At Fluid Media we have two topics that we love to talk about .. Sports and Social Media, and as the two start to intertwine we look at a myriad of opportunities for those associated with sports to use the tools of social media to strengthen and expand their community, or in their vernacular, fan base.
Sports organizations have not embraced the features to any great degree yet, but for entities ranging from professional teams to youth organizations there are ways to ensure the participants and fans can be integrated into the efforts.
At this stage there are many more sports bloggers who provide insights into the workings of the teams that they cover, than the actual teams or organizations themselves. Some of our favorites are JB_Launchingpad, Coryh64, DodgersBlog, Ducksnorts … even an auto racing blogger on twitter, Brutonnb.
For the younger generation of professional athletes, Cameron postulates that by developing and nourishing a group of followers, the athlete will gain an advantage in terms of landing lucrative endorsement contracts. Nascar auto racing is a perfect example of how the fan and player already interact and allegiances are formed, but now with social media tools the drivers who connect at a more personal level will have a long term benefit for their team and their own success. For example, Joey Logano is a rookie Cup Driver who we have had some connection with in the past, we could see him participating directly in social media, providing insights into the inner workings of the race team, communicating directly with the fans and growing a more engaged community in order to reach the pinnacle of the racing elite. In this sport in particular, success can be measured by how well you race and how well you develop a fan following.
As an early tactic for building these greater communities, sports organizations could provide a more in depth look at the action on the field through the eyes of the participants. Why not have an after the game breakdown by an “insider” with details and analysis on a forum, blog or a live chat session with Q&A. In order for it to be truly unique transparent dialogue that is the hallmark of social media, it can’t be a marketing or broadcast person assigned to interpret the situations. It must be an participant’s point of view that will gain a loyal following.
For the amateur sports or organizations such as the Cape Cod Baseball League, social media can lend itself to assisting in fund raising, maintaining top of mind awareness during the off seasons, and generating excitement for the players who will be participating on that team during the upcoming season.
This is a topic that we will focus in on with much more specificity detailing specific sports and levels of organization.
But in the spirit of the holidays, here’s to hoping that all of the listeners to the Overflow podcast have a very special season. We truly appreciate all of you tuning in while we work through this new media, and wish you significant success in 2009!
