Last week Mashable put up their list of who you need to follow on Twitter during the Super Bowl. That list is very well done and is more than worth a read. It was so good, in fact, it gave us the idea to create our own list of must follow Sports Twitter accounts with a Sports Networker twist.

From Sportsbiz to inside information to pure entertainment, this list of Twitter account is sure to make you the social media czar of your Super Bowl party and ensure you don’t miss a minute of the behind-the-scenes action at Super Bowl 46!

So without further ado, here is Sports Networker’s 20 (Plus 1) must follow Sports Twitter accounts at Super Bowl 46:

Sports Twitter Media (Traditional)

Darren Rovell - @darrenrovell

Sports Networker can think of no better person to follow on Twitter leading up to the Super Bowl. The Sportsbiz master is sure to bring constant information on the business of Super Bowl 46

Chris Mortensen - @mortreport

While Mashable mentioned Adam Schefter, the yin to his yang is Chris Mortensen. Much like Schefter, as soon as important information breaks Mort is certain to tweet it out. He also co-hosts NFL 32, which is having its own Super Bowl week.

Rich Eisen - @richeisen

As the lead man for the NFL Network, Eisen will no doubt be anchoring the coverage for the network in Indianapolis. He also interacts with his followers well and always finds a way to get a good laugh out of them.

Michael Strahan - @michaelstrahan

The NFL record holder for sacks in a season knows a little bit about beating the Pats in a Super Bowl. He’s also a Fox analyst so he’ll be in Indy to get some inside access.

SuperBowl XLVI on NBC - @SNFonNBC

Super Bowl 46 will be covered on game night by Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Andrea Kremer, making this Twitter handle a must for in-game and sideline updates.

Sports Twitter Media (Bloggers)

The Giants Gab - @GiantsGab 

This “definitive New York Giants blog” is a go-to source for everyday reading about Big Blue. They do their research and crank out solid content consistently.

Foxboro Blog - @FoxboroBlog

This is one of the best, most passionate Patriots blogs out there. Foxboro Blog writes at least once a day about their team and brings a wide range of topics to go along with good football knowledge.

Twitter Athletes (In The Game)

Victor Cruz - @TeamVic

Victor Cruz has taken the NFL by storm this season and, as a result, is the most followed Giants player on Twitter. He also tweets interactively and often.

Steve Weatherford - @Weatherford5

I realize I’m taking a risk telling people to follow a punter. But remember this is the punter who wears his wedding ring during an NFC Championsip-winning field goal and celebrates incredibly over-zealously after that field goal goes through. He’s just as entertaining on Twitter.

Rob Gronkowski - @RobGronkowski

The only man – and I do mean man – who was harder to contain in the secondary this year than Cruz was the Gronk, who broke the single season record for receiving touchdowns in 2011-12. He’s funny, interactive and downright entertaining on Twitter.

Brandon Spikes - @bspikes55

Great player sure, but if this guy wasn’t getting paid to play in the NFL he could be a professional tweeter. An example? His go-to hashtag is #Powwwwwww. Funny, but it just makes his “words of wisdom” seem a little less powwwerful.

Twitter Athletes (Not In The Game)

Damien Woody - @damienwoody

Much like Strahan, Woody is an ex-member of one of the teams. He won 2 Lombardi Trophies with the Patriots and is a good source about what Super Bowl week is like. He’s also very good about answering fan questions via Twitter.

Chad Ochocinco - @ochocinco

I know what you’re thinking. Shouldn’t Chad Ochocino/Johnson/Mr. H.O.F. 20Never be filed under “athlete in the game”? Technically yes, for all intensive purposes no. Ochocino will likely be inactive Sunday but he will still be in Indy experiencing media week and he is sure to send out some entertaining tweets to go along with it.

Twitter Sports PR

Pat Hanlon - @giantspathanlon

Luckily for Twitter fans the Giants PR man is one of the best at actual PR. Hanlon thrives on Twitter and is a great follow for what the team is doing, most of the time accompanied by a photo.

Twitter Coaches

Bill Belichick - @BillBelichick12

While Belichick doesn’t officially run his own Twitter account (what else would you expect), this handle does feature the coach’s quotes, insights and in-game commentary.

#Social46 Accounts

As with all major events around the world, if you want to stay up to date on trends, you follow the universal hashtag.  In this case, the “unofficial” hashtag for Super Bowl 46 – #social46 – will no doubt be trending over the days leading up to the big game on Sunday. Here are a few of the people you should consider following to get a another perspective:

Bill Yanney - @indybill23

Do It Indy - @DoItIndy

Andy Houston -@hust0058

Stephanie Daily - @seppichdaily

Tom Spalding – @SpaldoBusiness

BONUS: Twitter Sports Sponsorship

Sports Networker - @SportsNetworker

Our very own Holly Koski (@TheSportsinista to follow her personally), is at Super Bowl 46 working with the NFL Experience! She will be looking at Super Bowl sponsors from the inside, tweeting out all the information, pictures and videos you can handle. 

Are there any other sports Twitter follows that you think should be included in this list? Let us know in the comments! Please feel free to share this list on Facebook and Twitter!

About Steve Richards

Steve is a recent graduate of Penn State University with a degree in Sports Journalism from the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism. He is currently working as a marketing and PR intern for Sports Networker.

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Several different qualifications are needed to be crowned as the King of the NFL Facebook Pages and overall number of “likes” does not guarantee you a spot on the most engaging NFL players on Facebook list. In order to be the NFL Facebook master, one must entertain and amuse, while engaging with their fans, providing insightful opinions and being the source of inside information. Energy is required and displaying a lighter side is desired.

Social media is where the most loyal and passionate fans come to connect with their favorite athletes. It is a platform for athletes to build their fan base, while rewarding them at the same time. Facebook is a perfect way for athletes to be more influential than ever and connect with millions of fans worldwide. The following ten NFL figures are at the top of the mountain:

Most Engaging NFL Players on Facebook

Chad OchoCinco

Known for his popularity on Twitter, OchoCinco has also become proficient on Facebook. No one can accuse Chad of not being candid. He expresses himself as openly as can be on a daily basis, but also challenges his fans to think. He is cutting edge with what is new and in vogue. He covers all bases, whether it be speaking Spanish to his subscribers, telling jokes he heard on the street or inviting random fans to attend the next Patriots game on him. Like him or not for his on the field antics, OchoCinco is a storyteller and an innovator when it comes to social media and his near two million facebook subscribers tell quite a tale.

Troy Polamalu

He may be recognized as one of the most feared defenders in the league, but Polamalu is a gentle giant and his compassion comes through clearly on his 2 million+ subscribed Facebook page, the most in the NFL. He shares with his subscribers on a weekly basis, whether through inspirational stories or offers for free tickets, autographs or even a chance to ride a limo with him to a charity event. Polamalu never fails to update his following and he knows that consistency is important. He displays it on the field and on his Facebook fan page.

