In November 2009, I introduced a series of articles I called ‘Social Media Report Card,’ where I graded each of the four major sports leagues – NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB – on their social media presence. I made a point of being harsh. In particular, I criticized each of the leagues for only utilizing the major platforms (Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube) and not adopting some of the emerging platforms (Tumblr, Dailybooth, and Ustream), as well as for not interacting enough with the fans. The series received a lot of positive feedback, so I’ve decided to continue with my ‘Social Media Report Cards,’ this time focusing on individual athletes.

I chose to start with Steve Nash for a few reasons. First, Nash is one of my favorite athletes from any sport right now, which is saying a lot since I am typically a hometown fan (Phillies, Eagles, Sixers). Second, he has always been incredibly entertaining to watch on the court, and has also done some really cool and fun stuff off the court. Third, I think he is one of the most underrated social media users in the sports world. So without further ado, here we go!

Visibility (B+)

Steve Nash might have joined Twitter because of his former teammate, and social media rock star Shaquille O’Neal (@The_Real_Shaq & @The_Real_Nash), but he has fully embraced it and created a really great presence. He has more than 110,000 followers. Nash is also on Facebook, with over 575,000 fans. And to complete the trifecta, he has a YouTube account where he has racked up more than 630,000 total upload views. Before all of these, Nash was challenging fans to competitions (e.g. most free throws in a minute, staring contest) on Baron Davis’ social network, I Beat You. While I haven’t seen him go live on Ustream or snap photos on DailyBooth, Nash has embraced social media across a variety of platforms.

Content (A+)

Content is where Steve Nash shines. He is very creative and has a great sense of humor. Have you seen the video where he asks fans to vote for him in the 2010 All Star game? Or the ‘Step Brothers’ parody trailer he shot with Baron Davis? There was also the video he shot, and presumably organized, of his Phoenix Suns teammates singing Lionel Richie’s ‘All Night Long.’

If you head to SteveNash.org, his organization’s website, you’ll see that Nash also knows how to organize a great promotion. He is giving away a pair of signed, game-worn shoes to someone who donates to the foundation on six different dates. Pretty cool.

Fan Interaction (B)

Nash picks and chooses who he interacts with. On Facebook, he never gets into the comments from the fans, however in some status updates, he does specifically mention how much he appreciates their interaction. On Twitter, Nash occasionally retweets a fan and adds commentary of his own, but he engages more with high profile users than average fans. The thing that saves him is that a lot of his videos are really calls to action to the fans. He engages and interacts through his videos, by asking them to beat him in a competition, or vote for him in the All Star game. The fact that he films most of his videos with a Flip cam and speaks directly to the audience makes him more personal than most.

Consistency (B+)

Professional athletes have demanding schedules, especially during the season, and I don’t expect them to be spending all of their free time on social media. By posting every couple of days (on average) on Facebook, and nearly every day on Twitter, Nash is doing a solid job. During the off season, I would hope to see him get a little more involved.

Overall (A-)

The most important part of using social media, for a brand, is authenticity. The fact that Steve Nash creates very personal content and seems to be behind all of his social media endeavors means a lot. My biggest critique is the lack of interaction with his fans through Twitter and Facebook. I may be a little biased because of my Nash fanboy status, but I really do think that he is underrated, especially from a content standpoint. I’m just looking forward to what he does next.

What do you think of Steve Nash’s social media presence? Were you paying attention to him before you read this article? Who would you like me to highlight in future editions of ‘Social Media Report Card’?

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Images by Keith Allison

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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Ah, baseball. America’s past time. The game has been around, and flourished, for a long, long time. In recent years (since the mid 90′s), baseball has hit a rough patch, with the Steroids Era. However, baseball is trying to change its image, and social media is part of that effort. Social media makes sense for a game that is inherently social for its audience. Going to the ballpark is as much about the hot dogs, peanuts, beer, and conversation with friends, as it is about the action on the field. Let’s see how the MLB does in my final edition of “Social Media Report Card.”

Visibility: B

As expected, the MLB is taking advantage of the Internet’s two biggest social media platforms, and has just about 750,000 followers on Twitter and 45,000 fans on Facebook. The league has also integrated Twitter chat into its MLB.tv streams. Even Minor League Baseball has an account on Twitter, with several hundred followers. However, the MLB does not have an account on YouTube and they are aggressive about removing any of their content that is posted by fans. The MLB has also failed to utilize emerging platforms (e.g. DailyBooth, Ustream). So far, none of the four leagues have taken advantage of those platforms. The first to do so will not regret it.

Content: B-

The MLB posts content to Facebook and Twitter on a consistent basis. They do a decent job of mixing up their content with articles, videos, and promotions. My biggest issue with the MLB is that they are very, very protective of their video content. The NBA has an unbelievable YouTube channel, with over 13 million channel views and 170,000 subscribers. If Major League Baseball were more open with their content, they could see similar results.

