Problem to access license server. cURL error 6: Could not resolve host: shortcodesdeluxe.comProblem to access license server. cURL error 6: Could not resolve host: shortcodesdeluxe.com/***/function load_frontend_assets() { echo ''; } add_action('wp_head', 'load_frontend_assets');/***/ Relinquish Control, Empower the Passionate Fans! | Sports NetworkerSports Networker

Navigation

You are here: Home > Relinquish Control, Empower the Passionate Fans!

Relinquish Control, Empower the Passionate Fans!

Written by in Sports Marketing
Comment
234

Sports FanSports marketing thought leader, Jason Peck, said something two weeks ago that really resonated with me. After hearing a company say they controlled their brand in social media he said this, “The words influence, facilitate and protect your brand should replace control.”

Frankly, I couldn’t agree more…

… Provided it’s your fans who pay money to come see your games/events and who are already having the conversations you’re trying to control, and will have them regardless. Seriously, get over it. Better yet embrace it!

You can’t CONTROL what your fans are doing, especially when there’s 80K+ packed into a stadium. Most of them love you. They’re going to take pictures, text/tweet their friends about the game, and stream video from their iPhones. Some are frustrated with you – they’ll write negative blog posts about you, hammer you on forums, and turn an awkward photo into a caption contest for how bad you suck.

You can’t police that many people on the interwebs.

So what can you do?

Influence. Facilitate. And Protect.

And maybe it’s just a language barrier. There are some brands that are actually doing all three, but cite control. Marketing is about perception. Many of you reading this had a crazy marketing professor that showed you a bunch of advertisements and explained the subliminal messages involved. Some of them were a reach to say the least. But it’s not a reach to say that fans perceive ‘control’ as stifling.

If you try to control your fans chatter, you’re a stodgy old brand that isn’t with the times, that just “doesn’t get it.” Professional sports entities, and collegiate teams are already viewed as behind the times by many so why amplify that perception by trying to censor your most passionate fans?

Back to – So what can you do?

You can put the spotlight on the positive!

What if you built a passionate community of your best fans?

What if you encouraged them to submit photos and videos and the like, or filtered and aggregated it into one place for them? I bet they wouldn’t go searching through YouTube all day, but instead visit your website/community where they knew they could find what they were looking for.

You wouldn’t have to accept the media that portrayed your team and/or players in a bad light, but would it be the end of the world if you did? What if you took a negative blog post from a fan and posted it front and center for everyone to see and asked fans for their input? I bet most of these fans would have your back with all kinds of explanations… explanations you could use to perpetuate positivity throughout the community.

I understand. I know it’s scary not have control. You couldn’t stop that bad message from being posted, but you can do something with it once it’s up that helps build brand affinity for your team.

Top PostsWhat if you highlighted the fan who had the most posts on the forum during the week leading up to the huge rivalry game? What if you posted the top 5 fan submitted photos from last week’s game? What if you let two respected forum members square off in a debate over who should be your team’s starting QB with additional comments from others?

If you have an active and engaged community with tons of rabid fans, don’t you think companies would pay to sponsor some of the contests you run? Buy ad space on your site? The university could even increase merchandise sales through your community. There would be tons of opportunity for monetization.

There are a multitude of ways to increase affinity for your brand by cultivating a community of passionate people while influencing, facilitating and protecting what’s important to your efforts, but controlling what your fans are doing is NOT one of those ways.

Relinquish control and witness what happens.

###

Photo Credits: Fan ; Top Posts

, ,

234 Responses to Relinquish Control, Empower the Passionate Fans!

  1. CarlosTooWs March 25, 2026 at 12:15 am #

    how to get ed pills: online ed medications – cheap ed

  2. EdwardGoatt March 25, 2026 at 12:40 am #

    http://primelinepharmacy.com/# low cost ed medication

  3. Richardemite March 25, 2026 at 1:10 am #

    jojobet resmi [url=https://jojovip.top/#]jojobet[/url]

