The future of sports marketing has already hit the American consumer where they live the most…on their mobile phones. The tech savvy sports marketer knows that not everyone is at home sitting in front of their TVs watching the game, or online checking the scores and buying the gear. A lot of people are too busy to find the time to root on their favorites teams from their couch or computer chair. Taking the game, the team, and the product to the consumer wherever they are is a brilliant idea. [click to continue…]
It was business for me as usual this week since I celebrated Thanksgiving last month, although I wouldn’t mind a second helping of turkey. Regardless, I want to do a short list of things that I’m thankful for this year as a sports fan.
Vancouver 2010 Olympics: Not only was it the time of my life in my hometown, but there were plenty of great stories there, from strategies to rivalries to upstarts. I also relished the opportunity to learn a lot more about smaller amateur sports.
Youtube: As excited as I am about athletes tweeting me back, there’s no social media tool that’s influenced my sports experience as much as Youtube. I’m now able to see Canucks hockey highlights in full HD anytime I want, mashups of comedic sports ads, and….
Blake Grffin. Yikes. White man jumps high. Way high. Billy Hoyle would approve.
What are you thankful for this thanksgiving in the world of sports? Let me know in the comments below. Now this week’s posts… [click to continue…]
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.
The community manager is often the front line of communication between a brand and it’s customers or a sports team and it’s fans. It’s a crucial role – but one that is often overlooked. The role of community manager is especially important in the sports world as sports fans are extremely passionate and not afraid to let their feelings be known.
Below are 6 tips for community managers and sports teams:
1. Don’t Sell
People don’t use social networks to be sold to and being too promotional is one of the worst things you can do. Add value to your community with your comments and interactions, give them the information they are looking for – and remember not to try and sell to them!
2. Embrace Your Team
In order to be successful you need to embrace and become a part of your community. Fans will want to know they are speaking to someone who understands their team and what they stand for. As well as being a brand ambassador you also need to understand your communities problems and concerns. [click to continue…]
Ash is the co-founder of FundSport.com a grassroots sports community providing sports clubs and athletes from around the world with professional, easy-to-understand advice and articles on all aspects of grassroots sport including sponsorship, fundraising, the Internet, social media, club management, PR and marketing. As well as being passionate about the development of grassroots sport Ash also has a keen involvement in the sports social media industry. You can follow Ash on Twitter at @ashread14
It’s an exciting time to be a sports fan. The NHL and NBA Playoffs are approaching their climax, the World Cup starting, and the MLB season in full bloom, it’s hard to keep on top of it all. I have composed a list of my personal favorite mobile applications so that you can be up to date on the road. Please feel free to let me know any great apps I may have missed out on.
1. NHL Ice Time Platforms: BlackBerry, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch
NHL Ice Time is the official app from the National Hockey League and it is absolutely gorgeous, especially on the iPad. In addition to live scores standings, and the most extensive stat profiles of any hockey app I’ve used, it also has game photos, video highlights, and a ice tracker to show shots, goals, penalties, hits and saves on a virtual hockey rink, so for hockey geeks, this is your chance to show Don Cherry up. There is also an option for a premium version which includes my favourite feature: live radio feeds for both the home and away feeds. [click to continue…]
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.
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 to engage and converse with one another about various topics in sports.
“Sportpost.com aims to be the world’s premier sports social media site,” said Managing Director of sportpost.com, Peter Janes. “The site is a fun, interactive alternative to traditional sports media and news sites. To date, fans have been on the sidelines looking in. They have never really had a voice or the ability to create and share sports content before. Being completely independent, we can work with all athletes, brand owners, and media partners to give our users total access and choice. We are confident sportpost.com will change sports consumption habits significantly.”
Matt Clark is currently an intern for Sports Networker, studying sport management and public relations at York College of Pennsylvania. He has an extreme passion for learning about new trends in social media and technology and how it is revolutionizing sports. He has contributed as sports editor for the York College newspaper, been an event manager for collegiate sporting events, intramural supervisor, contributor to the sports information department, and executive board member on the Sport Management Student Association. Matt is heading into his third season as part of the game-day entertainment with the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees. Connect with him on Twitter @mattgclark
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 game.
The explosion of social media has made it so much easier to keep up with what’s going on not just in the NBA but across the world of sports. It has also given fans unparalleled access to their favorite teams and athletes. Personally, I feel there has never been a better time to be a sports fan. Here are some of my best reasons why:
Behind the scenes access: At no time in the past have fans had such insight into what goes on behind the scenes. This was really highlighted at the recent NBA All-Star weekend where many players were sharing behind the scenes videos and images on their Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Ash is the co-founder of FundSport.com a grassroots sports community providing sports clubs and athletes from around the world with professional, easy-to-understand advice and articles on all aspects of grassroots sport including sponsorship, fundraising, the Internet, social media, club management, PR and marketing. As well as being passionate about the development of grassroots sport Ash also has a keen involvement in the sports social media industry. You can follow Ash on Twitter at @ashread14
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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 
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