Fan Interaction: C

Major League Baseball does engage with its fans to some extent, specifically on Twitter. The league tends to interact with several followers each day, most commonly retweeting people who mention the MLB in a favorable manner. Even though they interact more than the NBA or the NFL, the MLB has a lot more work to do on both Facebook and Twitter if they want to engage with a high percentage of their fans.

Player Involvement: C-

I have been judging this category based on two things: the involvement of each league’s superstars and the number of each league’s athletes engaging in social media. As far as the MLB’s biggest names and best players, very few of them are active. For example, of the two Cy Youngs (Tim Lincecum and Zack Greinke) and the two MVPs (Albert Pujols and Joe Mauer) this year, none are on Twitter. Nick Swisher, of the New York Yankees, is the most popular MLB player on Twitter, with over one million followers. Imagine what a more talented player and a bigger name could do. On its website, the MLB lists 28 players with confirmed Twitter accounts. That’s just three more players than are on one team’s active roster.

Overall: C+

The MLB has a lot of work to do as far as social media goes. The league needs to open up their stance on content, take advantage of YouTube, and begin to utilize emerging platforms. Also, they need to encourage more of their players to get involved. To have Nick Swisher as your best Twitter user signals a need for improvement, and to have only 27 other verified MLBers on Twitter is too low.

My point is, and has been throughout this series, that if the leagues are going to use social media, they need to get more involved as a whole. I understand that large organizations move slowly and the leagues are doing a lot of good things. However, I make a point of being critical because I know how much each of the leagues can do with more effort and a more open, forward-thinking attitude.

Last month, I set out to write “Social Media Report Cards” for each of the four major sports leagues (NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB). The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. I have had requests to continue the series with other leagues (something to look for in the future). Thanks for your support with these articles!

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Image by Keith Allison

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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In the second installment of “Social Media Report Card,” we’re talking football. In the past year, the National Football League has certainly engaged in social media, but have they excelled? Last week, I discussed the NBA. I gave them a ‘B,’ even though I felt like they have consistently done the best job of the four major sports. So, let’s see how the NFL does this week.

Visibility: C+

I gave the NBA a ‘B’ in this category because, while they run powerful accounts on the three biggest social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, & Youtube), I felt they weren’t utilizing emerging platforms and pushing the envelope enough. I was pleasantly surprised when a commenter let me know that the NBA Development League (NBDL) was on Tumblr. The NFL has a Twitter account with 1.3 million followers, as well as a Facebook page with 266,000 fans, but I am not aware of a Youtube account. The NFL needs to be doing more, that’s all there is to it.

Content: B/B-

While their seeming unwillingness to share video content hurts them, the NFL does a good job of consistently posting content on its Facebook and Twitter accounts. On Facebook, most of the content links back to NFL.com. While I’m happy to see a lot of this content is interactive with the fans (You decide: Best photo of the week, Discuss: What was Belichick thinking?, etc.), I would rather the NFL take advantage of Facebook photo albums, videos, and discussions. On Twitter, the NFL links back a lot to Facebook, which in turn, links to NFL.com. They also retweet other NFL-related accounts. Ultimately, while the NFL isn’t breaking barriers with their content, their consistency saves them.

Fan Interaction: D

Just like the NBA, the NFL fails to interact with their fans. Fans post every couple of days on the NFL’s Facebook wall (not too impressive). For fans, there is no real reason to post because there is no engagement on the other end. On Twitter, the only accounts the NFL interacts with are other NFL-related accounts. They fail to take advantage of the thousands of followers who tweet at them or mention them every single day. The league only receives a passing mark because of the fact that some of the NFL’s Facebook content encourages interaction on NFL.com.

Player Involvement: A-

If Shaq was the reason the NBA received an ‘A-,’ then Ochocinco is the reason the NFL receives the same grade. Chad Ochocinco is a social media rock star. He has an iPhone app (a rip-off, but he has one), he is a great Twitterer, and an even better Ustreamer. He has a fantastic personality for social media and he is always making headlines and trying to push the needle. Apart from Ochocinco, the NFL has a lot of other players (e.g. Chris Cooley, Kerry Rhodes, Terrell Owens) who use social media well.

Overall: B-/C+

When compared to the NBA, the NFL isn’t doing quite as good of a job with social media. They have a strong Twitter account, I will give them that. But the fact that the Chicago Bears have more Facebook fans than the entire National Football League means they could be doing a better job. Also, no visible Youtube account hurts them. The content the NFL produces is consistent, but it isn’t raw, engaging, or personal. I would love to see the league buy a couple of flip cams and go crazy. As for fan interaction, there is no excuse for their lack of engagement. What really saves the NFL’s overall grade is the involvement of their players in social media. The league could learn a thing or two from them.

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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