Social Media and Professional Sports

In recent years, social has become almost an extension of a brand. A perfect example of this lies in professional sports. Social media in professional sports is a two way street. Not only does it allow for fans to engage with a game, specific player, or team, but it also allows for those teams and players to reach out right back. Professional sports leverage social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and recently even Snapchat for marketing to their consumer. For the sports marketer, social media can be a powerful tool. With blogs replacing newspapers and sideline reporters making their way onto Twitter, the integration of sporting events and social media is evident. Social media provides users with real-time updates, scores, and statistics for every team, all day every day.

Social media has changed the way teams interact with their fans and how players can build their personal brand(which I will get to momentarily). Fans are talking about teams and players throughout multiple forms of social media, and those teams and players have finally taken notice and have jumped into the discussion. Teams are now using platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to leverage game engagement with both fans and consumers, which increases their overall brand likeness. Using social media for teams and players does not just allow for them to persuade the fan into behaving in a certain manner, but it is a tool to humanize their brand and create a more efficient brand image. 

Let me take you through some personal observations and some research about the main 4 leagues. The NFL is the professional sports league that is most socially active. The Philadelphia Eagles are the most social of the NFL teams, having the largest Twitter network of all. MLB is the second most active socially, where the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees have the most followers. The NBA is the third most social league, where the Los Angeles Lakers have the most social network. The NHL is the fourth most social league where the New Jersey Devils are the most social team, and the Montreal Canadians have the most followers. 

Week by week, professional sports leagues, and their teams are learning new ways to take advantage of social media. Not only to promote initiatives, but also to strengthen fan engagement and loyalty. It is interesting to me to see what new directions will occur in the next couple of years regarding sports and their use of social media.

Now I want to get even more specific and talk about how professional athletes engage with their personal fans and how they build their personal brand on social media. As an avid sports fan I used to think to myself, "I wonder what my favorite player is thinking or is like when not on the field or court." Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have allowed someone like me and others to look into the selective thoughts and activities of professional athletes. Social media provides professional athletes with many benefits such as interacting with their fans easily and improving their images. On the flip side, it can not only damage their brand but also create issues with the player’s team. At times, the positive intention can be misinterpreted negatively based on certain circumstances.

Just like I did with the different leagues and teams, off of some research I want to show you some of the most popular professional athletes on social media platforms, The top 5 athletes in the world (based on Facebook likes and Twitter followers) are Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Ricardo Kaka, and David Beckham-- who, shockingly, are all soccer players. They round out the top 5 averaging around 55 million fans. Lebron James, who comes in at number 7, is the first athlete on the list who doesn't play professional soccer. James tallies around 40 million fans between the two social media platforms. 

Also, like I had previously mentioned, a lot of professional athletes really have to be cognizant about anything and everything the do on their personal social media accounts do to the many factors it could possibly negatively effect. So a lot of the times, just like college athletics, teams will place social media policy and rules to prevent any sort of backlash on the athlete and their team. For example, the NFL's latest Twitter policy states that players, coaches, and other “inside” personnel are prohibited from “tweeting” either directly or through a third party during the 90 minute period before a game and for 90 minutes after all post-game media interviews have been concluded. The NBA has similar social networking policies to the NFL. According to the NBA's social media policy, players, coaches, and team personnel are prohibited from using cell phones and other handheld devices during games (including timeouts and halftime) and for 45 minutes before and after each game. In addition, the NBA policy states that each NBA team may adopt their own supplemental rules with regard to practices, team meetings, and other team events. The MLB lines of conduct regarding social media are similar to that of the previously mentioned NFL and NBA. MLB prohibits the use of electronic equipment during the period beginning thirty minutes prior to a game and ending upon the conclusion of a game. When athletes violate the league rules for social media use, their misconduct is penalized by the ruling league or the team in which they are a member. The penalties for these violations come in the form of suspension from future games or monetary fines, or a combination of these two.

I hope this gives you an inside look as to how important social media is for professional sports, teams and players. One wrong move and there could be backfire for a very long period of time. Or if you make the right moves on social media accounts, that could result into your team increasing likeness and a positive outlook on your team brand.