For Sports Fans, Twitter is Changing the Game

For Sports Fans, Twitter is Changing the Game

How has social media, and specifically, Twitter, affected the way we experience sports today?

As an avid sports fan, I can attest to the reliance on my mobile phone to gain immediate access to the information that I’m looking for on any given Sunday (or any day of the week, for that matter). Twitter provides anytime, anywhere access to sports information without ever stepping foot in a sports bar. A quick glance at my Twitter timeline reveals:

SCHEDULES AND SCORES

FANTASY PLAYERS / PLAYER STATS

NEWS / INFO / TRADES / DRAFT PICKS / NFL COMBINE UPDATES

PLAY-BY-PLAY DETAILS posted by sports league or team websites (NBA.com, NFL.com, Lakers.com), reporters (ESPN.com), etc.

To further exemplify the impact of social media on the sports world, and the importance to the lives of sports fans everywhere, this year marked NBA TV’s 1st ever Social Media Awards, hosted by Shaquille O’Neal and Rick Fox on June 21, 2012.

NBA Social Media Awards

Awards Categories included the #Trendsetter Award, the Most Tweeted Sports Moment, the LOL Award and the Big Award for best use of social media.
The Big Award-Best Use of Social Media

There are also advantages to sports organizations that use Twitter. It’s the ultimate tool for instantaneously disseminating communications to the masses; whether good news or bad (I recall hearing of famed Penn State Coach, Joe Paterno’s firing on my Twitter timeline before any other media outlet). Engaging fans and followers allows them to feel closer to their favorite teams or athletes, and sports organizations can receive instant, honest feedback from fans without the cost or time involved in running focus groups. Twitter gives sports organizations access to a captive audience who is, ultimately, their target audience; we choose who we follow, after all.