Larry Fitzgerald

A picture is worth a thousand words and Larry Fitzgerald has a lot of them. It is almost impossible to not know what Larry is up to on a daily basis, because he keeps his fans involved and makes each of them ultimate insiders. From his intimate training videos on his “Team Fitzgerald TV” tab to a Fiesta Bowl visit with Condoleezza Rice to a sneak peak of his upcoming Nike commercial, Fitzgerald has put his fans in the know. Fitzgerald preaches faith, focus and finish, but when it comes to his fan page, he also exhibits energy and candidness.

Ray Rice

Encouraging your fans to contribute and rewarding them for being a part of your community is essential to any successful facebook fan page. That’s why it comes to no surprise that Rice joins the cream of the crop of NFL fan pages to go along with his half a million likes. Rice recently held a kids “coloring contest” and shared every single drawing he received on his fan page. The winner received their drawing back in the mail signed by Ray himself. Ray recognizes that it is all about the fans and they will have fun if you are having fun with them.

Greg Jennings

Jennings asks his fans to “be great” on a daily basis, something he strives for on the football field along with his facebook page. His enthusiasm and spirit is showcased to his large following with exclusive content such as family home videos, celebrity sightings and pictures with Packers fans all over the globe.  Jennings is insightful when it comes to hard-hitting topics, but is also not afraid to show a lighter side to sports.

Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow’s facebook page takes us on a journey. Through his timeline, Tebow offers his fans a very organized look at his excursions with lots of content and updates for followers worldwide. His page shows that he cares about his fans. The majority of pictures are Tebow with his fans, not Tebow standing next to his Range Rover or new swimming pool. From pictures to his mission to the Philippines to a fan he took to Disneyworld, Tebow shows interaction and a level of engagement that he is willing to share with his subscribers.

Drew Brees

A leader on the turf, Brees is also a leader on the NFL Facebook fan page list. The quarterback is very deep when it comes to his following. Brees offers messages to his fans about his newborn baby and key issues surrounding the NFL. He is engaging with his community and recognizes the support of the “Who Dat” nation. Brees is consistent when it comes to rewarding the nation as well. Tickets to games, giveaway items and shout outs to local struggling restaurants are all part of Brees’ arsenal.

Hines Ward

Hines Ward’s energy doesn’t stop when the game clock strikes zeros. Ward takes that energy and pumps it out to his Facebook following. Ward loves his fans and it shows. Lots of behind the scenes pictures with fans, teammates and family members are the keys to Ward’s Facebook success. Hines always keeps engagement high by wanting to know his fans opinions, whether it be their predictions on games or their thoughts on his Dancing With the Stars win.

Do you think we missed anyone on the most engaging NFL players on Facebook list? We’d love to hear your opinions so leave a comment below or tweet us!

About Jon Schulman

Jon Schulman joined BDA Sports Management in September of 2008. At BDA, Jon’s responsibilities include implementing social media strategies for clients as well as working closely with sponsors, league and team social media departments. Jon also has direct contacts at Facebook, Twitter and Youtube along with several private social media companies. Prior to joining BDA Sports, Jon worked for the Los Angeles Lakers Development League team, the Los Angeles D-Fenders. His sports background also includes time spent with the UCLA Basketball department and the San Diego Riptide of the Arena Football League.

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The Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament, which has reached half way stage as I write this,  has built on the progress of previous years to establish a strong, recognizable and credible online brand. According to Sam Laird, in a recent post on the US website Mashable, the Australian Open ‘may just be the most digitally connected major sporting event of all time’. High praise indeed.

So why is the event in Melbourne attracting such accolades for its digital presence?

In my opinion, what the Australian Open is doing so well is leveraging digital assets to create deep and meaningful engagement with fans, while at the same time integrating its sponsors. Many sporting events, clubs and organizations across the globe strive to simultaneously achieve these two goals and the Grand Slam for Asia/Pacific has, arguably, pulled it off.

Fan Engagement at the Australian Open

In terms of fan engagement, the Aussie Open is actively utilizing its website, social media accounts and mobile applications.

The website is fully integrated with social media – essential for any event – and it keeps the fan abreast of pretty much everything that is going on. There is also Slamtracker, the live scoring application, Australian Open television (AOTV), with free live streaming from 7 courts, and an extensive vault of past great tennis matches. Fans also have the opportunity to opt-in for daily email updates and let’s not forget the Fan Centre.

The Fan Centre encourages fan participation and involvement in a number of innovative ways. The most notable is the Social Leaderboard where the social media activity of fans directly increases the points given to 40 popular players chosen by the Australian Open. If a fan tweets about one of these players using a hashtag that relates to the player’s name or likes content on the official Facebook page, that player receives points. As I write this, Rafael Nadal (#rafa) is ranked number 1, with a total of over 16,000 points. Overall, the number of tweets to the official hashtag (#ausopen) has reached over 110,000.

Additionally,  there is Pick Em. This competition encourages participation for daily prizes. There are also polls and trivia competitions to capture fan engagement. Another initiative creating fan involvement and fan voting is Fan of the Day, which enables Kia, the major sponsor, to take and upload photos of fans. Another practice is Caption It, which uses fan generated content to build buzz for the tournament. If that isn’t enough, fans can become ‘Fanbassadors’ and be included in the ‘On The Outer’ honor roll if they tweet a link to their blog or tag the Australian Open in one of their tweets. Popcorn Tennis (@popcorntennis) also provides fans with ‘bite-size pieces of on and off-court action’.

In social media, the official Facebook page has over 500,000 likes and a 54,000 ‘talking about this’ number, providing a 10% engagement ratio for the page. The Twitter feed (@AustralianOpen) is being covered 24 hours a day, for fans wherever they may be, and the account presently has over 67,000 followers.

In terms of sheer numbers, the Australian Open website exceeded 10 million unique visitors in 2011 and this number is likely to be surpassed in 2012.

For mobile applications, the Australian Open has free apps for the iPhone, iPad and this year, for the first time, the Android. The apps feature scores, schedules, players, an event guide, draws, news and a GPS feature to locate key points around the grounds and much more. The apps were developed by IBM. The presence of the IBM logo within the apps shows an example of sponsorship integration for an Official Partner – more of that below. In 2011, more than 700,000 fans updated or downloaded the official iPhone app.

Sponsorship Integration

Sponsors of the Australian Open are integrated both online (and in some cases offline) and, in my opinion, in a fairly unobtrusive way, which is really the key. As with any event, sponsor obligations have to be met – but  not to such an extent that the fan becomes disengaged, which would ultimately damage both the event and sponsor brands. On the website, scores are presented by IBM (technology partner), Video and Radio are presented by Rolex (watches – associate sponsor) and Tickets presented by Virgin Australia (airlines – official sponsor). All sponsors and partners also have permanent website presence at the foot of the homepage, as well as in a dedicated sponsors family section.

