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:

When and why did you decide to join Twitter? At the time, were any of your clients on Twitter?

I looked into various social media sources and during the Spring of 2010, I made the decision to delve into the Twitterverse as a means to better promote my clients and the game of hockey. None of my clients were on Twitter at the time, but with my impetus, a number of them have joined now.

As an agent, how does social media allow you to publicize and promote your clients in ways that traditional media do not?

Social Media has been great for myself, my company and my clients as a way to not only interact with the fans, but allow us to brand our clients as whom they are in real life. Unfortunately, mainstream media only has so much space and so many characters to expend on the sport of hockey. Social Media allows us to go way beyond that and let people into the world of a hockey player and tell [their] great stories.

You created the “Make My Day Mondays” (#MMDM) charity campaign on Twitter. Why did you start the campaign? How can people get involved? What aspect of the campaign are you most proud of?

I began the “Make My Day Mondays” campaign [in August] as a way that my clients and I could set an example for everyone and help make this a better place one #MMDM at a time. I am lucky to represent the best athletes in the world. This is a way for guys like Dustin Brown, @DustinBrown23 and [St. Louis Blues forward] Cam Janssen, @CamJanssen55, to once again show that athletes are in fact role models and [remind everyone] how each individual can do their part to help.

Every person can get involved by doing a random act of kindness and/or giving to someone less fortunate each and every Monday and then telling us [on Twitter] so others will follow their lead. For those on Twitter, they should tweet about their good deed and add the hashtag #MMDM. We are also moving this effort to Facebook, so that a person can go to the cause’s Facebook page and add their act of kindness.

I am most proud of the acts and actions of my client base supporting this effort. It has not just been the NHL stars like Brown or Janssen but also American Hockey League players (and NHL prospects) like LA’s @CoreyElkins, Toronto’s @Alex23Foster and Vancouver’s @BillySweatt who have been diligent with their acts every week.

Twitter gives professional athletes a way of speaking directly to their fans and detractors. In what ways does this direct link influence your clients and other pro athletes? How can it help/hinder their success in building personal brands?

As I touched on earlier, this is part of the charm of Twitter. The fact that the athletes can interact with fans and others allows these guys to get their personalities out there, even if it’s only 140 characters at a time. If an athletes understands the benefits of these Social Media outlets, as well as the potential downfalls, I do not think these can hinder their success at all. There are always going to be naysayers, as there are in the mainstream media, and athletes have to learn to properly deal with these people and move on with their lives.

What do you see as the future of the sports industry in social media?

ENDLESS! I think we are just at the tip of the iceberg with where we as a sports industry can go with Social Media. For one, I certainly hope that the NHL, the NHLPA and all of my fellow agents learn to embrace Social Media and utilize it to grow our game of hockey!

What do you think of Scott’s Twitter Campaign and the use of Twitter by his clients?

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About Brendan Wilhide

Brendan Wilhide runs Sportsin140.com, a site that covers sports and social media. He is currently co-authoring a textbook on social media for the sports industry. Follow him on Twitter: @BrendanWilhide and @Sportsin140.

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(This is a guest article by Ash Read)

The social media phenomenon is still taking off here in the UK, especially amongst our sports teams and athletes, who are severely behind their US counterparts. We’ve yet to see a sporting superstar utilize social media to the same level as Shaq, Dwight Howard and others have across the pond. Many of our bigger clubs have yet to recognize the power of social media. They broadcast news, results and details of any promotional offers, but in many cases there is very little interaction and engagement with the fans, which is a key aspect of social media, isn’t it?

In an age where the Premier League has a huge presence on the web and a huge global fanbase, it’s surprising there aren’t more Premier League players using Twitter. There is potential for these players to use social media in building their personal brands and following.

The Premier League’s best known Twitterer is Sunderland striker, Darren Bent who, as I write this, has around 28,000 followers (not quite at Shaq’s 2.5 million mark yet). Bent regularly posts an honest, open and interesting account of his life both on and off the pitch. He has used his Twitter account to embrace his new life in the north east. He has connected with the locals making him somewhat of a cult hero amongst Sunderland supporters, of course the goals and his performances on the pitch have helped too.

