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Sports 2.0 and the Age of Social Media

Written by Lewis Howes in Social Media in Sports

Whenever I get a chance to watch my Buckeyes crush opponents on television these days, I always catch myself checking my Twitter stream or Facebook feed in between plays and during commercial breaks. I may catch a commercial here or there, but for the most part, I am too busy socializing online about the game to pay attention.

Social media has become a regular part in my sports-watching experience. For kids growing up now, it’s a whole new ballgame than the one we grew up where we had to bear through every single advertisement impatiently wondering if there will be another first down. The geniuses at Espresso’s Infiltrators capture this essence perfectly in the deck below. They go through the age of sports that us ‘old folks’ went through and compare it with the new age of social media: sports 2.0.

Where Are The Sports Social Networks?

Written by Sam Taggart in Social Media in Sports

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 the 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:

Top 5 ‘Back to Business’ Basics

Written by Michelle Hill in Sports Jobs

Remember the Rocky III movie in 1982 when Rocky goes back to Apollo Creed’s “old” gym to train for the big fight with Clubber Lang? Of course you do. Apollo takes Rocky back to basics to polish his fighting style and prepare him for the “big” match in which he knocks Clubber out in the third round.

The same thing happens in the NFL. The hours of mindless, but necessary, stretching, drills, and weight training. The team meetings pouring over playbooks. Sports massages and physical therapy. These are the basics that teams and their players positively need to do regularly to prepare for the “big” game. It’s in the crucible of basics that we poise ourselves for victory.

If the fictitious Rocky Balboa, and the NFL, benefit from the basics, then as business owners and entrepreneurs, we absolutely need to do the same.

Here are my top 5 ‘Back to Business’ tips that will take you back to basics and will set the tone for future success:

5 Ways the National Football League Can Use Geolocation Apps

Written by Brendan Wilhide in Social Media in Sports

Geolocation apps are the latest craze in social media in the sports industry. Just last month, the National Hockey League launched its own official Foursquare branding page. Just this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the National Basketball Association is developing its own geolocation application for the iPhone and Android smartphones. “Turnstile,” the NBA’s application, will allow fans to check in at NBA arenas and while watching NBA games on television this season. It is expected to be released later this month.

While the NHL and NBA have embraced geolocation applications like Foursquare and Gowalla, the National Football League and its teams have yet to join the geolocation frenzy. Indeed, the Washington Redskins are the only NFL team with an official Foursquare page and badge.

Here are five tips that NFL teams can use as they embrace the mobile geolocation frenzy currently sweeping the sports industry.

Creating Great Content with Social Media

Written by Ash Read in Social Media in Sports

This is part of a short blog series where we take a look at how social media can be utilized to grow a sports team’s fan base, regardless of whether the team already has a large following or is starting from the grassroots level. You can see the other posts here.

In the first two posts of this series I covered the importance of listening in social media and turning your sports team into a social experience. In last week’s post I briefly touched on the importance of content. Today’s post we’re going to take a deeper look into this subject.

You Have Great Content

Everyone has the ability to produce great content, whether you’re an amateur soccer team or an NBA franchise. Producing great content is not about glitz and glamour. If you’re making videos it’s not the quality of the camera that makes the difference; with blogs it’s not the widgets and plug-ins that make it successful. It’s the content.

Think about what content people will want to see: fans, players, coaches, sponsors – what appeals to them? What will make them continue to pay an interest in you? And importantly when you’re looking to expand your fan base and reach new fans, what will they share? That is your great content.

Lingerie Football League Fans Flooding New Social Media Platform

Written by Lewis Howes in Social Media in Sports

(This is a guest post by Robert Chilver)

The Lingerie Football League recently kicked-off their new season and if the popularity of their new social media platform is any indication, fans are taking notice.

Adage Technologies, a leader in website and application development, partnered with the Lingerie Football League (LFL) and Maximum Fantasy Sports to create the revolutionary LFL “Fanzone,” a new social media outlet for league fans looking to interact with their favorite players and teams.

Launched in July 2010, over 15,300 users are already signed up to participate in the LFL Fanzone. Fans can customize their profile with their personal information, pictures, photos, videos and links to their favorite players and teams. Users can then ‘friend’ other profiles, chat on message boards and connect with specific teams, players and league officials.

Text Messages Aren’t Good for PR

Written by Gail Sideman in Sports Marketing

Nothing is sure in this world except death, taxes and text messages that will come back to bite you in places that will hurt.

