PORT ST. LUCIE, FL – MARCH 08: Pete Alonso #20 of the New York Mets in action against the Houston Astros during a spring training baseball game at Clover Park on March 8, 2020 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The Mets defeated the Astros 3-1. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso is done with social media for now.
It’s an admirable approach for a player who had been fairly active — at least on Twitter — engaging with the Mets fanbase as they cheered him on during his explosive rookie season in 2019. However, dealing with the everyday emotions of a fanbase is already exhausting for professional athletes. To keep up with that presence on social media regularly can get the best of even the most sound mind.
Alonso isn’t necessarily done with social media for good, but he’s taking this break in stride, even commenting on it publicly.
“I think that real life is just absolutely fantastic. … I want to spend every second soaking in every single day, because every single new day is a blessing. … I want to just live in real life,” Alonso said, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
Is Pete Alonso onto something? Is social media bad for us?
For those who get their value from social media, yes, it can detract from everyday life. As someone who isn’t as lucky as Alonso, I’m forced to pay attention to social media daily for my job. Without it, I couldn’t provide you with such important news like…Pete Alonso leaving social media!
Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and the like are wonderful additions to daily life, but they can be overwhelming. This is especially true for a young ballplayer like Alonso, who at just 26 years old is still rounding into his full potential as the face of the Mets lineup. Baseball-reference projects Alonso to hit 39 home runs this season, after taking a small step back in 2020, hitting just .230 in that shortened campaign.
Eliminating one potential distraction while preparing for an important Mets season isn’t a bad tactic by Alonso. We’ll see if it works out for him.