We’re just two weeks into 2011, yet between NBA trade rumors, the BCS National Championship game, and the NFL Playoffs, we’ve already experienced a lot of excitement. Here are some of my early favorite tweets from the world of sports in 2011.

Blake Griffin, Professional Athlete, LA Clippers (@blakegriffin)

“I know everyone is saying this but have a safe new years don’t drink and drive… and please don’t drink and tweet!” – Dec. 31, 2010

Why Included: Good to see the young man recognize that driving isn’t the only thing that can get you in trouble after consuming alcohol. Also, have you seen Griffin’s top 10 dunks? NASTY!

Darren Rovell, Host of “Sports Biz With Darren Rovell, CNBC (@darrenrovell)

“I know they’re supposed to impartial, but sponsor Tostitos has to be rooting for a coach named Chip” – Jan 10, 2011

“Nike: Oregon’s neon socks from last night’s game are not available @ retail. Sorry to disappoint the THREE of you” – Jan 11, 2011

Why Included: Witty commentary after January 10th’s BCS National Title game. Also, I highly recommend anyone reading this site follow Darren Rovell. Fantastic sports biz commentary.

Adam Schefter, NFL Analyst, ESPN (@AdamSchefter)

“Newly-acquired WRs Anquan Boldin and T.J. Houshmandzadeh were supposed to be the difference for the Ravens. They were.” - Jan 15 2011

Why Included: Boldin and Housh were brought on by the Ravens to make big plays in big games. Both had significant 4th quarter drops that contributed big time to their team’s season-ending loss.

Carmelo Anthony, Professional Athlete, Denver Nuggets (@carmeloanthony)

“some people kills me softly like Lauren Hill. I tell u.” – Jan 9 2011

“Born in Brooklyn, Manufactured in Bmore. Point blank period” – Jan 15 2011

Why Included: Amid trade rumors, it’s been interesting to follow Carmelo Anthony.

Bill Simmons, Sports Writer, ESPN (@sportsguy33)

“Congrats to Auburn for winning the 2011 title. And congrats in advance to Oregon for winning it retroactively in 2013.” – Jan 10 2011

Why Included: It’s been widely speculated that Auburn QB Cam Newton has participated in illegal activities that may very well come back to haunt him, and Auburn, down the line. Plus, Bill Simmons is worth following in general.

Greg Aiello, Public Relations, NFL (@gregaiello)

“To confirm what’s being reported: Ray Anderson contacted multiple clubs this week so they could remind players…” – Jan 15 2011

“..comments of a physically threatening nature are always taken into account in evaluating discipline for illegal physical contact on field.” – Jan 15 2011

Why Included: After escalating trash talk during the week, the NFL decided to let the Jets & Pats, in particular, know that they were taking a no-nonsense attitude on the field. Cool to see the tweet from the NFL PR guy.

Kevin Durant, Professional Athlete, OKC Thunder (@KDthunderup)

“Scarlett johanneson I will drink ur bath water…#random“ - Jan 16 2011

Why Included: Just ridiculous.

Santonio Holmes, Professional Athlete, NY Jets (@santonio10)

“Knock! Knock! IM BAAAAACCCCK!” – Jan 16 2011

Why Included: After his team’s big playoff win against the Pats, Holmes tweeted to let his former team (Steelers) & city (Pittsburgh) know that he was excited to see them in the AFC Championship game. I like it.

What did I miss? Let me know in the comments below, and here’s to a twerrific 2011!

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About Sam Taggart

Sam is a Creative Strategist for VaynerMedia, a social media agency based in New York City. Sam previously worked as an Account Executive for the New York Jets as well as the New Jersey Nets and spent time working with former NBA player Jalen Rose as well as NFL safety Kerry Rhodes. He now focuses on creative strategy across VaynerMedia's portfolio. You can follow Sam at http://twitter.com/gosam & visit VaynerMedia at http://www.vaynermedia.com.

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2010 was a big year in the world of sports and social media, as leagues, teams, individual athletes, and sports fans alike began to truly understand and harness the power of social platforms. For me, 2010 was the year when social media went mainstream in the world of sports. There were many highlights, too many to name. But when I thought back on this year, these five moments stood out (in chronological order):

Pepsi Decides Against Ads in Superbowl 44

Earlier this year, Pepsi decided against running ads in the Super Bowl, instead putting the $20 million towards social media, specifically the Pepsi Refresh Project. It was the first time in 23 years Pepsi did not have an ad featured in the year’s biggest game. They were not alone, as other major brands such as FedEx opted out as well. This year, Pepsi and other advertisers are flocking back to take part in SBXLV, despite the $3M cost for a 30-second spot. So, while the big game might still be too hard to pass for major advertisers, last year is a sign that it might not be that way for long.

