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 merchandise, etc. Why do we like certain athletes? Because they’re A) really good at what they do. B) something about their personal life, approach, style, etc. resonates with us.
Big-time athletes have two big advantages: 1) They’re better players. 2) This enables them to be on television more, do more interviews and enable the fans to get more insight into their personality. On both accounts, it’s easier to “like” the more mainstream athlete. Social media helps level the second playing field. Dwayne Wade is always going to be a better basketball player than Charlie Villanueva, but now that Charlie has a presence on Twitter fans get significantly more opportunities to witness his personality in action and grow their affinity for him as a person.
Thoughts?
Fact: blue chip brands receive thousands of sponsorship proposals every year. Estimate: there are some 300,000 properties seeking sponsorship (depending on the way you define it).
For the record, I am a Sixers fan, and I love Allen Iverson.
Marketers, and especially sports marketers, in my opinion are vastly more educated in social media than the majority of other professions. 99% of the talk about social media, however, is on how it can be used to market to consumers. Are there social media tips and tricks sponsorship pros can use to better support their sponsorship case to potential corporate buyers? You bet… and they’re constantly evolving. Let’s rundown a few and feel free to add your own at the bottom.
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.”
In full disclosure, 
BCS.
Over the next four weeks, I am going to write about the social media presence of the four major sports: the 
