Social media is changing the social dynamic of baseball clubhouses

iPads have replaced cards as the pregame ritual, and the Chicago Tribune‘s Fred Mitchell has picked up on this trend in a recent column.

As a freelance sports reporter, I’ve covered a few Chicago White Sox games this season, and I can attest to the pervasiveness of Words With Friends in the clubhouse. Rather than break out a cumbersome Scrabble board, the players face off virtually as some guys stream movies and others check email.

Omar Vizquel, the 44-year-old White Sox shortstop, has seen the way technology has worked its way into the game. He told the Tribune:

“In a way, it’s good because of the knowledge … you start picking it up more. You get a lot of useful information sometimes that can help you when you take the field. Like if you want to find out about a player on another team. … How is his condition? How is his leg or his arm? You are aware of what is going on. Before, we didn’t have that information.