Bonus: “How Social Media is Changing the Super Bowl”

2010 Olympics

The Olympics games in Vancouver this year were deemed by many to be the first “social” Olympics. In ’08, when the Summer games were being held in Beijing, social media was not nearly the monster it was as of earlier this year. Medal-winning athletes like Shaun White and Lindsey Vonn actively used social platforms over the course of the Olympics, and the games even had their own Facebook Page (now with 2+ million likes). The chatter on channels like Facebook and Twitter (along with hashtag #van2010) was insane because of the global magnitude of the event. I can’t wait for the 2012 Summer games in London!

The World Cup

This year’s second biggest Twitter trend? FIFA World Cup, and deservingly so. While it might not be too popular in the United States, soccer is the world’s biggest sport. Just a few impressive numbers and stats from the World Cup… The Vuvuzela app was the #1 downloaded app in the iTunes store in June. Coca Cola’s sponsored #WC2010 hashtag received 86 million impressions in 24 hours. While the official video appears to have been taken down, Nike’s “Write The Future” commercial (a must-watch) saw 19+ million views on Youtube. The world was watching soccer during June and July and using social media as an avenue to talk about their experiences.

LeBron James, “The Decision,” & “What Should I Do”

We all know about LeBron James and his decision to go to the Miami Heat. We all know about the prime time ESPN event he put on, and about the backlash he incurred. We all know about his “What Should I Do” video and some of the rebuttals he received for it. LeBron James was the top sports trend on Twitter this year, and for all the wrong reasons. While LBJ is still one of sports’ most well-known and loved athletes, he also happens to be one of sports’ biggest villains. His “What Should I Do” video has over 4.5 million views on Youtube. The highest rated comment?

“[explicit] YOU LEBRON YOU NO RINGED KING………CELTICS!!!!!!! 2010-2011 CHAMPS.“

It was quite the year for LBJ. And social media has allowed sports fans to tell the King just what they think about him.

Two of the World’s Biggest Athletes Join Twitter

On July 6th of this year, LeBron James sent his first tweet. Four months later, Tiger Woods sent his. Neither has done an extraordinary job with Twitter to this point, but the simple fact that they joined the platform was significant enough to make the cut. When two of the world’s biggest and most recognizable athletes join the world’s second most popular social network, it’s newsworthy.

In the four hours after LBJ joined Twitter, he’d already gained 25,000 followers. Now he has 1.14 million, while Tiger has a modest 361,000 followers. In the end, there’s not much to say, other than that two of the biggest athletes in the world decided to activate their social media presence, and that means a lot.

Thinking back on 2010, would your list be the same? Is there anything I missed that deserves to be in the top five? 2010 was full of many great moments in the world of sports and social media. Let’s talk about it below!

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About Sam Taggart

Sam is a Creative Strategist for VaynerMedia, a social media agency based in New York City. Sam previously worked as an Account Executive for the New York Jets as well as the New Jersey Nets and spent time working with former NBA player Jalen Rose as well as NFL safety Kerry Rhodes. He now focuses on creative strategy across VaynerMedia's portfolio. You can follow Sam at http://twitter.com/gosam & visit VaynerMedia at http://www.vaynermedia.com.

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“It’s plenty of money. When you hit a certain point, enough’s enough. It’s just a matter of where you’re comfortable, where you’re happy, where your family’s the most comfortable, what team gives you the best chance to win. At this point, it’s about trying to win championships. That’s really the No. 1 thing for me. I think this team gives me the best chance to do that. That’s really it.” – Cliff Lee, 12/15/2010

Earlier this week, baseball’s most sought after free agent pitcher, Cliff Lee, signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. All the speculation was that he would go with either the New York Yankees (who offered him a deal worth $150 million) or the Texas Rangers. Instead, Lee accepted a $120 million deal that will keep him in Philly for the next five years. “It feels great to land back here in Philadelphia,” Lee said at a news conference at Citizens Bank Park.

Lee pitched for the Phillies during the second half of the 2008-09 season, leading them to the World Series, where they would ultimately lose to the Yankees. After the ’09 postseason ended, the Phillies decided they would not re-sign Lee. He was shocked and saddened, almost in tears when he appeared on TV a day later. Philadelphia fans were upset as well. Lee was beloved by the fan base from the moment he arrived. Not only was he a workhorse on the mound, but he had a good personality, no-nonsense attitude, and an unquestionable desire to win. Even though the Phillies would sign Roy Halladay (arguably baseball’s best pitcher) later in the offseason, fans still mourned the loss of Lee… until Monday night.

The Phillies seemed to come out of nowhere in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, but that might not have been the case. At the news conference on Wednesday, Lee said, “I never wanted to leave here in the first place.” For me, Lee’s signing with the Phillies reinforced two valuable business concepts. They are:

Relationships mean everything (It’s not all about the money).

