Warriors G Stephen Curry "turned into one of the most influential voices in public health" on Sunday night when he took to Twitter to remind his millions of followers to follow CDC guidelines, serving as a "remarkable example of one of sports’ biggest names using his social media for good," according to Cohen & Robinson of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Curry "sounded like a spokesman" for the CDC. He "encouraged followers to maintain a distance of six feet from others," reminded them to wash their hands with soap and water, and "even implored them to 'flatten the curve.'" Curry’s video had 2.2 million views on Twitter and 1.4 million views on Instagram by noon yesterday. His wide reach shows sports stars are "succeeding where many government officials have failed," while the "successful government officials include the ones who have leaned on sports stars for help." Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards "enlisted" LSU football coach Ed Orgeron, and what Orgeron said in a one-minute spot released by the governor’s office "may have been the first time anyone outside Louisiana understood him." Portugal and Juventus F Cristiano Ronaldo, to his 83 million followers on Twitter and 207 million on Instagram, said, "It is important we follow the advice of WHO (World Health Organization)" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/17).
ON CAMPUS: In Raleigh, Brian Murphy notes Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, UNC's Roy Williams and N.C. State's Kevin Keatts starred in a new North Carolina "public service announcement about the pandemic." North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper posted the short commercial on his Twitter page last night. Williams at the end of the PSA says, "We live in a strong and resilient state. We can beat this, but we all must play on the same team right now" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 3/17).