His famous use of Twitter has also seen his boot manufacturers, Umbro, make him a specially designed pair of boots with the Twitter logo and his username (@DBTheTruth) sewn into them. These boots have made national newspapers and also appeared on national TV. Highlighting the power social media can have and of course the benefits and exposure for any sponsors.

Bent possesses an impressive goal scoring record in the Premier League, and has been one of the top English scorers over the past four seasons, despite this he’s never really been in the media spotlight. Since his Twitter use his popularity and coverage in the media has significantly increased. It’s safe to say that Darren Bent’s personal brand and status has grown hugely through his use of Twitter, so why aren’t more Premier League stars utilizing it, and social media in general? Here are a couple of possible reasons:

Bad Press: One outburst famously got Darren Bent into trouble earlier this year. He posted comments over a potential move from Tottenham to Sunderland and it made national news, causing him to close down his Twitter account.

Lack of understanding: Social media is still a relatively new phenomenon and even the experts are continually finding ways to improve results and use social media to its fullest potential. Many don’t understand and see how social media ROI can be measured, therefore seeing any considerable time spent on social media as wasted time.

So what’s the solution? In one word, education. The majority of young footballers are given media training by their clubs (how to handle interviews, speaking to the press etc.) Maybe it’s time the clubs started to educate all players on the power of social media.

Maybe our clubs themselves need educating, some clubs seem worried about letting players loose with tools such as Twitter due to problems the past. However, with a set of guidelines clubs would have control of what information the players broadcast. If Hull City had some guidelines in place could the whole Jozy Altidore situation have been avoided?

Our clubs and athletes need to embrace social media. You only have to read “3 Reasons Athletes Should Use Social Media” to realize that athletes should be utilizing social media. Not only can it benefit their following on the field but also off the field and in retirement.

Is it the clubs that should be responsible for social media training or should it be the players agents/management or the players themselves?

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Ashley Read is a Managing Director at Sport Driven, a dedicated sport marketing platform enabling businesses to source new and exciting commercial opportunities in the UK. Learn more and connect with him here or follow Ash on Twitter.

About Lewis Howes

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(This is a guest article by Anita Lobo)

Sports & social media have received a lot of attention worldwide, particularly over the opportunity or threat twitter represents. However, the adoption of twitter by the athletes has been considerably slower in India.

This list presents top sports tweeps i.e. the ‘early adopters’ who actively reach out to fans and foster a community of interest and dialogue. A cross-section of athletes from varied disciplines, sports journalists, and one notable sports administrator are here – all of whom share a remarkable view from the front lines of sport in India.

1.    @chillyrathore/Rajyavardhan Rathore/ Shooting/ Olympian & multiple world-record holder:

Silver medalist, Men’s Double Trap at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics. Chilly’s win at the 2004 Silver Olympics is widely regarded as a turning point in India’s performance at the Olympic & Commonwealth Games. He is an inspiration to peers as well as young sportsmen, across disciplines.

2.    @karunchandhok/ Karun Chandhok/ Racing/ Racing driver:

Won the first ever Asian Formula Renault V6 Championship and had a historic win as an Indian racer at an F1 weekend at the Spa circuit in Belgium, 2007. Karun is among the few Indian racers who are seriously pursuing a F1 slot. David Coulthard recently stated that Karun has the talent to make it!

3.    @sainanehwal/ Saina Nehwal/ Badminton/ Badminton champion:

Ranked no. 6 in the world, this young sportswoman is the first Indian woman to clinch the World Junior Badminton Championship in Nov 2008 and the first Indian to win a Super Series title [Indonesian Open/ June 2009]. In a sport dominated by Chinese shuttlers, Saina is considered a formidable opponent. She is widely recognised for being among the few Indian women & athletes who are among the top 10 of their sport, at world levels.

4.    @gokeshavan/ Shiva Keshavan/ Luge/ India’s three-time Winter Games Olympian:

Shiva was the youngest-ever Luge Olympian at the Nagano Winter Olympic Games and has represented India at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games 2002, Olympic Winter Games 2006. He won bronze at the Asian Championships, Nagano 2008-09.