One of the biggest reasons Cliff Lee returned to Philadelphia was because of the positive relationships he developed here in 2009. In his half season with the Phillies, Lee formed a close bond with a lot of the players, coaches, and Phillies staff, many of whom were unhappy with Lee’s departure. They wanted him back as much as he wanted to be back. Lee also developed a great relationship with Philadelphia fans. When Lee nonchalantly caught a sky-high pop up during Game 1 of the World Series, the entire stadium (and Phillies fans around the world) erupted with joy. Lee has a swagger Philadelphians love. And he’s a winner. Fans have always wanted Lee to be a part of this staff, and you’ll see that this year when he pitches. Finally, this year during the playoffs, Lee was vocal about the fact that Yankees fans harassed and spit on his wife. Even though Lee says the incident had no impact on his decision, who would want to pitch in front of fans who once showed hatred towards him and his family?

All of these factored into Lee’s decision to come back to Philadelphia and reinforce a valuable aspect of business. Relationships mean a lot. People want to do business and work with others they get along with and trust. That’s why developing a sound network is so important. Even though Lee was offered $30 million more by the Yankees, his positive relationships with the Phillies organization and fans, mixed with his negative relationship with Yankees fans, led him to do business with the Phils. Similarly, any business deal can be affected by positive and negative relationships. People like doing business with friends.

Surround yourself with people and situations that allow you to thrive.

Another major reason Cliff Lee returned to Philly was because of the starting rotation the team had already assembled. Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels are all high-quality pitchers. By adding himself into the rotation, Lee was giving the Phillies one of the best starting rotations of all time. Who wouldn’t want to pitch with other great pitchers, who in turn give him the best chance to win? Who wouldn’t want some of the pressure taken off of them if they could? Also, by pitching in Philadelphia as opposed to New York, Lee would be playing in front of a crowd that already was in love with him, as opposed to a crowd he’d already had some negative experiences with. More than that, even, he’d be pitching for baseball’s most elite team in baseball’s biggest media market, with a less-than-great pitching staff around him, and a ton of pressure.

We are naturally more productive and effective in situations that are comfortable for us. When there are less nerves involved and when things feel more natural for us, we are more able to focus and more confident. Lee’s decision was partially driven by the fact that he’s happier in Philadelphia and believes that the Phillies give him the best chance to succeed personally and to win a championship. Similarly, we’re likely going to choose situations that allow us to be the best we can be personally, and succeed the most. It’s just the way it is. Businesses and business people make devisions like that all of the time.

What do you think about Lee’s decision to come back to Philadelphia? Have you seen the comparisons of Cliff Lee to Lebron James (Cliff Lee-bronJames)? Do you think there are ANY similarities? Personally, I’m a Phillies fan and could not be happier about Lee coming back to the team. Spring training can’t come soon enough!

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About Sam Taggart

Sam is a Creative Strategist for VaynerMedia, a social media agency based in New York City. Sam previously worked as an Account Executive for the New York Jets as well as the New Jersey Nets and spent time working with former NBA player Jalen Rose as well as NFL safety Kerry Rhodes. He now focuses on creative strategy across VaynerMedia's portfolio. You can follow Sam at http://twitter.com/gosam & visit VaynerMedia at http://www.vaynermedia.com.

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Before I start, let me say that monetization should be far from the first concern for a brand when deciding to engage on Facebook, or with any aspect of social media. Social media is primarily about developing meaningful relationships with fans and consumers. It provides brands with the ability to humanize themselves, engage with consumers in a one-to-one manner, create trust, address customer concerns, and more. In the end, effective use of social media can lead to sales and other forms of monetization. But it takes time and patience. In this post, I’ll highlight how sports brands (specifically) can profit financially from an active Facebook community.

Step 1: Build It

As you can probably tell from the title of this post, there is a necessary process involved in monetizing Facebook in the way I propose. The first step is to build an active, engaged, passionate, and large (in numbers) Facebook page. Among other things, this takes a lot of time. As Gary Vaynerchuk, my company’s cofounder, said in a talk earlier this week, “The ROI of social media is patience.” Brands have to understand that large-scale monetization of social media takes a lot of time and effort. It takes finding fans of your brand to come, giving them reason to stick around, responding to their comments and questions and concerns, and being consistent. Most importantly, it involves creating trust, and not selling to them for as long as possible. I could write a book about how to build a Facebook community, but the point is that the necessary first step is to build a community that is not only sizable, but engaged and active on a daily basis.

Step 2: They Will Come

We’re in the midst of a social media gold rush. Some brands are finding ways to create massive social media properties. Others are struggling to find their way (maybe Suzy was bitten by a snake or broke her leg, or one of your oxen fell ill – Oregon Trail anyone?). The second part of the process involves activating partners and sponsors. For the brands who have found success, opportunities will surface (and in many cases have already surfaced) for them to leverage their own community to help a partner/sponsor in exchange for some amount of value (monetary or otherwise).

An active community that has not been sold to repeatedly consists of receptive fans. If the page provides good content and consistent interactions, fans won’t mind sponsored elements, especially if they are not obtrusive to the overall experience. Some examples:

Branded Status Updates

The NBA has been activating sponsors through Facebook since last season. One way they have done so is through branded status updates that link to the sponsor’s Facebook page. They leverage their 6.8 million fans for partners while creating content that is not disruptive for the user.