The ‘Open Drive’ feature, run on You Tube and from the major sponsor, Kia (motor vehicles), has returned again this year. The Open Drive is an entertaining way for fans to get to know players better through a series of questions asked while the player is driven around Melbourne in the back of a Kia vehicle. This year’s video with Nadal has already attracted over 38,000 views.  And, here’s another one with Novak Djokovic after his semi-final win vs Andy Murray.

Finally, a competition being run via Facebook, and sponsored by Jacob’s Creek, will enable a lucky fan to win a dinner with Andre Agassi. Agassi, a former Wimbledon winner, is also an ambassador for Jacob’s Creek (wine-associate sponsor), which is trying to reinforce its connections with the sport of tennis.

One thing that would probably do even more to deepen fan engagement while at the same time being highly attractive to sponsors? An Australian winner, of course. But some things just can’t be controlled through innovative digital marketing!

Have you noticed anything else that the Australian Open has done to engage their audience? Could they be doing anything better? Feel free to leave your comments below or tweet us your thoughts!

About Chris Conway

Chris is a strategic programs analyst at the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) focusing on, amongst other things, sponsorship research, analytics and acquisition. He holds a MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Business (AGSM). Chris took part in the school’s exchange program by completing a semester at Stern business school, NYU where he studied sports marketing and sports economics. Connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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Here in Australia, sporting clubs are only just realizing the massive potential of social media and beginning to understand the new opportunities they have to connect with their fans.

Er, so I’ll start a Facebook page then?

Finding the right tools and platform

The first step to getting involved in social media in sports is to figure out what exactly is the best network to use. It might be necessary to use a combination of networks, but if you are only going to focus on one, it’s crucial to use the one that fans use most.

Once the platform has been chosen, Sean says sports companies or events teams need to know how best to use it and understand what they want to get out of it.

“What’s the goal? Why exactly do you want your club to get involved in social media. Is it to build a fan base? Is it to grow membership numbers or is it to better promote sponsors?” he said.

“You have to get fans to like the FB page or follow the Twitter feed, get them to comment and then drive them back to your website,” he said. “Think of fans as long term customers. Essentially you are in a relationship with them – but you’re more of a friend than a sales representative.  Key numbers are active fans, it’s important to be engaging them, not just collecting them”.

Get Creative and Encourage Fans to Share on Social Media

Case study: West Coast Eagles (AFL)

The SportsDP model instructs fans to like, share or tweet West Coast Eagles content. In return for liking content and sharing in the social media space fans collect points and are effectively ‘rated’ on how big a fan they are.

Not only does this type of approach allow fans to get involved in the club and stay up to date on news, it also fosters a real sense of community and loyalty amongst fans and sponsors.

Incorporating sponsorship

“Just because a sports event or club has large numbers of followers doesn’t mean the sponsors will also become popular,” he said. “Of course there can be a flow on effect but you still have to give fans a reason to stay connected.”

“We worked with a property investing company who obtained an excellent flow on to their social media accounts from a sports event they were sponsoring,” he said. “Even though they aren’t in the business of sport they now provide tips to fans and followers – so when they do decide to look at investing fans will go to them first. Social media in sports is simply a touchpoint – an opportunity to reach fans on a whole new level,” he said. “Clubs have to think differently as they can connect with fans on a daily basis.  Social media is a unique opportunity to engage with fans long term. It’s all about connecting and building relationships.”

He believes there are amazing opportunities for growth, and for sponsors, if clubs know how to develop and implement effective social media strategies.

Sean’s Top Tips for Developing an Effective Strategy for Social Media in Sports

• Determine what the goal is and why exactly you want to get involved in social media. Is it to build a fan base? Is it to grow membership numbers or is it to better promote sponsors?
• Identify the best platforms to support your campaign. Keep in mind that most people on Facebook just want to play. It’s important to understand that most people are not necessarily there to buy but they will be open to reading marketing messages.
• Engage, engage, engage. It’s important to keep social media and social networking ‘social’.  It’s not just a broadcast platform. It’s crucial to have a balance with quality content and marketing messages.

#Youtube140 – Google+ Brand Pages In Sports

Also, make sure to check out Sean’s Youtube channel where he produces a series called #Youtube140.  These are a series of videos where he discusses a topic in the world of sports and technology in 140 seconds while showing you live on his desktop.  Here’s an example of one of the most recent episodes.

Do you know of any other new programs designed to engage the fan and incorporate social media in sports sponsorship? Feel free to comment below, Tweet or Facebook us if you have any other ideas!

About Claire Kelly

Claire Kelly is a freelance writer, communications consultant and Australian beach volleyball player based on the Gold Coast, Australia. Experienced in social media marketing, conducting interviews, ghostwriting, editing, generating publicity and photography, Claire is passionate about about helping athletes and businesses grow through the power of the media and the internet. Follow Claire on Twitter @clairelkelly

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The world is changing rapidly and from now onwards the speed of that change is only going to further increase. We’re daily bombarded with thousands of images. Every photo can be worth a thousand words. But which images are the ones that stick and make a difference? Which (and whose) story is being told (and where) has almost become as important as the quality of the image. Choices about which professional images are created are increasingly made by executives, not necessarily creatives. At the same time, anyone can now take pictures. The quality of a sports photography image is no longer defined by its resolution or razor sharp focus. A picture made by a fan can travel all over the world and end up on the international front pages before you can say ‘bong’.

This post covers the changes in sports photography from the perspective of the photographers, media, sponsors, fans and athletes. Its not intended as a philosophical reflection of the value of a photograph. The digital revolution, which this blog is dedicated to, has resulted in lasting behavioral change as well as the way sports imagery is produced, distributed, and ultimately consumed. How do photographers find their audience, how do sponsors maximize their visibility, and how do athletes manage their exposure?

Photographers: Artists, Reporters or Editors?

The key application of professional sports photography is for editorial purposes; dedicated sports photographers generally work for papers, major wire agencies, or dedicated sports magazines. However, sports photography is also utilized for advertising purposes both to build a brand as well as to push a sport in a way that cannot be achieved by editorial means. Despite the fact that camera manufacturers have dramatically reduced the difficulty of focusing and nailing exposure, the photographer IS the difference between ‘just any picture’ and a great picture. Whether you’re shooting action, commercial, feature, or portrait photography the underlying image structure, composition, dodging and burning (selective lightening and darkening), gesture, color and originality of an image celebrate the true skill of a talented photographer.