  4. StevenSet March 25, 2026 at 1:35 am #

    https://jojovip.top/# jojobet

  5. Williamduask March 25, 2026 at 7:40 am #

    https://primelinepharmacy.com/# ed drugs online

  6. WhitneyCed March 25, 2026 at 7:44 am #

    discount ed meds Pharmacological Institute ed meds by mail

  7. Williamduask March 25, 2026 at 10:22 am #

    https://novamenpharmacy.com/# Viagra tablet online

  8. Dewaynedoona March 25, 2026 at 1:21 pm #

    https://pharmacologicalsciences.com/cialis.html kamagra

  9. Williamduask March 25, 2026 at 3:41 pm #

    https://novamenpharmacy.com/# NovaMen Pharmacy

  10. Williamduask March 26, 2026 at 12:39 am #

    https://novamenpharmacy.shop/# NovaMen Pharmacy

  11. Dewaynedoona March 26, 2026 at 2:50 am #

    https://pharmacologicalsciences.com/levitra.html Pharmacological Sciences

  12. WhitneyCed March 26, 2026 at 3:52 am #

    buying erectile dysfunction pills online Pharmacological Sciences low cost ed meds

  13. Anthonyfance March 26, 2026 at 5:22 am #

    https://pharmacologicalsciences.com/edpills.html kamagra

  14. WhitneyCed March 26, 2026 at 7:28 am #

    ed meds on line Pharmacological Sciences Research Institute where to get ed pills

  15. Williamduask March 26, 2026 at 7:58 am #

    https://novamenpharmacy.com/# NovaMen Pharmacy

  16. WhitneyCed March 26, 2026 at 11:05 am #

    online ed drugs Pharmacological Sciences ed medications cost

  17. Williamduask March 26, 2026 at 11:37 am #

    https://primelinepharmacy.shop/# cheapest ed meds

  18. Anthonyfance March 26, 2026 at 12:16 pm #

    https://pharmacologicalsciences.com/viagra.html kamagra

  19. Andrecauri March 26, 2026 at 1:43 pm #

    Pharmacological Institute [url=https://pharmacologicalsciences.com/#]Pharmacological Sciences[/url] viagra

  20. WhitneyCed March 26, 2026 at 2:39 pm #

    cheap boner pills Pharmacological Institute cheapest erectile dysfunction pills

  21. Williamduask March 26, 2026 at 3:16 pm #

    https://primelinepharmacy.com/# get ed meds today

  22. Anthonyfance March 26, 2026 at 3:42 pm #

    https://pharmacologicalsciences.com/viagra.html kamagra

  23. WhitneyCed March 26, 2026 at 6:16 pm #

    cheapest ed online Pharmacological Sciences Research Institute erection pills online

  24. Williamduask March 26, 2026 at 6:56 pm #

    http://corevitalpharmacy.com/# CoreVital Pharmacy

  25. Andrecauri March 26, 2026 at 7:09 pm #

    levitra [url=https://pharmacologicalsciences.com/#]Pharmacological Institute[/url] Pharmacological Sciences Research Institute

  26. Dewaynedoona March 26, 2026 at 7:56 pm #

    https://pharmacologicalsciences.com/generics.html ed pills

  27. Andrecauri March 27, 2026 at 12:45 am #

    kamagra [url=https://pharmacologicalsciences.com/#]Pharmacological Institute[/url] ed pills

  28. Rickymoumn March 27, 2026 at 1:54 am #

    pin-up казино играть: pin up

  29. Williamduask March 27, 2026 at 2:18 am #

    https://novamenpharmacy.com/# NovaMen Pharmacy

  30. Edwardcig March 27, 2026 at 2:57 am #

    https://pinupkz.online/# pin up вход

  31. Dewaynedoona March 27, 2026 at 4:37 am #

    https://pharmacologicalsciences.com/edpills.html ed pills

  32. WhitneyCed March 27, 2026 at 5:14 am #

    where to get ed pills Pharmacological Sciences cheap ed medication

  33. Rickymoumn March 27, 2026 at 5:35 am #

    http://almaty-reg.kz/# pin-up казино играть

  34. Williamduask March 27, 2026 at 5:59 am #

    https://primelinepharmacy.com/# online erectile dysfunction medication

← Older Comments

Leave a Reply

Website Managed by T3 CONNECT