In this example, the NBA created a series called “The No Sweat Poll” that is presented by a sponsor (Right Guard).

In another situation, the NBA simply promotes a tour they’ve partnered with HP Play to put on.

Each example garnered over 1,200 likes and a good number of comments. And in each example, the brand partner was linked to within the status update, meaning that they probably picked up some fans for themselves. Granted, this number is likely low, but the impression total (and brand awareness garnered) is quite high.

Branded Facebook Tabs

For the 2010-11 regular season, the New York Jets (full disclosure: a client of ours) have been running a campaign in order to encourage fans to generate content. The campaign is sponsored by Motorola, and the coinciding Facebook page has been branded heavily with Motorola imagery.

A branded tab that is then promoted to the community can create a lot of brand awareness. Motorola has been the season-long sponsor for this campaign and has been seen by tens, if not hundreds of thousands, of eyeballs. And fans don’t mind the sponsored aspect of the campaign since the sponsor is providing a fun experience and rewarding them with prizes.

In Conclusion

In this “If you build it, they will come” model, the “it” is a powerful Facebook page and the “they” are partners/sponsors. Brands are increasingly interested in social media and this trend will not die soon. It will be years until every brand utilizes social media and even longer until every brand knows how to build a community there. These partnership opportunities will always exist, and as social media is seen more and more as an essential aspect of marketing, the financial gain from these opportunities will increase.

Obviously, this model is not the only way to monetize via social media. Selling merchandise and tickets is another way, but it’s not always easy to sell through social. The teams, leagues, and players that continue to build highly trafficked and active Facebook communities will earn chances to partner with other brands and monetize in 2011 and beyond.

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About Sam Taggart

Sam is a Creative Strategist for VaynerMedia, a social media agency based in New York City. Sam previously worked as an Account Executive for the New York Jets as well as the New Jersey Nets and spent time working with former NBA player Jalen Rose as well as NFL safety Kerry Rhodes. He now focuses on creative strategy across VaynerMedia's portfolio. You can follow Sam at http://twitter.com/gosam & visit VaynerMedia at http://www.vaynermedia.com.

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Ah, Thanksgiving… Family. Turkey. Beer. Pumpkin pie. And football. For me, Thanksgiving is a day to spend with people I love, and to take a step back to think about all the things I have to be thankful for. What are you thankful for? At the top of my list are good health, happiness, family, and friends, without question. How lucky I am to have all of those things in my life. But what do you care? This is a blog about sports! And since it wouldn’t make any sense to write about those for this blog, I’ve decided to take a bit of a different angle.

Since football has become such an essential and inherent part of the Thanksgiving tradition, I thought it would be a good idea to share some of my favorite NFL-related Twitter accounts. These men, on a daily basis, provide fantastic and genuine content. And I highly recommend you follow them. So without further adieu, here are the five NFL related Twitter accounts I’m thankful for:

Jason La Canfora (@jasonlacanfora)

Jason is a reporter for the NFL. He has a blog on NFL.com which ironically hasn’t been updated in a while. Ironic because his Twitter account is incredibly active and engaging. Jason uses his account for news updates and @replies, but more importantly, he frequently retweets other football-related Twitter accounts. He’s just a great, all-around football news source. And I recommend you follow him. Now.

Chad Ochocinco (@ochocinco)

A classic choice, but what can I say? Ochocinco continues to impress. He’s consistently been one of the best athletes on Twitter, and his 1.4+ million followers prove it (thank you, Twitter suggested user list). He sends massive amounts of @replies, tweets photos and videos. Most importantly, Ochocinco is authentic. He is funny. He is rowdy (probably why he got suspended). And he is himself.

Note: Ochocinco tweeted from @ogochocinco until very recently. That account is now suspended.

Darnell Dockett (@ddockett)

Darnell Dockett is a professional football player for the Arizona Cardinals, but you’d never know it from his Twitter bio. “I wORk 4 WhoLE FOOdS,” he starts, “#90, PaRt tiMe StriPper, weIGHt room FreaK, I ate 2 rats along time ago, I study the movie BLOW , I see DEad peoPLE, I saw Your SEX tape!” Darnell doesn’t take himself too seriously, and that’s what makes him so great. He’s horribly candid, sometimes offensive, but like Ochocinco, he is himself. He talks to his followers, he tweets out things he thinks are funny, and he maintains his presence despite how his team is doing. The Cardinals haven’t had a great season so far. Last week, he tweeted, “I know all the Card fans are disappointed in our play this season and yall should be yall deserve better all we can do is Keep working!” Even if you don’t like Darnell, he uses Twitter the right way.

Adam Schefter (@adam_schefter)

Adam is an ESPN NFL insider and he is simply on top of his game. Because he often receives first word on breaking news, he is an absolutely amazing source for just that. Follow his account and get up to the minute information on injuries, trades, and league announcements. Further, Schefter provides his own insights on league happenings. My favorite recent tweet of his (in reaction to the Vikings’ beatdown this past weekend at the hands of the Packer), “Last time Green Bay humiliated an opponent as badly as it did to Minnesota today, Wade Phillips got fired on Monday.#justsayin.” What happened next? Vikings’ coach Brad Childress got fired.