One of the single most difficult aspects of being a sports photographer is to capture the “decisive moment”. It involves a deep understanding of the sport and what is newsworthy. The media are looking for news, the decisive moment, perfectly illustrating the story of that game. It’s all about the goal or the sending-off. Capturing that moment requires experience, anticipation, skill, and probably even a little bit of predicting the future.

Technology

However, in a couple of years from now, there might not be a shutter to press anymore. Some camera models are now processing “image capture” before you depress the shutter – enabling recall of prior moments even before you’ve shot the image. This technology is becoming available in consumer cameras like the new Nikon 1. According to French American photographer Vincent Laforet , @vincentlaforet, technological developments are leaning strongly towards further convergence between the photo and the film camera. Current cameras capture up to120 (!) frames per second (at an incredible resolution). Stills from video might not be good enough for usage yet, but they soon will be. Due to increases in quality and file size, it’s the storage and delivery which is now sometimes problematic. Original files are too large to even email, so Media Manager solutions are becoming more prevalent. In the near future cameras will simply be recording all the time, thus evolving the job of capturing “the moment” into editing it. There’s going to be such an incredible amount of data coming in that editor is going to become one of the most important job positions out there.

Google images and Flickr are rapidly turning great imagery into a commodity. How would you have searched for images before those platforms, or rather; were you even looking for images in the first place? Today images of professional photographers quickly find their way into a wide variety of social channels and they should think carefully about the risk of losing control over their photographs. Who actually owns these photos in social media? Some agencies like WENN own the rights to all imagery uploaded to Twitter via the TwitPics app. Creators of this unique content may be giving away their rights without even knowing this! It’s all in the small print. Kathy E Gill (@kegill) formulates an insightful answer to this rather complicated question in this great post.

On the back of digitally enhanced films like 300, the post-production of imagery is rapidly increasing in importance. 3-D photography has been around since the early 1900’s, but it’s only now that we have the applications to use the content for consumers through cinema, tv, mobile phones, tablets, etc. Another new technological option is the 360 degrees photography panoramic image, (which could also have relevance to sports). A 360 pan  of a big play in the endzone of the Superbowl would be awesome! Maybe we should be holding out until this is available.

Distribution & Global Sports Events

Pictures are distributed worldwide and no longer geographically constrained. The big agencies, such as Reuters, Associated Press, and Getty Images are dominating the photography marketplace worldwide. In sports photography access is the key. Without proper accreditation, entering and photographing at a major sports event has virtually become impossible. Getting hold of these accreditations is increasingly challenging. The question is whether that is a problem. I personally do not think so. How many photographers does it take to photograph the world’s largest sports event? The 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted exactly 943 accredited photographers from all over the world. The 2010 FIFA World Cup final was covered by 233 photographers on the pitch and an additional 128 on the tribune.

The choreography following the final whistle in a Champions League or World Cup final has become a returning comedy. Dozens of stewards run around the field holding cords in an attempt to ‘cage’ the photographers. At the same time dozens of photographers fight each other for what they believe is ‘the best place’ to shoot their shot. This system basically facilitates that the (physically) strongest photographer is allowed to shoot from ‘pole position’.

Of course I highly respect and greatly appreciate the dedication, perspective, artistic eye, and sense for news that most individual  photographers bring to their work. They’re extremely passionate about their photography and really into their sport. However, one wonders if we are approaching the point where the sheer amount of photographers becomes directly detrimental to quality of the photography. Does more really result in better? In the meantime, changes seem inevitable.

Click here for a tutorial with sports photographer Craig Golding (sponsored by Canon) or here for the Getty Images Blog which highlights a whole host of events, photographers, and shoots. In this one created last week, sports photographer Dean Moutharopoulos talks about shooting boxing.

Sponsors: “If you do not shoot, you cannot score!”

Although Dutch soccer legend Johan Cruijff was talking about soccer in this ‘Yoda-like’ quote above, his words are equally appropriate for today’s topic. Simply put:  photography that isn’t shot will never be seen. Sponsors often (also) aim for maximum exposure, and photography that remains un-shot, in many cases, equals missed opportunities.

Hiring famous or influential people to represent your products is not enough to create a deep and true connection. It’s also why sponsors use strong imagery to equate products with positive cultural and social experiences. There have been many shots that have emulated a star in their own sport from Michael Jordan’s many clutch shots to David Beckham bending in one of his legendary free-kicks. Sponsors connect their brand and /or their product(s) with events and individuals, using imagery to equate products with positive cultural and social experiences. The images we perceive take these associations out of their representational realms and make them live realities. Simply put, “If I wear the same football shoes as the world’s best player, I’ll probably be a better athlete”.

I  Heart My Sponsor

Whether it’s Jamaican Usain Bolt kissing his Puma Complete Theseus II spike at the 2008 Olympic Games, or Leo Messi kissing his adidas Adizero F50’s in the UEFA Champions League final, a well-timed, authentic image celebrating the athlete as well as a sponsor’s product can make all the difference. Research shows that strong brand imagery, in particular images of ‘celebrational athletes’ , results in the most favourable brand-associated coverage achievable.

At the world’s largest sports events photographers are usually well represented. While sponsors might not have to worry about imagery being shot, they do have to ensure the capability, structure, rights, and process to allow immediate, integrated activation of such tactical opportunities.

Measuring Results

Thoughtfully executed evaluations allow sponsors to formulate meaningful and measurable objectives. Usually such objectives would include visibility, favorability, and reach in a previously defined media sample. Such research is able to monitor a brand’s ongoing performance on a daily basis, over consecutive quarters, or year to year. It also allows them to compare their performance vs. its main competitors or its fellow sponsors.

Depending on its objectives, a brand can choose to monitor the use of photography and the impact its use has on the favorability of the coverage. Also tracking which images get used where will allow sponsors to develop the creation and distribution of their images.

Media: Destination or Distribution?

The internet is a key influence on the future of photography as we know it. Editorial photography is in the doldrums; magazine and newspaper publishing is going down. The quality, news value, or printability of an image is no longer defined by its resolution, and distribution has become at least as important as your company-owned destination. Kids rarely read magazines; instead they spend all day on their phone or ipad. Still photography is important, Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit edition proves it year after year and so does the annual Body Issue of ESPN.

Some of you might have already seen this video featuring a 1-year-old playing with an iPad. She then gets confused and disappointed when paper magazines don’t respond the same way to being tapped or slid on. “For my 1-year-old daughter, a magazine is an iPad that does not work”.

