Sports in Social Media

Sports have been around for many centuries. Until recently we have been seeing a trend were social media has come into play. Twitter, Facebook and MySpace has gotten the attention of the sports industry as a whole. The next question everyone wants to know is where we go from here? Social media took the sports industry by storm in 2009. The sports industry was blindsided by social media networks. Athletes, coaches and fans have played a major role in the way social media was used. Athletes such as Chad Ochocino, Shaq, A Rod and Serena Williams have all tweeted during their sporting event. Mark Cuban owner of Dallas Mavericks has also fell into the social media light by using twitter to get some of his points across. Fans benefit the most form this whole social media experience. Fans are able to get an in depth look inside the life of an athlete.
One of the major issues faced with sports and social media is the way other media outlets cover the story. ESPN one of the top sports providers have ran into a little trouble trying to cover a story before an athlete tweets. The problem with this is that ESPN feel that they cannot get a full inside story due to the fact that a fan would have already received the information through a social media outlet. Another scare that media outlets feel will hurt them in the long run, is that a fan would rather follow an athlete on twitter than watch them perform on the field. To answer the question where we go from here? It is only a matter of time to see who will fall first social media or the athletes. If you are a true fan you will follow your favorite athlete rather it be using social media or another media outlet source.
“There has been no shortage of stories on athletes using Twitter and social media to further their personal agendas. Athletes have embraced the opportunity to connect directly with fans via Twitter and other social media tools. Many pro athletes have their own Twitter streams or Facebook fan pages, but only a few have figured out how to capture the ever-elusive money-maker of social media fan engagement” (Lewis, 2010). Many athletes today do not recognize how important it is to build a strong relationship with fans. Some athletes are the face of there franchise and represent the organization as a whole. “Athletes are raising their personal profiles, independent of their teams, and creating social identities that could drive and support future business opportunities” (Grove, 2009). Athletes are connecting with fans like never before. Now that athletes have broken the barrier of with using social media other media outlets are soon to follow. Sports reports can now take a twist at how they cover an athlete. With the use of social media reporters can get a first hand interview about an athlete before he or she finishes their event. “NFL teams are unapologetic when it comes to picking through the lives of prospective players. And with the tentacles of the Internet extending further than ever into the lives of athletes, online information has offered a wealth of fresh ammunition for teams. Whether it’s networking sites like Facebook, Myspace or Twitter, personal blogs, or just the random bits of information that can be found with an hour of free time and a powerful Internet search engine, NFL teams are gleefully delving into new cracks and corners that didn’t exist even a decade ago” (Robinson, 2010).
Along with the good comes the bad many athletes have ran in to trouble using social media networks such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. College athletes sometimes get hit the hardest when it comes to dealing with social media. In college many athletes fall short to finishing there season due to harsh punishment set up by the NCAA. “For their part, draft picks are becoming more aware about the NFL’s watchful eye. Part of it stems from college, where the NCAA and most major college programs sit down their athletes and lay out parameters for what they can and can’t put on the Internet. Some colleges have discussed banning social networking sites altogether, but there has yet to be such a move by schools in major conferences like the Big Ten, Pac-10, SEC and others. However, Big 12 rivals Texas and Oklahoma each dismissed players last year after inflammatory items appeared on Facebook and YouTube, respectively”. (Robinson, 2010) Some of these punishments range from game suspensions, being released from the team and loss of scholarships. “Athletes themselves may suffer slightly at the hands of the media, or their team, but their online presence is only heightened should they create a social stir” (Grove, 2009). Just to name a few athletes that have received punishments for Tweeting are Shaq, Dwight Howard, Chad Ochocinco, Shaun Merriman and Antonio Cromartie. “In many ways, NFL teams have no choice but to keep tabs on what has begun to filter out onto websites. With the rise of powerful blogs like Deadspin and ProFootballTalk.com, rarely does an embarrassing photo or damaging information go unnoticed. In recent years, it has become common to see suggestive photos of some of the NFL’s high profile players. Party pictures of high draft picks like Matt Leinart and Vince Young have leaked out over the last two seasons and helped form a media and fan perception of those players. But they haven’t been alone. Look hard enough and you can find “social” photos of half the league’s starting quarterbacks – Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Kyle Orton, and many others” (Robinson, 2010). Fans such as myself wonder does these fines really hurt the athlete? Personally I feel that a player should not be fined for Tweeting as long as it in the scope of the organization. An athlete should be able to have a little freedom with the social media spotlight as long as they are performing on the field.