Matt Higgins (@mhigginsjets)

I’m a little biased here since Matt is Executive Vice President of the New York Jets and the New York Jets are a client of ours, but Matt is doing a heck of a job. You don’t often see powerful sports executives using social media, but Matt is one of them, and he’s kicking butt. For one, he consistently engages with fans who talk to him. Most of his stream is full of @replies. He actually gives a crap about what fans say and ask, and his Twitter stream proves it. Other than that, Matt posts pictures, asks fans their thoughts on various things, and gives insights on the business of football. Since Matt is on the business side rather than the football operations side, his tweets are especially interesting.

Note: Even though Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) and Bill Simmons (@sportsguy33) are not football-exclusive, they’re fun to follow on Sundays.

While I hope none of you (Americans) are indeed reading this post on Thanksgiving Thursday (get off your computer, go enjoy the day with family and friends), I do want to thank you for taking the time to read this post, and any post of mine you’ve ever read for that matter. Enjoy your day and enjoy your football!

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About Sam Taggart

Sam is a Creative Strategist for VaynerMedia, a social media agency based in New York City. Sam previously worked as an Account Executive for the New York Jets as well as the New Jersey Nets and spent time working with former NBA player Jalen Rose as well as NFL safety Kerry Rhodes. He now focuses on creative strategy across VaynerMedia's portfolio. You can follow Sam at http://twitter.com/gosam & visit VaynerMedia at http://www.vaynermedia.com.

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It all started on October 29th during a game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Milwaukee Bucks. Minnesota Center Kosta Koufos missed an open jumper. Several players, including the Wolves’ Kevin Love and Wes Johnson, went for the rebound. Love was hacked, sending him to the free throw line. As Love prepared to take his foul shots, Johnson walked towards him, extending his arm for a high five. Love and Johnson failed to connect, whiffing several times, before Love, determined to make contact, followed Johnson to his spot along the hashes and got the job done. Take a look for yourself:

While the video is funny, what’s really interesting is the way the content has been spread and highlighted. Before the days of ESPN, the clip would never have been seen by a national audience. It probably wouldn’t even have been highlighted in the postgame show on the local broadcast. But in today’s world, things are different. In just over two weeks, the video, posted by Wolves fan Kahnmatic, has over 1.1 million views and has become somewhat of a viral sensation, known on the Internet as “the most awkward NBA handshake ever. And on Monday, the Minnesota Timberwolves embraced the moment, releasing a video of their own, called “Investigative Report: The Awkward Handshake.”

A Shift in Control

A couple of years ago, the Investigative Report would have been a SportsCenter piece. ESPN would have taken the clip, come up with the concept, sent a team to Minnesota, and filmed the spoof. The video would make its appearance on SportsCenter, we would’ve all smiled and maybe talked about it at the office the next day, and that would have been that. Now, the team can create the content and distribute it themselves through the web, where there is a better chance of virality.

So, it’s a breath of fresh air to see the Timberwolves take control of their content. Granted, the Youtube video that built the initial buzz was not published by the Wolves’ official account (big miss), but the fact is that the organization embraced the hype that was being generated and decided to take advantage. Well done, Timberwolves.

This concept is what social media is really all about: a shift in control. Players and teams can now go to Twitter and Facebook and Ustream and Youtube to tell the stories they want to tell about themselves. You (whoever you may be) are in control.

Note: The one mistake the Wolves made is that they did not post their video to Youtube (which makes the video embeddable & more easily sharable) until after it had already been made public on their site and attracted its biggest buzz. Had they posted to Youtube right away, and made it the only manner in which people could watch, the video probably would have been shared more and gone more viral.

What do you think about the way the Minnesota Timberwolves handled this situation? What do you think this shows about the shift in control from mass media to social media? Let’s discuss below!

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About Sam Taggart

Sam is a Creative Strategist for VaynerMedia, a social media agency based in New York City. Sam previously worked as an Account Executive for the New York Jets as well as the New Jersey Nets and spent time working with former NBA player Jalen Rose as well as NFL safety Kerry Rhodes. He now focuses on creative strategy across VaynerMedia's portfolio. You can follow Sam at http://twitter.com/gosam & visit VaynerMedia at http://www.vaynermedia.com.

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Watching sports on television is an inherently social experience. Typically, fans watch televised games together, and when they don’t, they tend to text or chat while watching. More and more, fans hang out on social media platforms during games, treating their team’s Facebook page, for example, as a chat room. Why then, is the encouragement of fan interaction, through social media or other outlets, not a bigger part of sports broadcasts?