Sport Illustrated is an aggressive innovator in the tablet space, and photography is a key component of its strategy. As this post by Lauren Indvik (@laureni) for mashable points out, Sports Illustrated has produced a digital edition for the iPad every week since it debuted last June, produces daily content for www.si.com, and created “SI Snapshot” , a chrome app delivering the best sports pictures of the day – every day. At Time they certainly realize that great photography has the ability to ignite conversations (and drive sales). Terry McDonell (@SI_TMcDonell), the editor of the Time Inc. Sports Group explains; “We used to do 3,500 pages per year. Now we do more than 100,000 pages, maybe 200,000 if you count different aspect ratios and slideshows as pages. Digital now accounts for 30% of overall revenue. Print generates 55%, and other marketing efforts bring in 15%”. Here’s another Mashable post by Lauren on Sports illustrated.

Too Slow?

Here’s an interesting post on invocus by Brent Treworgy on how social media is changing the media landscape. His point of view is that if consumers are finding daily newspapers too slow for their liking, monthly sports magazines seem positively irrelevant!

Social media, and Twitter in particular, has had an enormous impact on sports coverage over the past five years. It’s hard to talk about breaking news on Twitter without mentioning Captain Sully and his heroic landing on the Hudson River. Twitter had the news – and the pictures – before any of the major news outlets started reporting what transpired. It brought Twitter into the spotlight as a legitimate news source. Twitter has certainly brought sports figures, those who cover them, and consumers all closer together, and opened up new channels of communication between them. While it is true that print coverage of sports has continued to suffer, social media has also allowed new business models to emerge.

Gone are the days of refreshing ESPN.com’s front page during half time of the Super Bowl. For both reporting and photojournalism there are two ways to get ahead: be the first or be the best. For most, it’s easier to be first. To break a story, a photographer has to deliver his pictures the instant they’re shot. However before distributing imagery or information you learned on Twitter – before you hit RT – check the source of the story before you become part of the problem.

Fans: You love to watch, don’t you?

Fans love autographs, re-tweets, and having their pictures taken with their favourite athletes. They literally fall over themselves to take a picture with their idol, take a moment in the middle of the coin toss or even invite the coach of the opposing team to snap their photograph . Photography is everywhere and fans are sharing 24/7.

Fans have become an important source of imagery. According to a study by Panasonic, a stunning 175 million minutes of video from the 2012 Games will be captured by fans, equal to 334 years of footage. It estimates fans will snap 466 million photos of athletes and events in London! These numbers imply that each of the 8.8 million ticket-holding Olympic fans will take 53 photographs and about 20 minutes of video.

Pretty, Partying, Planking, Police & Playboy

Athlete photography simply fascinates fans– whether it’s the top 20 of most embarrassing athletes pictures, a gallery of the 20 prettiest female athletes, athletes planking, athletes partying, pictures shot by playboy or even the police. Today every single shot is only one quick click away.

Corporate technology is now firmly in the hands of consumers. Altering imagery has become as easy as photographing itself. However the main change is not technical, it’s sociological. It’s not about the tools that have become available to all, it’s about consumer behavior that has fundamentally changed. The democratization of images has resulted in self-controlled broadcast. As an example, here’s a post by @amymaeelliott featuring 10 stunning sport photographs taken on an i-phone (some of the iphone apps for image creation are excellent) and here are 8 tips for taking better sports pictures by @dakdillon.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup

The power of the network has turned the audience you reach into the people who are reached by the people who are reached by the people you reach (ehm, please do feel free to read that sentence once again…). A typical example is that despite the small army of 948 officially accredited FIFA World Cup photographers, the most memorable image of last year’s tournament was a viral image created by an unnamed fan. Within hours of England’s disastrous 4-1 2010 FIFA World Cup loss against Germany, the internet was awash with references to a controversial referee decision, including one doctored image featuring a white line showing just how far the ball had made it past the goal posts.

These internet memes are a relatively new phenomenon, often an (altered) photograph (video, site, phrase or word). Internet memes will move from person to person via social networking websites, blogs, news sources and other web-based services. Internet memes can spread very rapidly by ‘word-of-mouse’, sometimes reaching world-wide popularity and vanishing in a few days. Incidents surrounding major sports event have proven an exceptionally rich inspiration source for memes.

Athletes & Sports Photography:  Trick, Treat or Thread?

People love looking at attractive people and fans love looking at (and photographing) attractive athletes. Looks matter. With the available research it’s fair to conclude that attractive athletes make significantly more money than lesser attractive colleagues. According to this post on ABCNews by @ewencallaway better-looking sportsmen are even more likely to win matches!

While some (in most cases most) of an athlete’s income is generated by his or her athletic skills, a significant percentage of their money comes from being a public figure. Many people consider athletes’ brands. As such, athletes are not only representing themselves but also their school, team, club, league, or sponsor(s). Most athletes appreciate that most fans are genuinely interested in what is going on in their lives. Clearly none of today’s well-known athletes would be where they are without cameras.

Paparazzi

However, paparazzi are increasingly turning their attention to athletes. ESPN quotes Gary Morgan, the CEO of Splash, a paparazzi agency that employs upwards of 2,000 photographers worldwide, “Sports stars now are really the big Hollywood actors and actresses, they’re the new celebrities.” NFL prospect Colt McCoy already is keenly aware that “you got to be on your guard all the time, no matter where you are or what you’re doing, just be smart.” NASCAR’s four-time Sprint Cup champion, Jimmie Johnson, knows the tabloid world is training its eye on athletes and the “magnifying glass is intensifying in the sports world.” Athletes surely do have the right to a private life too, don’t they?

Privacy?

A survey conducted by PR Week in the UK  in September 2010 amongst 3,000 respondents showed that, in the eyes of the public, celebrities who make money from their private lives have fewer rights to privacy. 36% of respondents believed the public had the right to know about a sports star’s private life. An additional 49% (85%!) feels the public has the right to know about a sports star’s private life if “it” was something that undermined their sports performance. In addition, 68% said celebrities do not have the same rights to privacy in the future if they made money by revealing details of their private lives to the media.

That’s probably why these 2,000 paparazzi have jobs! But hey, wait a second, who’ll need paparazzi anyway?! With every second fan feeling entitled to photograph an athlete around the clock, paparazzi might quickly become obsolete. Athletes are not superhuman and – with a camera density of close to 100% – every athlete will (eventually or inevitably) be photographed under ‘sub-optimal circumstances’. As one of the world’s most famous cases, here’s a link to the NBC coverage of the Micheal Phelps ‘Bong picture’.

 Watch & Learn

Not only pictures shot by fans and paparazzi are making headlines, also pictures taken by athletes such as: Brett Favre, Martellus Bennett, Dorell Wright, George Hill, Greg Oden, Sean Salisbury, Grady Sizemore, Chris Cooley, Mark Ingram, Ron Artest or Ray Edwards are creating news. It’s fair to assume their pictures were not intended for mass publication or large scale distribution.

