If you don’t know about Stephen Strasburg, let me introduce you. Strasburg is a starting pitcher for the Washington Nationals. He was the number one pick in the MLB Draft last year and made his major league debut earlier this week: 7 innings, 4 hits, 2 earned runs… and 14 strikeouts! Quite the impressive entry…
Archive | Social Media in Sports
Top 10 Most Followed Sports Teams on Twitter
It’s no surprise that sports teams all over the world are realizing the power of 140 characters or less. Twitter allows organizations to keep their fan base updated on events, stories, and up to the minute scoring, which has resulted in a growth of the number of followers for certain teams. Teams in major sports markets…
Social Networking Promotes “Go Outside and Play”
Remember when your mother told you to “go outside and play,” and when you went outside there was a neighborhood full of kids waiting. There used to be a time when you felt like playing a pick-up game of football or flashlight tag that it was actually quite easy to find others to play with….
What Happens When India Embraces Twitter
(This is a guest article by Anthony Alsop) As of November 2008, India had a reported 81,000,000 users on the internet, which was an 100% increase from 2007, and they generated 4.54% of all internet traffic for 2008. With over 1.1 billion people, that’s only a mere 7% penetration level of the general population on the…
Crossing the Baseline: Social Media Changing Tennis
(This is a guest article by Aaress Lawless) The legacy of the sport of tennis lies steeped in tradition. From the pristine lawns of Wimbledon to the earth of Roland Garros, tennis’ past has governed the game of the present. Change is slow, the old ways are revered, and unlike other sports, tennis has evolved…
What You Need to Know About Facebook’s Recent Announcements
Note: While this article is heavy on tech and social media, the following information is very important, and the implications for all of us in the sports industry are clear. In case you weren’t aware, Facebook made some pretty big announcements at last week’s F8 Conference. Mashable‘s Pete Cashmore went so far as to say…
Geolocation is a Game-Changer for Sports Business
Imagine this for a second: You head out in the morning to shoot some hoops at your local basketball courts and you decide to “check in” using either Gowalla or Foursquare or any of the new geolocation platforms. Boom! You’re rewarded with free tickets to an NBA game. Later in the day, you head to…
Social Media In Sports Heads Over Seas
If you think social media in sports is only booming in the United States, think again. Europe’s first sports social media site is now up and running, sportpost.com. A free site that combines the best videos, blogs, news, and debates from the world of sports is now in one central location, where fans have the ability…
One In a Trillion: How Mark Titus Wins with Social Media
Mark Titus is a former walk-on basketball player for The Ohio State University. On the court he was fairly unremarkable, playing 47 minutes and scoring 9 points in his collegiate career. However, off the court is where Titus shines. In November 2008 he started his blog, Club Trillion. The trillion part of the name comes…
Minor League Teams and Social Media
Q: Can Minor League Teams Build Social Media Followings? Recently, Sports Networker reader Todd E. Jones wrote in with a great question. He asked, “Do you think it is possible to use social media to build or grow a fan base for a minor league sports team? A few hundred or even a couple thousand…
Now is the Best Time to be a Sports Fan
As some of you may know I’m a huge basketball fan and I live in the UK. A few years ago this meant following the NBA could be difficult at times. It often resulted in struggling to stay awake at work or school after staying up until 4 a.m. the previous night to watch a…
Sports Debate: What Athletes Should Be Using Social Media?
Question: Who can benefit more from social media: small-time or big-time athletes? Ryan: My initial reaction is small time athletes and big-time athletes once their career is in a decline. I will start with the argument for small-time athletes. Upper echelon and mainstream athletes already have significant followings. Many have endorsement deals, sell tons of…