There are many ways to incorporate social media into televised sports. For example:

• “Ask the Announcer” Segment. Invite fans & followers to take part in “Ask the Announcer” segments, which typically appear in both locally and nationally-televised sporting events. Take submissions through the network’s social accounts as well as from the accounts of the teams that are playing.
• Show fan & follower comments as they come in. Obviously this can’t be 100% real-time because of the occasional need to censor unnecessary/inappropriate messages, but it would be really cool if fan & follower comments were displayed on-screen throughout the broadcast.
• Display social media links as much as possible. There is typically a ton of space on-screen during a broadcast. Would be a good idea to rotate social media links in unused space. Obviously, the links displayed would be dependent on whether the broadcast was local (e.g. just home team and network) or national (e.g. both teams, maybe the league, and the network).
• Feature player profiles when highlighting them in-game. When highlighting an individual player (e.g. showing stats or key plays), throw in a link to his or her Facebook page or Twitter profile. If he or she doesn’t have one, oh well. But why not reward athletes who choose to brand themselves through social media?

Obviously, there are a lot of differences between a local broadcast and a national broadcast. With local broadcasts, it makes sense for the network to promote their team’s social media accounts and vice versa. More television viewers to team social accounts means more eyeballs when the team cross-promotes the network’s social media accounts.

With national broadcasts, the league gets involved, and there are more complications because of inequality in scheduling (e.g. the Buffalo Bills aren’t getting as many Monday Night Football appearances as the Pittsburgh Steelers). However, there are still exciting opportunities to incorporate social media there. In fact, the potential impact of including social media in a national broadcast is obviously higher than a local broadcast, simply because of sheer viewership numbers.

What’s also fun to think are Smart TV’s. As televisions become inherently more and more advanced technologically, and as the web becomes more and more a part of the TV-viewing experience, imagine how much social media could enhance watching sports. For example, millions of people watched the inauguration on CNN.com and utilized Facebook Connect to update their statuses and see what their friends were saying as they watched. Pretty soon, that experience will take place on your TV instead of on the web, definitely during sports broadcasts.

To conclude, I’ll start with how I began: Watching sports on television is an inherently social experience. It’s only a matter of time before social media becomes a part of the typical sports watching experience. We’re already seeing some of this in 2010. Just wait for 2012.

What do you think? How long before we’re seeing social media integrated into the sports-watching experience? What do you think would be the best integrations of social and televised sports? As always, would love to hear your comments below!

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About Sam Taggart

Sam is a Creative Strategist for VaynerMedia, a social media agency based in New York City. Sam previously worked as an Account Executive for the New York Jets as well as the New Jersey Nets and spent time working with former NBA player Jalen Rose as well as NFL safety Kerry Rhodes. He now focuses on creative strategy across VaynerMedia's portfolio. You can follow Sam at http://twitter.com/gosam & visit VaynerMedia at http://www.vaynermedia.com.

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Before you read further, watch Nike’s latest commercial, “Rise,” featuring LeBron James.

The Background

Since most of you already know the story, I’ll make this as quick as I can. Feel free to skip through if you know the background. The last four or five months have been interesting for the King. After seven years in Cleveland and no championship rings, LeBron James decided it was time to leave.

In a prime time ESPN event called The Decision, LeBron announced to the world that he would be “taking [his] talents to South Beach” to play for the Miami Heat. Cavs fans were furious, their hometown hero (LBJ is from Akron, Ohio) was leaving them, having never delivered the championship he promised.

Basketball fans from all over were upset as well, mainly with how LeBron decided to handle the announcement. Even though the money raised during the show was then donated to the Boys & Girls Club of America, most thought it was a pretentious and selfish way to announce his decision.

Throughout the offseason, LeBron has come under a lot of fire. He’s been called out for quitting on his team in the playoffs, for leaving Cleveland, for The Decision. Dan Gilbert, the Cavs’ owner, publicized a nasty letter about LeBron.

Recently, LBJ came out and said he thought that all of the backlash from The Decision was partially a race issue, and that if he were of a different skin color, none of this would have been a big deal. Also, in the past few weeks, LeBron has retweeted several hateful and derogatory tweets, examples of messages he says he receives every day.

In the end, LeBron’s image has changed from a beloved NBA superstar, a hometown hero, and possibly the one-day greatest basketball player of all time to the biggest villain in the league (yes, above Kobe, he’s going to get booed everywhere he goes), a selfish superstar who betrayed his city for more money (smaller contract, bigger endorsements), more fame, and an easier championship ring.

The Message

The unquestionable number one thing the commercial does is address all of the events of the past four months. And it does this quite well. It references The Decision, his departure from Cleveland and the falling of the “We Are All Witnesses” banner with his image on it (gave me chills), the fact that he’s become a villain and that he surrounds himself with friends rather than mentors. He calls out Michael Jordan in the Hall of Fame scene, and Charles Barkley later on, both NBA legends who publicly called him out during the offseason.

Throughout the 92-second commercial, LeBron asks, “What should I do?” This offseason, everyone (including me) has had opinions on LeBron’s actions on and off the court, his decisions, his comments to the media, what he could have done differently, and what he should do moving forward.