In some of the above cases the pictures were taken years ago and shared (leaked) by trusted contacts. Nobody needs to be taught not to publicize naked pictures. Not everybody is aware of hackers stealing your private images though. According to LA Late, a man was arrested early October 2011 for committing a digital breach of many celebrities’ mobile and computing devices to steal photos and then leak them online. Officials confirmed that the pictures were being looted from traditional devices like laptops and computers, not just mobile devices like cell phones.

In retrospect, no matter how these images got out, an athlete’s assumption that his (or her) private pictures will remain unseen by the common public has clearly been proven mildly naive. Should we all agree that from now onwards a “momentary lack of judgment” and “naivety about the Internet” are no longer valid excuses? Athletes can read too and should definitely be learning from the experience of others in sports photography.   Therefore the most sensible guidance to (aspiring) athletes that do not want to get “caught with their pants down” remains that the images that you do not want seen should probably never be shot.

What are your thoughts on sports photography today and social media’s impact?  Let us know in the comments below and please feel free to share this article with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.

Special thanks to Brendan Kemp, aka @bjnkemp.

About Thomas van Schaik

Thomas studied Communications in Amsterdam and has been working in international sports for over 15 years. He started his professional career at the Amsterdam Admirals in the NFL Europe and moved to Dutch professional soccer champions PSV Eindhoven in 1997. In 2001 he moved to Southern Germany to join Adidas. He's filled a variety of roles with the sporting goods brand, including 'Head of Global PR'. In 2011 he moved into the role of Global Brand Director.

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It can be argued that the best teams should have the best MLB Facebook Pages. If a team is successful on the field, you’d expect they’d be able to capitalize on fan fervor and strengthen their fan connection online.  On the flip side, it might also be argued that the worst teams have nowhere to go but up and therefore have a lot more to gain by engaging their fans on Facebook.

What Makes Up A Good Facebook Fan Page?

Before we compare the top and worst MLB Teams Facebook Pages, let’s first consider the qualities that make up a good Facebook fan page. According to Inc., here are some highlights of what makes for a great page:

• Appearance
• Conversation between the moderator(s) and fans
• Offers and discounts
• Contests/trivia
• Videos
• Meetups or other opportunities for fans to get connected offline
• News

Ignite Social Media suggests the best Facebook Pages are measured by “total fan actions (meaning comments, likes and wall posts.)”.  So, without further adieu, let’s take a look at the top and worst teams from the 2011 MLB season and see how they compare.

Top Teams – MLB Facebook Pages

St. Louis Cardinals

The Redbirds (more than 1.1 mil. fans more than 8,000 talking about) offer everything you could want in a fan page. There are interviews, invitations to see Stan Musial’s statue, special store offers, photos, video clips, announcements about the new print magazine, chances to submit questions for interviews, and player birthdays.

Texas Rangers

Texas (almost 1.1 mil and more than 7,500 talking about) posts less frequently than the Cards. While there are player birthdays, interviews, news and video clips, merchandise posts make up the greatest proportion of the team’s most recent posts.

Milwaukee Brewers

The NL Central Champs (more than 530,000 fans and nearly 4K talking about) offer a variety of posts. Compared to the Cards, the team is a little heavy on merchandise promotions, but the champs have had a bit more news to disperse. Besides sales, the Brewers give fans notice of radio and TV interviews, as well as news, team footage and links to the team’s blog. For something different, Milwaukee gives fans a glimpse of the marketing department on YouTube. It also has content from its minor-league affiliates.

Detroit Tigers

Cy Young and MVP winner Justin Verlander’s team (more than 870,000 fans with better than 8,400 talking about) does not disappoint. Unlike the previous three teams mentioned in this article, when I clicked on Detroit’s page, I arrived at a great-looking “Tigers Holiday Gifts” tab. It’s more offers for merchandise, yes, but it’s a nice change from the standard sales post. Clicking on the wall, the first post engages me with a question. On Detroit’s page, you can find posts with links to a front-office blog and news. Another perk of Tigers Facebook fandom is the trivia, photos and polls the club provides on a regular basis.

Worst Teams – MLB Facebook Pages

Houston Astros

Houston (more than 373,000 likes and approaching 4,000 talking about) posts less often than a fan might like, but there are links to news, audio of press conferences, links to blog chats, links to the club’s blog, and thankfully, not too many calls for fans to buy. A couple unique features of this page are its “This Day in Astros History” posts, and, because the word is that people like to do everything without leaving Facebook, there is a tab to buy tickets.

Minnesota Twins

Minnesota (better than 708,000 fans and near 3K talking about) had an off year last year, but it appears the club has not lost its touch with the fans. The first thing I see when I land on the page is, “Welcome: Become a fan of the Twins and get the latest team updates!” Minnesota also offers an assortment of tabs. Photos, polls & quizzes, tickets and Target Field Events give a fan plenty of options. If only the polls had been updated since August. The other downside is that the team’s wall has a disproportionate amount of merchandise offers.

Seattle Mariners

The Mariners’ fan page (442,000+ fans and more than 3,200 talking about) is set up similar to the Twins’. Seattle’s page has a nice assortment of news, links to stories and video clips as well as pictures and sales offers.

Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore (better than 320 K and almost 2K talking about) looks similar to Minnesota and Seattle. The O’s have a more recent poll question (Oct.) as well as a Junior Orioles Dugout Club tab. The Orioles post infrequently in the offseason, but fans can expect variety. The Orioles ask fans for their opinions on the return of the cartoon bird logo and also engage fans with compelling posts that make them feel special. “Be the first to see the new look of Birdland! Visit orioles.com tomorrow at 9:30 am for the exclusive unveiling of the Orioles new uniforms,” one post reads.

Does Performance On The Field Matter?

Looking at these eight teams, it’s clear from the numbers that winning fosters enthusiastic fans, but how much winning matters on Facebook is probably less than you might think.  Examine the Brewers’ numbers compared to the Mariners’, for example. They are not all that different, which proves again content is key.  The success of these pages lies in marketing and in offering interesting posts almost as much as winning and losing on the field.

What is your favorite team and how connected do you feel with the organization?  Which are your favorite MLB Facebook Pages and why?  Leave your comments below and feel free to share with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.

About Sam Miller

Sam Miller is the founder of SamsDreamBlog.com. A graduate of the University of Illinois, he worked with various teams in sports information and received the Freedom Forum – NCAA Sports Journalism Scholarship for his achievements. At the University of Illinois, Miller regularly wrote feature stories about the football team. He has also served as communications intern for the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate. Prior to that, he worked as a communications intern for USA Basketball and as an associate reporter for MLB.com.

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This is a guest post submitted by Keith Beise

Fans  are always the best marketers of their teams–wearing team colors, talking about events, and bringing their friends to games.

The problem for teams is they often have no input on what their fans are saying, don’t know who their fans are, and are not able reward them for the buzz they generate.

