Hello readers! I am writing this blog to research and highlight sports organizations and athletes that are using social media the right way.
My first post is going to highlight a sport that’s a little foreign to me. It’s a sport that’s still trying to earn its props here in the U.S. However it’s a sport that has a tremendous presence on social media, namely one called Twitter.
When Most Americans think of “football”, they probably think of the Super Bowl, Lambeau Field, Cowboys vs. Redskins, or maybe Pittsburgh Steeler Troy Polamalu’s long curly locks. The Harris Poll states that American football is overwhelmingly the most popular sport in the United States with 35% of Americans voting it their favorite (“America’s pastime” baseball is a distant second with 12%) However, American football is only really popular in North America.
Association football, better known in the U.S. as soccer, is the most popular sport in the world with (billions) of fans spanning the globe.
To put things into perspective, CBS News reported that this year’s Super Bowl was the most watched television event in U.S. television history with 111.5 million viewers. In comparison, the 2010 FIFA World Cup championship match between the Netherlands and Spain reached over 619.7 million in-home viewers and in-home television coverage of the entire event reached over 3.2 billion people (roughly 46.4% of the world.)
Also, most Americans probably wouldn’t guess that in 2013, three of the five most followed athletes on Twitter in the world are footballers. Price, Farrington, and Hall’s state in their article in Soccer & Society that Christiano Ronaldo (18.7 m) and Kaka (15.7m) take the top positions in terms of followers, and trump NBA superstar Lebron James’s 8.5 million followers.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Soccer organizations are using this huge following on Twitter of their athletes and official club pages to promote their brand and facilitate interactions with fans. Clubs such as those in the English Premier League are not only using the platform to increase traffic to their own websites and publications, but to really connect with fans in a more personal and direct way.
Twitter, the 140 word micro blogging social media platform, is giving athletes the opportunity to totally bypass the traditional media like never before and letting players taking the reigns of telling the story and reaching out to their fans.
For example, there’s a great story from Sam Laird on Mashable.com about English soccer player Tyrone Mings reaching out to a fan who didn’t have the money to watch Ming’s team play in person.
Tryone Mings
Tris Monk contacted the Ipswich Town FC player on Twitter by tagging him in a post saying he wish he had tickets for the match. Mings saw the post, sent Monk a message, and the two started a conversation ending with Mings leaving Monk two tickets for the game.
This is a great example of how Twitter is lending itself to building personal connections between organizations and athletes and their fans. The service’s ability to help make organizations and athletes accessible and transparent is changing the fan experience for the better.
Best of Sports Social Media 
This article is a great example of showing the benefits of social media! A lot of organizations and celebrities love the use of social media to get a better perspective on their viewership and to establish an intimate conversation with their fans! The reference of Tris Monk being able to connect to his fans is awesome, but you also expressed the fact that he was able to have a conversation with one of them and be able to send tickets to those who couldn’t afford any! Social media is changing and evolving this generation so greatly, that it’s good to see that it isn’t just popular in the newer generation but also in the sport society as well!
You make a great point in this post! “Football” is so huge globally, and too often in the U.S. do we forget how large it’s fan base is. I was shocked to read that three of the top five most followed athletes on Twitter play soccer! It’s just something we’re not used to as Americans, especially since we’re so engrossed in our own American sports, like American football, baseball and lacrosse. I’m very impressed by celebrities and athletes that reach out to their fans, and social media has proven to be such a great way of connecting them with their fans! Thanks for sharing!
I was shocked that these soccer players had more followers on Twitter than some American football and basketball players! We have to keep in mind that we are not only a national community, but a global community as well. I think that these soccer players are doing the right thing by having a Twitter account. It allows them to be transparent to their fans and spectators, something that is desired in this social world. It makes them seem more like “real” human beings, and people can relate to that much better. I was definitely impressed by Tyrone Mings’ Twitter interaction—I would be floored if a celebrity told me that they were going to leave me tickets to a premiere or a sold out sporting event!
Bryan, your blog is really fascinating and intriguing thus far and I can’t wait to read more from you! I love the design and layout of your site, your use of white space is really great while the color scheme is pleasing and relevant to your topic. Very nice! Getting on to your article, Twitter has become the new hangout for many, many athletes. How many athletes do you follow on Twitter? (I follow you!) Also, how do you think the impact on the fan base is changing as the social media platforms that are being used by the athletes are changing? For the better or worse?
I apologize for misspelling your name, Brian!