Nowitzki

    

A related blog post was inevitable with the World Series here in North Texas.  Right now the Rangers are up 3-2 with a game tonight in St. Louis if the weather holds.   Now to the "related" post. 

The power of social media continues to grow, and Major League Baseball’s debacle with Dirk Nowitzki’s first pitch provides an excellent backdrop of the ease of which a grass roots movement can grow in a few hours or even days. 

On October 19, 2011, ESPN reported that Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki was nominated by the Texas Rangers to throw out the first pitch at Game 3 of the World Series in Arlington. The MLB denied the request. It remains unclear what the basis for the “nixing” was, but many speculated that it related to the ongoing labor strife between in professional basketball

Twitter then went into full effect with the #letdirkpitch:

 

 

 

 

That generated more uproar amongst local media and criticism from all. Ultimately, someone made the decision that Dirk could pitch:

 

 

Once again, another example of social media and its ability to mobilize public opinion and criticism quickly and lead to change.