Baylor University partnered with row27 Studios to create a Social Media Fan Rewards Program that helps address those issues by engaging Bears fans on their social media accounts.

Once fans sign up for the program at baylorboldrewards.com and connect their Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare accounts, all rewards points are automatically updated when they “like” things on Baylor Athletics’ Facebook page, tweet with specific hashtags and check in to athletic events, which are just a few of the ways to earn points. The only reason fans would need to go to Baylor’s rewards site is to check how many points they have earned and see how they stack up to other Bears fans on the leaderboard.

At the end of the year, the leading three point earners win top prizes, including the grand prize of getting to lead the Baylor football team out onto the field for the first game of the 2012 season and receive an iPad2. However, fans of all levels of engagement will have incentive to participate in the program year-round as they can redeem their points for various prizes ranging from a BU decal to a fleece jacket.

Social Media Fan Rewards is a Win-Win

The Social Media Fan Rewards Program essentially creates a win-win for both Baylor and its fans. The Bears get a huge speaker attached to its digital microphone as fans get rewarded for interacting with Baylor’s brand on their usual social media accounts.

The response to the program has already been enormous as thousands of both student and non-student Bears fans have signed up, generating an incredible reach for Baylor Athletics. The program was officially launched in mid-November and in three weeks has already resulted in more than 4,000,000 social media impressions.

The launching of the Social Media Fan Rewards Program comes at a perfect time for the Bears to create online buzz as they are just getting their basketball seasons underway with the No. 1 ranked women’s and No. 7 ranked men’s teams.

row27 Studios is full service digital sports marketing studio based out of Minneapolis, MN. Since starting in 2008, row27 Studios has grown to service more than 100 Division-1 colleges and 25 professional sports teams. row27 Studios prides itself at being innovative and staying at the forefront of changing technology to deliver the highest quality to its clients. More about row27 Studios can be found at row27.com.

What do you think of the new Social Media Fan Rewards Program launched by Baylor University?  Leave your comments below and feel free to share this article with your friends on Facebook & Twitter!

About Lewis Howes

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Photo courtesy of www.pitch.com

In the wake of seeing what a lockout can do to a league, Major League Baseball has decided to peacefully and quietly get their Collective Bargaining Agreement done and guarantee baseball to it’s fans through 2016. While some things in the agreement seem superficial, like a “no tobacco tin in the back pocket while on the field” rule (no offense Raul Ibanez), there are also some important things to come out of this CBA. One of those is a new MLB social media policy that will be subject to all players.

While the policy has not been released to the public, as is the standard for the MLB, there is a policy in place for managers and executives that was released earlier this year. After looking at that policy the Twitterverse can only hope the new one for the players contains more than six “donts”, as Wendy Thurm at SB Nation writes.

What the new MLB social media policy means going forward

While a simple list consisting of not displaying disparaging content or not using the nickname of any MLB entity as a Twitter handle may seem obvious at the surface, the new MLB social media policy should be considered very dangerous for Bud Selig and friends as a brand. Major League Baseball constantly fails in the social media world where the other big sport leagues succeed, mainly on YouTube and Twitter.

There is no better example than in this year’s World Series, widely considered one of the best in the last decade, when Joe Buck brought baseball fans a nostalgic moment by remembering his father, Jack. After David Freese’s dramatic game 6 walk-off home run Joe simply stated, “We will see you tomorrow night,” emulating his father after Kirby Puckett did the same in 1991 . How well did the MLB handle that? The mashup videos of Joe and Jack’s calls were taken down by the next morning for absolutely no one to enjoy. In contrast, the NBA has an official YouTube page where they post game clips, commercials and videos. They also let fans post what they have missed without the thought of taking it down 4 hours later.

MLB Social Media Policy – The Twitter Effect

An extension of the failure to communicate with fans by the MLB occurs on Twitter, where they have a million fewer followers than the NFL and 1.5 million fewer supporters than the NBA. This will certainly not be helped if they use the same policy in place now on the players and hinder the creative minds of players like Logan Morrison or the humanitarian efforts of players like Cole Hamels. Social media is quickly becoming the way to meet celebrities (the mention tweet is the the new autograph!) and if the MLB social media policy falls behind it’s big sport competitors it won’t belong before they find themselves behind in every other fan-following area as well.

What are your thoughts about the new MLB social media policy? Comment below to get the discussion started!

About Steve Richards

Steve is a recent graduate of Penn State University with a degree in Sports Journalism from the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism. He is currently working as a marketing and PR intern for Sports Networker.

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With the world in a constant state of upheaval these days, sports business is not exempt. Below are the sports business leaders who can bring clarity to the topsy turvy landscape.

Sports Business Professionals:  Tweet Leaders

1.  Darren Rovell

When you have read an article called “My 13 Golden Rules of Twitter,” written by someone with more than 143,000 followers, you should tack it on your refrigerator. No wonder Rovell earned Sports Social Media Professional of the Year.

2.  Darren Heitner

Heitner tweets often but not too often. He mixes it up between links, stories, advice to students, retweets and other worthwhile content.

3.  Jennifer Keene 

Keene, of Octagon Sports Marketing, does a great job conversing with her followers. Though I don’t see many links or retweets in her recent activity.

4. Brian Gainor

Gainor is up for the business awards circuit this year, and I can see one reason why. He provides his followers with a variety of links, he interacts with them and he promotes. Unfortunately, for followers, Gainor varies between tweeting a lot or a little.

5. Russell Scibetti 

Scibetti’s site is one of the best, and he consistently hosts awesome events. He continues networking on Twitter. I don’t see too much else besides conversations, but with more than 4300 followers, he is someone to keep an eye on.

6. J.W. Cannon 

I love Cannon’s Twitter background (coffee beans). It indicates he is having fun with his tweets, wired or not. Examples: “HAHAHAHA #Eagles. #1 rule of football: Punters suck and are not technically considered football players.” “UMMM, WHAT ABOUT TASTE?: New Bud Light “Platinum” will contain more alcohol, calories. http://j.mp/uFFUVY #marketing #beer”

Cannon gives followers something different than just business speak, and he has more than 4500 followers. The only problem is it’s hard to tell what category he fits in.

7. Kristi Dosh

Dosh is ESPN’s sports business reporter. You can expect tweets at regular intervals from her.

8. Maury Brown

Brown is the president of Business of Sports Network and has more than 8400 followers. Brown loves to talk music with followers. Don’t worry, he covers all the big sports biz stories and poses questions as well. If you’re not a rock music lover, you will have to pick through tweets to find the sports biz stuff.

9. Liz Mullen

Mullen has more than 15 K followers. Obviously she has this Twitter thing down, and you’d do well to pick her brain. The SportsBusiness Journal reporter sticks to hard news and not much else.

