Game changer

How the use of Social Media is Building Player and Fan Connections

Social Media has been a “ground breaking” platform for sports. Viewers are now able to view games live via social media. They can also watch replays, highlights videos on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. 

By athletes being able to do this it has helped all aspects of sports. It helps brands, teams and other aspects related to sport be promoted in addition to companies own advertisements of their products. 

Fans are able to be more engaged in sports via social media. They can comment on posts, like a post, share a post etc. Fans are also able to follow their favorite athletes to get a view of what athletes’ personal lives are like. By viewing professional athletes’ personal life, fans feel more engaged with their favorite athletes. Fans also at times buy products their favorite athletes use. 

An interesting point was brought up by Heidi Browning (Senior Executive VP & Chief Marketing Officer-NHL) in the article “Consuming Traditional Sports Non-Traditionally,” posted on Sports Business Journal, regarding Gen Z. Browning states, “  Gen Z is reliant on technology and are the ones companies are focused on. In the same article, Chris Marina

, (Chief Operations & Strategy Officer- MLB), also states how Generation Z doesn’t care as much about the actual sports but more so the connections with the athletes. Gen Z is known for their short attention spans and only wanting to watch quick highlights. Older people are also starting to take on these traits as well. 

Since fans focus seems to be wanting to connect with players as much as possible, organizations have developed other ways for fans to do so. The MLB has created an MLB Film Room, where viewers can select highlights and create their own highlight reels as well as being able to select a certain category such as curveballs and watch highlights on the chosen focus. This allows younger fans as an educational tool and as a means to also improve their own game, all while being inspired by professional athletes. 

Tik Tok seems to be the focus for many organizations when using social media currently. Trends are constantly changing and allows for organizations to go with the current trends since fans tend to enjoy the ever-changing content from Tik Tok. Tik Tok also allows fans to get recognized by athletes, teams, organizations, and celebrities. 

Although there are many benefits when it comes to social media in sport, there are also some negatives. Athletes’ reputations can be greatly damaged quickly by posting something controversial or that shows them in a negative light instead of the high standard they are expected to be for fans.