time the Patriots won it all, in 2005. He's also very active on Twitter, which is a bonus for fans seeking to add a human element to the game.
Battista covers the NFL for The New York Times. She's sure to churn out a couple nice features between now and Feb. 5, her deadline game-recaps are second to none, and she's also a good follow for real-time Twitter updates.
Schefter is ESPN's NFL Insider and his 1.2 million followers dwarf nearly everyone else in sports media and serve as a testament to his continuous steam of breaking news, opinions and scuttlebutt. He's sure to provide plenty of interesting nuggets from around the league leading up to Super Bowl Sunday.
Patriots receiver Welker puts up numbers; he's scored 10 touchdowns so far this year and has nearly 300,000 Twitter followers. His funny, off-the cuff tweets make him worth keeping up with.
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