10. Joe Favorito 

Between the two of them, I’m not sure anything gets past Sports Networker and Joe Favorito’s Sports Marketing and PR Pros newsletter. I love Favorito’s weekly links in the newsletter. He teases so you know what you are getting and whether or not the story is to your interest. That’s what you get on his Twitter account in real-time.

Here are a few more Twitter handles you have to check out: @LouImbriano, @MicheleSteele, @robkatz, @joshuaduboff, @RonGoch, @DonWalkerJS, @ScottONeil_MSG.

Below are some tips from the man, Darren Rovell, who occupies the top spot on this list:

Sports Business Professionals:  Tips to Tweeting

1. Remember, Twitter is not a monologue, it is a dialogue.

“You want people to engage with you, you want people to retweet you. If you use all 140 characters, the only choice they have is to click the retweet button, which means they can’t comment on it.

2.  Know Who Follows You and Why People Follow You.

In other words, stick to your expertise and stay away from random rants about the latest thing to cross your mind.

3. Personal Tweets Are Fine Every Once In A While.

With the preceding advice in mind, you are a person, not a robot. Give people a window into your other passions on occasion.

4. Know When to Tweet.

Rovell suggests you tweet during the 9:30 am to 11 am ET timeframe unless you have something time-sensitive to tweet.

Who are some of your favorite sports business professionals to follow on Twitter and why? Make sure to leave your comments below and feel free to share this article with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.

About Sam Miller

Sam Miller is the founder of SamsDreamBlog.com. A graduate of the University of Illinois, he worked with various teams in sports information and received the Freedom Forum – NCAA Sports Journalism Scholarship for his achievements. At the University of Illinois, Miller regularly wrote feature stories about the football team. He has also served as communications intern for the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate. Prior to that, he worked as a communications intern for USA Basketball and as an associate reporter for MLB.com.

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Movember  is here! ‘Movember’ (a portmanteau of “moustache” and “November”) is an annual, month-long event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November. It has become a global celebration of furry face furniture all over the world, and helps to raise money and awareness to combat one of the biggest killers of young men – prostate cancer. What do you think– are you man enough to Mo?

Movember Athletes

Besides the fact that quite a few remarkable athletes proudly wore some pretty awesome moustaches AND the obvious fact that Movember supports an extremely important and wonderful cause (your participation or support would be awesome) there are 3 main reasons for covering the initiative on this blog:

1. Movember is hugely social media driven, rapidly increasing in size and fully depending on sponsors. It presents a wonderful cause marketing benchmark. So please do tune-in and check it out.
2. One in two men will develop cancer at some point in their life. One in six men is diagnosed with Prostate cancer in his lifetime. It’s the most prevalent form of cancer among men 15 – 34. Prostate cancer is over 90% curable right now, provided is detected early. Most men – sports enthusiasts in particular – “love the balls they play with”. Why not check yours today gents?
3. Sports are an essential element to staying fit. Many athletes have been a great source of inspiration by actively using the power of sports to support the fight against cancer. This is a wonderful opportunity to highlight and celebrate those initiatives.

Growing Mo shouldn’t be all that difficult should it? However, as I’m about to grow my own for the very first time, I fear it is actually way more challenging than it sounds. One of the worlds best athletes ever (who also happens to have an incredible commitment towards supporting charitable causes) is Michael Jordan. His Royal Airness has sported some rather remarkable Mo’s in his past. The above picture was taken in 2009. At that time Charles Barkley (another former Mobro) was not … very impressed: “I’d never shave my moustache like that. I don’t know what the hell he was thinking. It’s just stupid. It’s just bad, plain and simple.”

Will my Mo be able to withstand the critical reviews of eh well … basically … everybody I meet?! It’s pretty much in my face right? Anyway, through-out the month of Movember you’ll be able to check-in with my Mo on Twitter via @thomasvanschaik or visit my ‘Mobro Profile Page’.

Please generously support a Mobro near you so it may grow.

#movember #fearthestache

The Movember Edition – Check Your Balls, Gents 

Here’s a shout out to all of those participating in Movember 2011. Gentlemen, sharpen your razors and proudly enter the Moustache Season. Now it’s time to prepare for the hairy wilderness that awaits you. Get Mo-ing and growing!

The Movember Foundation

The Movember Foundation is a charitable organisation that implements the Movember event each year across the globe. Since its inception as a formal charity in 2004 Movember has raised over $30 million (AUD) globally, significantly increasing awareness of prostate cancer in the community. You can follow Movember on Twitter here: @Movember.

Some other great athlete initiatives that aim to raise awareness and funds in the fight against cancer http://www.looktothestars.org/category/12-cancer#charities include:

Livestrong

@Livestrong is undoubtedly best known and biggest athlete initiative that inspires and empowers cancer sufferers and their families. Livestrong http://www.livestrong.org/ was founded by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Amstrong in 1997. The Lance Amstrong Foundation also aims to provide practical information and tools for cancer sufferers via public health and research.

Athletes Vs. Cancer

@Matt_Barnes22 who started @athletesvcancer / Athletes vs. Cancer http://www.athletesvscancer.org in memory of his mother, Ann Barnes, who passed away only twenty-six days after being diagnosed with several types of cancer.

Athletes Kickin Cancer

Athletes Kickin Cancer http://www.athleteskickincancer.org a program established in March 2006. With the mission to provide college scholarships for senior high school athletes who have fought the battle of cancer or have a parent that has fought the battle.

Athletes for a cure

@Athletes4aCure are  a fundraising and awareness program of the Prostate Cancer Foundation http://www.athletesforacure.org/site/c.llKTL9MRIsG/b.5027525/k.BE1C/Home.htm that helps athletes as they play, run, bike, walk or race for a cure.

Jen Hanks’ Story

Or Jen Hanks’ story – a professional mountain biker diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year – who is brave enough to share her story here http://athletefightscancer.blogspot.com/.

Sports Against Cancer

http://www.sports4cure.org/ Sports Against Cancer is an organization dedicated to raising funds to find a cure. The organisation was founded in 2007 by three sports veterans affected by the cause: Bill Fitch and Bob Hill, former NBA coaches; and Sid Rodeheffer, NCAA referee. With positive energy and commitment to the cause, they aim to turn the spirit of athletics into a victory for life.

About Thomas van Schaik

Thomas studied Communications in Amsterdam and has been working in international sports for over 15 years. He started his professional career at the Amsterdam Admirals in the NFL Europe and moved to Dutch professional soccer champions PSV Eindhoven in 1997. In 2001 he moved to Southern Germany to join Adidas. He's filled a variety of roles with the sporting goods brand, including 'Head of Global PR'. In 2011 he moved into the role of Global Brand Director.

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