‘Coward’s palace’: Basketball legend slams social media

Australian basketball legend Shane Heal has long criticised social media as a “coward’s palace” that allows people to post harmful comments with no repercussions.

Heal represented the Boomers at four Olympics amid a 20-year pro career spanning Australia, Europe and the NBA, and captained the Sydney Kings to their first NBL title.

Yet his life took a dark turn when he was charged with fraud in 2018, before the case was dropped.

He spent three years trying to prove his innocence, not least in the court of public opinion, where his name was dragged through the mud – largely on social media.

Heal has backed the Unplug24 initiative, challenging people to stay off social platforms for 24 hours on October 24.

“ … we all must be aware of the very sad and devastating effects social media can have on anyone, including our kids,” said the father of three, whose daughter Shyla also became a basketball pro.

“I have been vocal about the need for social media companies to have a system where everyone must register using their true identity.

Unplug24 was inspired by the tragic suicide of Mac Holdsworth, who died at age 17 after being trapped by online sexual extortion. The campaign was launched by Mac’s father Wayne, the CEO of Frankston District Basketball Association, in Victoria.

Four-time Olympian David Andersen, Frankston basketball’s greatest product, said the community was devastated by Mac’s passing.

“It was a horrific surprise. You never imagine it will happen to someone you know,” Andersen said.

Holdsworth has earned even greater admiration in Frankston for building something positive from his devastating loss.

“A lot of people would bow down and go on a spiral to bad ways, but credit to Wayne’s strength of character, he turned it into putting a lot of attention and energy into that and hopefully raising a bit more awareness,” said Andersen, himself a father of three.

“Social media is now an integral part of sports and life in general I suppose, people are always going to do it and look at what’s going on around them. But some people would call it like a drug, because it is quite addictive. You see kids get lost in it and they can’t put it down.

“I catch myself, I open up the phone and the first app to open is Instagram or Facebook. I think, ‘Why am I doing this?’ Developers are very good at enticing you in and they don’t put all the disclaimers around it.”

Unplug24: What the national day of action is and how you can get involved

Andersen is one of Australia’s most decorated basketballers and signed off from playing by winning an NBL title with Melbourne United in 2021. He is glad that he did not start his career in the 24/7 social media era, where there is brutally relentless scrutiny on players.

“One hundred per cent,” he said. “I go through a mentoring thing with some of the (NBL) Next Star guys talking about it.

“They get it at the highest levels. You talk about kids in the Next Star program trying to make the NBA, and there’s mock drafts going around and guys talking s–t about what level they’re at, all the pitfalls and why they’ve slipped. It’s quite harming for the kids, they can lose their focus and get depressed from it.

“It’s like airing dirty laundry.”

Originally published as Unplug24: ‘Coward’s palace’: Basketball legend Shane Heal slams social media