Tyson Fury’s social media blackout: The impact and connection between social media and mental health

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Tyson Fury
(Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)

Over the years, social media has become a tool for athletes to enhance their visibility. It is used to promote an event or a cause, connect with fans, or just for good fun. For Tyson Fury, he has been known to be extremely active on social media.

The WBC heavyweight champion will fight Dillian Whyte on Saturday from inside Wembley Stadium in England. Known for being outspoken, Fury has called out Whyte and Anthony Joshua in the past on social media. During workouts, he goes on rants, whether about his opponent or life in general. Recently, he decided to go on a social media blackout to prepare for the Whyte fight.

“I’m about to go off social media completely for the next 8 1/2 weeks,” Fury said at the beginning of camp. “Going to go into training camp to give Dillian Whyte all the respect in the world. I’ll train for him like he's Muhammad Ali and I’m Bruce Lee for this camp. I never underestimated anybody in my life, and I give this man all the respect he deserves coming in as the number one ranked WBC heavyweight challenger in the world today.

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“Please don’t phone me, call me, email me, text me or try to contact me in any single way, because I am out of bounds until May. For a fantastic time, I will see you all at the press conference, and I’ll be training away. Please appreciate my privacy and space. Until the press conference, guys, I should see you all soon.”

Fury has only broken his silence once, stating that he would knock Whyte out during their upcoming fight. Whyte has not been involved in any aspect of promoting the fight except for a recent virtual news conference. He has not even used social media. The way Fury is handling the bout, especially on and off social media, has been extremely on brand for the man born in Wythenshawe.

Why exactly did Fury commence a media blackout? It could be to simply not be distracted. In a similar scenario, Joe Burrow blocked out all social media before Super Bowl 56. During Super Bowl media week, The Sporting News’ Karisa Maxwell spoke with sports psychologist Dr. Michael Gervais, who had a few ideas as to why Burrow or Fury turn everything off to step back leading up to big moments.

“There are a couple of ideas at play,” Gervais said. “The first principle that we work from is signal-to-noise ratio. People who are committed to mastering their craft ... are working to get to the signal. Negate out as much of the noise as they possibly can. Social media, for the most part, is noise. We over-rotate and over-index what people are thinking about us. When that starts to creep and seep in, it can really undo someone's psychology. … The signal is always in the present moment. You only get one moment now to attend something, and if you’re attending to noise, it’s a hard way to go through life.”

MORE: Tyson Fury considers retirement after Dillian Whyte fight

Gervais also said that sometimes it can be overwhelming for an athlete to deal with the noise of social media. One has to master control of the network and those around you.

Fury made his pro debut in 2008. An English, British, European and Commonwealth heavyweight champion, Fury made himself known when he beat Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 for the WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring heavyweight titles. A lineal champion, Fury ended up dealing with personal issues related to drugs and alcohol.

He returned in 2018 and has been better than ever. After fighting Deontay Wilder to a draw, he beat Wilder in a rematch in February 2020 for the WBC title. Fury won the trilogy fight against Wilder in October via knockout to retain the title.

Before returning to action and even between his recent run, Fury has been open about his mental health. That is one of the key aspects he discusses on social media. “The Gypsy King” attempts to make an impact on a child or someone going through a rough time each time he posts on social media or is at a news conference.

Fury, Simone Biles, Burrow and other athletes have an opportunity to help the world through healing internally and externally, Gervais said.

MORE: Dillian Whyte warned ahead of April 23 Tyson Fury fight

“Mental health is at the foundation of becoming the best versions of yourselves,” he said. “If we don’t invest in the quality of our inner life, what’s our future look like? I am absolutely floored by the courage and the brilliance of the best performers on the planet right now waving their arms to say, ‘Yeah, the mental part of my life matters. I’m going to do something about it, I need your help.’ On and on and on, these extraordinary athletes are saying this is part of the condition. ‘You can’t treat me as an object anymore. I am no longer going to sacrifice my inner life to make the goals of the club.’

“I love the moment that we are in. … We can train our mental skills, and they (the athletes) are making psychology cool. There are three ways to become more aware of your inner life: meditation, journaling and conversations with people of wisdom.”

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Daniel Yanofsky is a combat sports editor at The Sporting News.
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