5.    @coachcyrus/ Cyrus Poncha/ Squash/ Coach to India’s national team:

Among the most respected squash coaches in the world, Cryrus has been feted as Asian Junior coach of the year 2003 and 2004. He received India’s highest national honour awarded to coaches, the Dronacharya Award in 2005. He trains India’s squash team and also blogs regularly to keep together India’s small but extremely active group of squash enthusiasts.

6.    @MahendraDhoni/ Mahendra Singh Dhoni/ Cricket/ India’s national cricket team captain:

Dhoni is the most popular captain in recent times of India’s national cricket team – appealing to fans, peers and connoisseurs of cricket. India’s national team also has had a very successful win record under his captaincy. A swashbuckling batsman, Dhoni is a sponsors’ delight and recently topped a Forbes magazine list of the world’s top earning cricketers at USD 10 million.

7.    @prempanicker/ Prem Panicker/ Sports writer/ Cricket expert, Editor India Abroad & rediff.com:

A journalist for over 17 years, cricket expert and sports writer with a legendary following. Prem combines knowledge & humour with inimitable style over his tweet-stream that on any given day is a delightful commentary about sport and the quirky people who make it worth watching!

8.    @SpiceBoxofEarth/ Dileep Premachandran/ Sports writer/ Associate editor, Cricinfo:

Leading cricket writer and an expert on the game in India, Dileep is the Asian cricket correspondent for the Sunday Times (London), Inside Sport and writer for the Guardian, Sunday Times and SA Cricket.

9.    @Soumya1910/ Soumya Bhattacharya/ Sports writer/ author of ‘You Must Like Cricket’?:

Editor of Hindustan Times [in Mumbai]. Soumya’s book ‘You Must Like Cricket?’ was one of the notable books of the year for the award-winning Observer Sport Monthly magazine in the UK. Soumya juggles editorial duties around game schedules.

10.    @LalitKModi/ Lalit K Modi/ Administrator/ IPL Chairman & Commissioner:

The brain behind IPL, Lalit Modi wields tremendous power over India’s cricket establishment and has recently begun tweeting. BCCI’s gag order on cricketers prevents them from tweeting or blogging or engaging in any form of social media, without their permission. Is Modi on twitter a sign that BCCI’s gag order might change too?

11.    @satyabratadam/ Satyabrata Dam/ Mountaineering/ Adventurer:

While mountaineering isn’t a conventional competitive sport, Satyabrata is about pushing the boundaries and has inspired a wave of mountaineering and sports enthusiasts. Satyabrata has climbed nearly all major peaks worldwide, including the Mount Everest from the tough Northern face. He is the Joint Director (Mountaineering) of the Indian Navy’s Adventure & Sports division.

12.    @jdbasketball/ JD Walsh/ Basketball/ American basketball coach, spreading basketball in India:

JD Walsh is an ‘honorary Indian’ for the remarkable training programs and the community outreach he’s involved with. JD has help over 100 training camps for aspiring hoopsters and coaches, across India. He regularly conducts programs that reach out to underprivileged children and people affected by violence, through the Hoops for Health & Peace programs.

13.    @bhavikdotcom/ Bhavik Gandhi/ Yachting/ Yatchsman:

World record-holder for rowing solo across the Atlantic, spending 106 days at sea. Bhavik was voted among the top 5 sports personalities of the Year 2007 by Outside Magazine and is a RYA qualified Yacht Master. Bhavik has played an important role in changing India’s perception in the sailing & yachting world.

‘Cricket is a religion in India & that’s where the big money is’ – you’ll hear this ad nauseum about India, which is still an emerging market that offers great opportunities for sports marketing.

What’s frequently overlooked is that a diverse group of sports – golf, shooting, tennis, badminton – are attracting more fans as Indians perform better on the international circuit.

Both newbie sponsors who find the entry cost of cricket prohibitive, as well as seasoned ‘mega’ sponsors are increasingly seeing merit in spreading their risks [beyond cricket] and building brand associations with a diverse group of sports.

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Part 2 will feature sports entities i.e. marketers, news sources, and clubs that have a significant following in India.

Image by B. Sanderman

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About Lewis Howes

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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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