“Whether it’s a sports teams using a Facebook fan page, professional athletes on Twitter, sports agencies trying to promote their brand from blogging, sports management programs looking to recruit new students, or other sports organizations looking to find ways to increase sales and drive profit. Do they fully understand social media and are they ready to include it in their game? Sports agencies think social media is a waste of time, or even sports PR and marketing companies believing social media in sports should not be used, period” (Howes, 2009)“.The social web provides an unprecedented opportunity for sports marketers. Sports are going more social every day and why marketers need to take notice now. The market is moving fast and sports properties need to get in on the game and develop a long-term play. There is no better return on investment than to build your fan base than utilizing social media. Our individual passions for teams, players and leagues will create millions upon millions of social actions acting as megaphones to cost effectively build your awareness on the backs of your most passionate fans” (Bradford, 2009).
The NBA still tops the social media world followed by the NFL, NASCAR, NHL and BMX. This just goes to show you how much respect that fans show towards their favorite sport. Fans are the most important part of this equation because fans are loyal to players. Without each other social media will not survive with just the athletes tweeting themselves. Networking sites have tried to come up with a way to get fans more involved in the game without tweeting or using Facebook. One way organizations have helped with connecting fans to athletes is the use of fantasy sports leagues. This is a way that fans can actually get a firsthand look on how to draft players and run a team of star players. There are a lot of fantasy leagues now out there for everyone, the sports range from baseball to hockey and every sport in-between. Personally I feel that this is a win win situation for fans, athletes and the social media networks sites. “Social media has gone mainstream with 52 million users in the US alone on Facebook and over 175 million worldwide. One of the most immediate opportunities appears to be creating an official Facebook page for the NFL or MLB. The NBA dominates and with over 560,000 fans. In the last week alone (since Feb 24th) they have grown over 16,700 fans, an impressive 3% gain in one week. A recent study found the top five reasons that young consumers gave for joining a brand or fan group were to “get news or product updates” (67%), “view promotions” (64%), “view or download music or videos” (41%), “submit opinions” (36%) and “connect with other customers” (33%) according to a new study from The Participatory Marketing Network and the Lubin School of Business’ Interactive and Direct Marketing Lab at Pace University” (Bradford, 2009).
The way the sport industry took off in 2009 it’s only a matter of time to see what will happen with social media in 2010. As a true sports fan I would love to see the sports industry and social media continue to excel in the coming future. Today with all the technology I’m just amazed at how many people have fell into the social media circle. The way that athletes have contributed to this movement it has made life easier for fans to follow their favorite teams and athletes. I feel that this is a good look for all the social media networks as well as the sports industry as a whole.

Football Pre- Game pep talk.

All my life I have played the game of football. One of the most exciting things about the game is the pre game pep talk. The pep talk allows you to get in game mode right before you head on the field for battle. These movie clips energize me, they make me want to strap on the helmet and go to war one more time. I hope you guys enjoy.

This is Tha Site!

One of the things I like to do when I'm bored besides playing sports is to watch it on television. Sometimes i get a little caught up in the action and miss out on other games. This is when I go to my favorite web site espn . Sports is a big part of my life and I enjoy every aspect of the game. This site not only gets you caught up on the action it actually allows you to be apart of the game. For example, fantasy football gives you the opportunity to become a player-coach.

About Me! Mr. Prather

A little about me, I am a senior majoring in Sports Management with a minor in Mass Communications. I transferred in to UWG from Allen University in Columbia, S.C. I am passionate about football, I would one day love to coach and plan to educate children. Hobbies include reading, playing football, and spending time with my family.

The reason I am taking this course is so that when I graduate the things that I learn in this class I will be able to apply them into the field I decide to go in. The sport industry is growing day to day and creating blogs about different athletes and teams will be a fun challenge.