LeBron seems to be saying, “You try being me.” Now, most of us (maybe all of us) would die to be LeBron James. And I’m sure LeBron James would even die to be LeBron James. But you have to consider the sheer amount of pressure the man has been under for the last ten years. He’s had a world of expectations surrounding him since he was a young teenager.

Obviously there are far worse things in life than being the most talented athlete in the world, and he hasn’t done a lot to deflect or hide from the media attention. But making a decision about where you want to play a game for the next few years, that impacts millions of people, has got to be a tough thing to go through. And it’s true, none of us knows what it’s like to be LeBron James.

There’s a contingent of people who love the advertisement but give all of the credit to Nike. Sure, Nike conceptualized it. And they did a fantastic job. The message is clear. The cinematography is tremendous. But LeBron had to ok it, film it, and own it.

The Twitter Aftermath

After the video’s release, LeBron took to Twitter. Throughout the day on Monday, he retweeted people who had positive things to say about the commercial.

@BunBTrillOG Just saw @KingJames new commercial “Rise”..did you? If you think you know him, think again. http://dlvr.it/7X0MH

@rickyjohnsonjr I just saw the new commercial big bro @KingJames did and its hot and its the best commercial nike ever did #realtalk

@eyeeleann I LOVE @kingjames new “rise” commercial!<3 makes me love him even more! “What should I do?”

Part of me would have liked to see LeBron let the video speak for itself. In a sense, retweeting these followers makes it seem like he’s trying to validate the commercial. “See? People like it! So there!” At the same time, it’s hard to get mad at an athlete for retweeting his followers, when that’s something I generally praise. Also, last week, LeBron retweeted some very hateful and nasty messages he’d received, which showed people that it’s not all roses for the King.

The Timing

Through the commercial, LeBron acknowledged what was a very tumultuous offseason, the day before the regular season began. The video was published to Youtube on Monday. The NBA season started on Tuesday.

On Opening Night, LeBron’s new team, the Miami Heat, visited the defending Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics, the team that knocked James out of the playoffs last year. There were massive expectations heading into this game, some even wondering if the Heat could go undefeated.

Instead, they fell flat, losing to the Celtics by 8 points, and starting the season 0-1. LeBron had 31 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks, but he also had 8 turnovers (the most he had in any game last season). At one point in the 4th quarter, it looked like LBJ might single-handedly lead the Heat back from a double-digit deficit to win the game, but the Celtics held on. Had the Heat won the game, and had LeBron been the reason for it, “Rise” would have become that much more impactful.

The Conclusion

Being a LeBron fan has been quite the rollercoaster. I definitely do not support the way he made his announcement to leave Cleveland for Miami. I also think he quit on the Cavs during last year’s playoffs, which is unacceptable.

Before that, I wasn’t a fan of him confiscating the video when Jordan Crawford dunked on him, and I wasn’t thrilled when he walked off the court without shaking hands after his team lost the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals to the Orlando Magic.

All that being said, I do like and respect LeBron. More than anything, I absolutely love to watch him play the game of basketball. Is he the perfect NBA superstar I always thought he would be? No. Will he be the greatest to every play the game? Maybe.

I personally think “Rise” was a good move for LeBron. Despite the commercial, most people still hate LeBron and have lost respect for him. I’ve heard people call the video cocky, and just another reason not to like the King. Maybe I’m just a fanboy, what can I say? I feel like by acknowledging all of the madness that has surrounded him over the past four months, LeBron finally made the right decision.

What are your thoughts on the video? As always, would love to continue the conversation below, so comment away!

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About Sam Taggart

Sam is a Creative Strategist for VaynerMedia, a social media agency based in New York City. Sam previously worked as an Account Executive for the New York Jets as well as the New Jersey Nets and spent time working with former NBA player Jalen Rose as well as NFL safety Kerry Rhodes. He now focuses on creative strategy across VaynerMedia's portfolio. You can follow Sam at http://twitter.com/gosam & visit VaynerMedia at http://www.vaynermedia.com.

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Being that I’m a huge sports fan and an avid social media user, I always wonder why there are no good sports-themed social networks. Many have tried, but none have succeeded.

In my opinion, sports and social media are a perfect marriage. Sports fans love to talk about sports. We spend hours of every day watching, reading, and talking about the teams and players that matter to us. Sports fans also love to show and demonstrate our pride. We want to show the world our allegiances. And most importantly, there are plenty of instances where sports and social media have succeeded!

I spoke to my boss and great friend AJ Vaynerchuk about it. He brought up a valid question: “is there really a problem there that needs to be fixed?”

I’m not sure of the answer, but I’m going to talk it through right now:

Sports and Social Media Work.

Sports and social media can mix. I’ve seen it first-hand. In a year and change, the New York Jets’ (disclaimer: VaynerMedia client) have developed a community of over 241,000 passionate fans. Fans post thoughts, photos, and videos to the wall hundreds of times per day and comment/like thousands of times in the same time period. There is a real community there. There are real relationships, between the Jets and their fans, and between the fans themselves. The page is a social network at the micro level.

