Sports teams and athletes are leveraging social media to connect with fans. On the other hand, fans see social media as an easy way to find what’s happening in their favourite sports person's life.
Real Madrid is the most popular sports club in the world, having more than 124 million followers on Instagram. When it comes to the most popular athletes on social media, the first spot belongs to Football sensation Cristiano Ronaldo, who has more than 517 million fans across all social media platforms.
In cricket, Indian batsman Virat Kohli is the most popular cricketer on social media. He has more than 195 million followers.
Today, social media isn’t only for fun. Apart from sharing personal moments, sports teams and athletes use their accounts to make personal connections with their fans, make important announcements, share their views, and take suggestions from their followers.
Not only sports clubs and athletes, their fans make use of social media to send their wishes to their favourite athletes, share online betting stats and predictions with others, and keep their favourite teams motivated. A survey by the Global Web Index suggests that at least 19% of sports fans use social media only due to their love for a game.
In short, social media is impacting the way teams and athletes connect with their fans and vice versa.
The Current State of Social Media in Sports
Today, we're seeing more and more athletes and teams using social media to live-stream events and give fans a behind-the-scenes look at their sport.
For example, recently, Netflix released a mini series - The Last Dance - that showcased the career of Michael Jordan and Chicago Bulls’ journey in the 1997–98 season. During the final episode, the series got more than 1.5 million tweets.
Also, social media is being used more and more as a tool for athletes to speak out on social and political issues. We've seen a number of athletes use their platform to raise awareness for causes they're passionate about, and we're likely to see even more of this in the future.
Apart from that, we're seeing a shift in how social media is being used by fans. In the past, fans would use social media to connect with other fans and share their love for their team. Now, we're seeing more and more fans using social media to voice their opinion on a variety of topics, and this is likely to continue.
How are Sports Teams Using Social Media Now?
Social media has become a vital part of any sports team’s marketing strategy. It’s a great way to connect with fans, build interest and generate excitement for a team.
Here are some ways sports teams are using social media:
• Connecting with fans and giving them behind-the-scenes access to the team
• Connecting with other sports teams and organisations
• Promoting team merchandise and ticket sales
• Providing live updates and highlights from games
• Showing support for team sponsors
• Sharing the team’s story and connecting with people on a personal level
• Connecting with the media and generate positive publicity for your team
• Going behind-the-scenes via Stories
• Showing support for social causes
• Posting humorous content like memes to entertain fans
How Does Social Media Empower Sports Teams and Athletes
In the past, sports teams and athletes were often at a disadvantage when it came to promoting themselves and their achievements. Traditional media outlets are the gatekeepers of information, and they often dictate what stories get told and how they are told. This meant that many athletes and teams were left out of the mainstream narrative, and their fans had to piece together their fragments of information to try and get a fuller picture.
Nowadays, social media has completely changed the game. Athletes and teams now have a direct line to their fans, and they can control the narrative in a way that was never before possible. They can share their stories and their achievements in real-time, and they can connect with their fans on a much more personal level.
Social media has also allowed athletes and teams to build their brands in ways that were previously impossible. They can connect with fans all over the world, and they can create a global community of supporters. This has led to increased sponsorship opportunities and a whole new level of exposure for many athletes and teams.
In short, social media has empowered athletes and teams in a way that was never before possible. It has given them a direct line to their fans, and it has allowed them to build their brands on a global scale.