Right now, future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback, Brett Favre, is smarting from even the suggestion that he texted a former game-day reporter for the New York Jets (there is no verification of these stories and the investigation by the NFL is in its infancy). This news evolves as golfer Tiger Woods continues to reel from released text messages, voice mails and his eventual admission to infidelity that cost him millions of dollars in endorsements and his marriage during the past year.

My guess is that phone companies are vetting each future endorsement prospect like never before.

There is a lesson here for everyone, however: everything we record in type or voice and transmit via Internet, phone or cable, is forever traceable and transferrable. The messages are also resilient to destruction. They are the movie ticket stubs that we keep for years as mementos or prom dress that hangs in a closet decades after your big night. The big difference is that texts, emails and voice messages tell stories. There’s little to guess about what’s being communicated because it’s out there for people to read and hear if that once-special someone chooses to share what you may have assumed to be forever private.

A Simple @Reply Goes A Long Way

Written by Sam Taggart in Social Media in Sports

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…

Run Your Business Using Referee Signals

Written by Michelle Hill in Sports Jobs

They are referred to as zebras but their ‘real’ title is official or referee. They stand right in the middle of the chaos and decide when someone breaks the rules, goes out of bounds, or catches the ball.

Referees all follow the same basic signals which tell us what went wrong or right. As entrepreneurs, we can learn how referee’s signals can help us in our businesses. The various signals let us know when something has gone wrong, when we’re making progress, and when we’ve made a touchdown.

Crowd Noise Signal

Are you spending too much time on non-business related conversations or out on errands when you should be working? Do you spend half your day opening, reading, and responding to emails? Excessive crowd noise in a game creates a virtually impossible situation for the visiting offense to communicate. It may be time to hush the crowd noise in your home office by focusing on tasks at hand first. This same signal can also mean dead ball. When you foolishly waste your most productive time doing non-productive tasks, it can mean a dead ball as far as your time. Quiet crowd noise and focus on your priority list.

Interview with NHL Sports Agent Scott Norton on Social Media, Twitter Campaigns

Written by Brendan Wilhide in Social Media in Sports

Sports agent Scott Norton represents some of the top players and prospects in the National Hockey League today including current Los Angeles Kings captain and 2010 U.S. Olympian Dustin Brown.

While Scott is used to his clients making headlines with their on-ice play, Norton made headlines of his own for a charity campaign that he started on Twitter called ‘Make My Day Mondays’.

I recently got to chat with Scott one on one about the movement he started, why he joined Twitter and what he sees as the future of social media use in the sports industry. Here is what he had to say:

From Sports Team to Social Experience

Written by Ash Read in Social Media in Sports

In the first post of this series I covered the importance of listening in social media. Today I’m going to cover how community can help your fan base grow.

Using social media to create an online community is a great way to bring your fans together, constantly keep them thinking about your team and also reach new fans. You can also use an online community as a way to add to your teams overall experience and create brand advocates.

Analysis of a Hockey Captain

Written by Sam Chan in Sports Marketing

Joe Thornton was recently named as the eighth captain of the San Jose Sharks, and there have already been questions raised as to whether or not he is the right person for the job. It’s an interesting concept, that fans and sports analysts can tell whether or not specific players would be a good leader for a specific team. But what are the requirements of a hockey captain?

Surprisingly, not much, at least officially.

The main role of captains on the ice is to be the go-to person to talk to referees about rule discrepancies, but even that is fairly unimportant since the Canucks did so for the last two years with their goaltender as the ‘captain’. But we all know it is about the intangibles. The referee chatter is just something logical to put in the NHL rulebook. This is what a captain actually does:

How the Carolina Panthers Use Social Media

Written by Brendan Wilhide in Uncategorized

The Carolina Panthers are challenging their fans to compete in the ‘Panthers Purrsuit’ social media contest, the first of its kind in the NFL, on Saturday, October 23.

Fans will pair up into teams of two and compete against other fan teams in an all day “Amazing Race” style contest which will take place at locations throughout greater Charlotte. The Purrsuit begins at Bank of America Stadium at noon. Teams will then follow a series of clues and instructions and complete challenges at locations throughout the day.

Secrets to Working with Pro Athlete Clients

Written by Michelle Hill in Sports Business

In my work with current and retired pro athletes, I’ve made a few discoveries along the way. Basically, working with pro athletes, specifically NFL athletes, requires the same principles and ethics as needed for any other client. If you are currently working with, or have aspirations to work with, pro athletes in any sport, here are a few tips I’ve learned and regularly practice in my own business:

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Top 5 ‘Back to Business’ Basics

Text Messages Aren’t Good for PR

Run Your Business Using Referee Signals

Analysis of a Hockey Captain

Secrets to Working with Pro Athlete Clients