There are many other teams and leagues with impressive Facebook communities as well. The NBA & NHL (VaynerMedia Client) both have vibrant fanbases on Facebook, and so do teams like the New England Patriots and the San Diego Chargers. The point is that sports and social media have proven to mix.

Don’t Forget About Forums, Message Boards, and Chats…

For example, take a look at the conversation around last week’s Eagles-Falcons game on ESPN.com. Over the course of a week, primarily, there were over 1,000 comments left in a thread about one specific football game.

What about the Something Awful Forums or the message boards on CBSSports.com? There are many online sports communities based around forums and message boards. Members create profiles and talk in the same threads, establishing names and identities for themselves. They come back on a daily basis and create relationships with other visitors.

Is There a Need?

Maybe these existing places are enough. Maybe I’m trying to solve a problem that does not exist. Through Facebook, we have the ability to connect with fans of teams we like, as well as with the teams themselves. Through forums and message boards, we can argue freely and trash talk about issues we care about. What else could a sports social network provide that doesn’t exist already? What could intrigue me enough to create one more account to log in to, one more online identity to maintain?

When you look at niche communities that are successful, they exist because they provide locations for enthusiasts of specific genres to interact, when these places do not otherwise exist. Take Flixster, for example. Flixster is an online community for movie fans. Flixster can exist because there are few other prominent places online for fans to go and create identities for themselves. But sports fans have a variety of existing places and communities we can go. Why create one more?

We’re all sports fans here. I would love to hear what you have to say about why there are no great sports social networks. Which features would you look for in a sports social network? Would you even be interested in joining one? Do you think it’s possible that fantasy sports have taken the place of a sports social network?

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About Sam Taggart

Sam is a Creative Strategist for VaynerMedia, a social media agency based in New York City. Sam previously worked as an Account Executive for the New York Jets as well as the New Jersey Nets and spent time working with former NBA player Jalen Rose as well as NFL safety Kerry Rhodes. He now focuses on creative strategy across VaynerMedia's portfolio. You can follow Sam at http://twitter.com/gosam & visit VaynerMedia at http://www.vaynermedia.com.

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I work with professional sports organizations and athletes for a living, consulting them on best practices in social media branding. That being said, before working as a social media consultant (I hate that term), I am a massive sports fan (GO PHILLIES!).

I’ve loved sports for as long as I can remember, and ever since I realized I would not be a professional athlete, I’ve always dreamt of working with them in some capacity. I have several athletes’ numbers stored on my phone, and I would be lying if I said I think it’s no big deal. Because I don’t think that. I think it’s freaking awesome!

That’s why I understand this: a simple @reply goes a long way…

Take a look below. The other day, I sent Kerry Rhodes, Arizona Cardinals’ safety, a tweet congratulating him on his fumble recovery for a touchdown, and his team’s big win over the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints (Note: In full disclosure, Kerry Rhodes is a former client of ours). He replied, “@gosam thx.” A few days prior to that, I hit up Leonard Weaver, the injured fullback from my hometown Philadelphia Eagles. He tweeted that he was hard at work, rehabbing his leg. I replied, “@LeonardWeaver love it man, keep working, get healthy! eagles fans want to see you back!” He tweeted back, “@gosam me too!”

As a social media consultant, I was just proud to see two different athletes taking the time to respond to a tweet I sent them, regardless of how simple and brief their responses may have been. With Kerry, I expected it, because I know his tendencies to respond to everyone he possibly can get to. But with Leonard, I was ecstatic! As a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles, getting a response from someone on the team really made me happy! Granted, I know that Leonard tends to reply to as many people as possible as well, but either way, I was thrilled he took the time to get back to me. If you’ve ever gotten a response from a professional athlete (or even someone you simply didn’t expect to get an @reply from), you know the feeling. It’s awesome! There’s nothing more to say.

That’s what makes Twitter so great. Fans and pros can connect like never before. And the 140-character limit makes short responses acceptable. Few fans would complain about getting a reply from a player they supported. I’m seeing more and more athletes using Twitter this way, as a tool to connect with fans. And with every @reply they send, they make another fan’s day. Technology is truly amazing. One day soon, connecting with athletes will be commonplace, when just a few years ago, we never could have dreamt of this.

As sports fans, let’s never forget the truly amazing opportunity social media is providing us with, and let’s never take it for granted.

Have you experienced this from a professional athlete or someone you simply didn’t expect to get an @reply from? Share your story below, would love to hear it!

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Image by kerryrhodes.com

About Sam Taggart

Sam is a Creative Strategist for VaynerMedia, a social media agency based in New York City. Sam previously worked as an Account Executive for the New York Jets as well as the New Jersey Nets and spent time working with former NBA player Jalen Rose as well as NFL safety Kerry Rhodes. He now focuses on creative strategy across VaynerMedia's portfolio. You can follow Sam at http://twitter.com/gosam & visit VaynerMedia at http://www.vaynermedia.com.

Web | Twitter | LinkedIn | More Posts (49)