In 2010, we’ve seen professional athletes come a long way in social media, and perhaps there’s no better platform as evidence of this than Twitter. The amount of engagement in the last year going on in the space has been phenomenal but after doing polls on the top sports professionals and top sports resources of 2010, we were curious to see who you thought the top athlete on twitter was. For more information how each athlete has ‘won’ using Twitter, read below the fold. Voting will end on next Monday and we’ll announce all the winners shortly after!

Steve Nash @SteveNash

Not only does Nash engage with fans through videos, parodies, and behind the scenes content, but he also deserves praise for assisting teammates like Grant Hill and Jared Dudley for getting on Twitter. As a whole, his Phoenix Suns are one of these most active teams on Twitter, period.

Shaquille O’Neal @THE_REAL_SHAQ

You could say he’s the Godfather of all athletes on social media – the first big name in sports to engage users with Twitter. Some even say he alluded to the overall success of Twitter. He has since cooled off, but his antics and engagement are still as fun as ever.

Robbie Rogers @RobbieRogers

Although soccer is hardly a grassroots sport, it’s not as popular in America as it ought to be. However, Robbie Rogers has quietly built a strong fan base for himself as a member of Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew through a healthy dose of engagement, and using creative ways to give out swag.

Chad Ochocinco @ogochocinco

He’s quirky, eccentric, and often gets suspended from Twitter. But he’s real, and fans love him for that.

Paul Bissonnette @BizNasty2point0

The resident no-name athlete turned Twitter superstar. He is probably the least known on this list of athletes, and yet I wouldn’t be surprised to see him win at all. His personality, charisma, and ability to make light of serious situations while remaining genuine is second to none. He routinely pokes fun of his own playing time (not a lot), and talks a lot about the homeless. How could you not vote for this zinger?

Kevin Durant @KDthunderup

When KD’s not on the court practicing, he spends a lot of time engaging with his fan base, hosting Q&A sessions on Twitter, and showing exclusive content creatively through his ‘neighbor‘.

Nate Robinson @Nate_Robinson

Boy, can you tell that basketball players are dominating social media right now? Nate is another one of those mid-tier players who has elevated their brand using social media tools. However, he is also a hustler, as I’ve personally seen him tweeting at obscene hours of the day.

Tiger Woods @TigerWoods

In a desperation move to save what’s left of his public figure, Tiger turned to Twitter, and so far the response has been positive. Will it be enough?

Kerry Rhodes @KERRYRHODES

Like Shaq, Kerry was a pioneer of sorts on Twitter. Partly of his success on the space, practically the whole New York Jets (his former team) roster is now on Twitter. Not too shabby.

Larry Fitzgerald @LarryFitzgerald

Larry is an example of a guy who ‘gets it’. He engages with his fans, and talks sports with them. It isn’t always about him, or even football, but he’s a true listener and his 600,000 fans love him for it.

LeBron James @KingJames

We’ve talked about the possibilities for LeBron if he embraced social media for a long time, and it appears he has finally done so. It’s not without controversy, but when you’ve got a reach that big, every step you take is analyzed. However, when the chalk clears, LeBron may still end up gaining more on the social media space than anyone else here.

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Image by Keithallison

About Sam Chan

Sam is the community manager of Sports Networker and the Sports Executive Association. He is passionate in all things sports, mobile, and social media. His dream is for the Vancouver Canucks to win a Stanley Cup in his lifetime, although so far, its looking kind of bleak. In the past, he worked with BlackBerry and helped relaunch their Business-to-Business network. With his experience there, he can probably help you change your ringtone, maybe. When he finds time (never), he also writes infrequently at his personal blog. If you would like to talk sports, write a guest post for us, or argue about why iPhone > BlackBerry, you can find him on Twitter, Facebook or email.

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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.

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On September 21st, @NYJET_Prime tweeted to Dustin Keller, “Hey, I just sprung for a white Keller Titans Jersey, I’m starting to sniff favorite Jet ever, lol. Pls sign 15 year contract!”

Two days later, Keller replied, “Hey @NYJET_Prime Thanks. Appreciate the support. Check out this video I made for you http://bit.ly/3PWTyz.”

The ensuing reaction from the fan was unreal. After seeing the video, his next six tweets were all Keller-related, including messages to Keller directly, to the Jets account, and to another fan.

“@DustinKeller81 Holy Sh-t!!! I know I’m an adult and all but that’s freaking awesome. I feel like a kid with a permagrin now, THANKS!!!”

“@DUSTINKELLER81 Just wanted to say thanks again- I really appreciate it. Not only are you a great Player but person as well. THANKS AGAIN!!!”

“@nyjets Dustin Keller did something real nice for me, I wish I had a better way to say thanks. Tweeting TY just isn’t doing it. He’s the best.”

“@trevsw that was amazing! What a great guy!! I’m still in shock and have permagrin. Go Jets!!!”

“@DUSTINKELLER81 I just told my dad. You made my year! I told him I was giddy like a 12 year old girl. Corny I know, but ur the best.”

“@DUSTINKELLER81 Thanks Again- I’m not semi Jet famous. I had like 3 spam followers now it’s up to 41. You da man!! Good Luck this weekend!!”

You may look at these tweets and say that his reaction was over the top. But think about it: You tweet one of your favorite players and not only does he respond, but he responds with a personalized video thanking you for your comments and for being a fan. Of course you would go nuts!

What’s important to remember is that it was the video that elicited this reaction. Plenty of people get @replies from athletes on Twitter, but very few get personalized video responses. And the craziest thing is that all Keller needed was 20 seconds of his time (trust me, I was there). In return for those 20 seconds, he got 600+ people to watch the video on Youtube, a lot of respect from his fans, and one fan who will absolutely worship him for the rest of his career.

So, athletes, if you’re not sure about using social media or you aren’t seeing the results you desire, remember this: You have to care. When you’re laying in bed after waking up or before going to sleep, take twenty minutes and respond to those hundreds, or thousands, of people who are talking to you on Twitter or Facebook. It doesn’t take much, all they want is a response.

Look at Kerry Rhodes. He’s built 20,000 organic followers with messages like, “thx” and “no problem.” He takes the time to respond to as many fans as possible. Then he gets on uStream to answer fans in a more personal manner. Why? Because he cares! And that is why he has fans who care about him.

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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There are some amazing individuals out there who really get it when it comes to sports and social media.  Amy Martin, AJ Vaynerchuk, Gary Vaynerchuk and others really know the hottest trends when it comes to helping not only pro sports teams but also some of the top pro athletes become even bigger by using social media ninja marketing tactics.

I was fortunate enough to sit down with Aj Vaynerchuck, co-founder of VaynerMedia at their headquarters in NYC last month, and was really impressed with what they are currently doing with All-Pro safety Kerry Rhodes, the New York Jets, and some of the other sports industry clients they were working with.  Check out what AJ has to say about how to brand athletes online in the video below, and feel free to share your thoughts on how pro athletes should be using social media in the comments section.

photo credit VaynerMedia

About Lewis Howes

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