Pros Tweet It Up

We all know that Hollywood celebrities use Twitter multiple times a day. Just look at Ashton Kutcher, who has the most followers out of everyone, who tweets at the minimum three times a day.  But movie stars and musicians aren’t the only ones who use this social media site. Professional athletes  also take full advantage of the 140-character posts and keep their fan base updated.  There is one site in particular that gathers the professional athletes in one community. Twitter-Athletes serves as directory of professional athletes and players that are tweeting on twitter. When a viewer comes to the home page, all they will see are updates from pro athletes only. The site makes it easy for viewers by providing all the different branches of sports and the athletes that fall under that category. So if you’re only interested in what the basketball stars have to say then you simply click on the NBA category and voila!  Their tweets are right there for your basketball fix.

Speaking of basketball stars, according to Twitter-Athletes Top 10, Shaquille O’Neal is the most followed professional athlete on Twitter with a total of 2,879,226 followers. He also tweets numerous times in one day, but some are just in response to other people’s tweets. The_Real_Shaq is definitely in the social media loop and likes to keep in contact with his friends and fan base.  Last year, when he was a part of the Phoenix Suns basketball team, they held an event for all of his followers.

This is just one more way that proves how beneficial the use of social media sites is within the sports industry.

Dukes Get Digital

College sports’ departments are adapting to the new time of technology in order to reach their audiences and fans.  Social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook have, within the past year, become a popular trend for colleges and coaches to use.  It’s a fast and easy way to get information out to the public.  They can post things such as scores, team updates, schedules, events, and so on.  In an article by Graham Watson, she explains that it can  be used as a recruiting technique and also as another way to gain overall exposure for the team or college. It has recently skyrocketed to the point where if a team or coach doesn’t have some sort of social media outlet, they are considered out of the loop. Students and fans want to be connected 24/7.

We even see this move to the digital world right here at James Madison University.  The JMU sports website is a digital media hub.  There are numerous videos, photos, and interactive applications that are available for anyone to use.  Links to other sports websites like UESPN are also available.  The JMU Duke’s Club has their own Facebook page where students can be updated on events, games, and even special offers. I’m a member of the Duke Club and they sometimes post certain offers that are only available if you are a fan of theirs on Facebook. The JMU sports program has a Twitter account as well, which they update constantly. This is a very effective way to get in contact with students since all we do is spend our time on these sites instead of our homework anyways.

Silence is golden?

The Tiger Woods controversy still lives on, thanks to the help of gossip magazines and tabloids. But earlier this week Nike released its first commercial starring the professional golf player since the whole ordeal began.

Tiger is seen with a somber look on his face, almost on the verge of crying, while his father, who passed away, talks in the background. The black and white effects make the viewer more sympathetic towards him. His father’s voice can be taken as Tiger’s conscience, finally speaking the truth. It ends with his father asking, “Did you learn anything?” It’s almost as if he is telling Tiger to open up and tell the real story.

The first question that came to my mind was, why did Nike do this? What were their motives for using the voice of Tiger’s father? And what was the outcome that they were expecting to receive from the media and the public? A news correspondent from Newsy.com comments on the advertisement.  In this video, there are many sources that are either for the ad or against it.  Some think that it is just another trick to make us feel sorry for him, while others believe that it was a beneficial, strategic decision from Nike. It did air before he made his first tournament appearance at the Masters. Was it just a hoax to get people back on his side again before the tournament started?

Companies and corporations run videos on their sites all the time; especially in times of crisis. It’s usually the CEO who will make a statement on behalf of the company stating what the problem is and how they are going to fix it. I believe that this is Nike’s way of handling the Tiger Woods scandal. They are in a state of crises as well and needed a way to make their stance on the problem known to the public. Now whether or not it was effective, is up to you.

The Start of a New Relationship

The Internet allows anyone to be their own talk show host; as long as you have something to say, chances are that someone is willing to listen. But for those who are actually talk show hosts, the Internet provides endless features and applications right at their fingertips. For example, Dan Patrick is a well-known sportscaster who has been in the field for many years now. His experience has given him credibility to the point where his opinion and comments are greatly valued within the industry.  Along with his show, he also has a website that is run by Sports Illustrated and CNN.  Here he maintains a blog, posts interviews, provides video and podcasts, links to sites such as Twitter and Facebook, RSS feeds, and so on. This allows for people to follow him and become a part of the “Dan Nation.” These features in combination with the technology that is advancing everyday gives commentators like Patrick an advantage to really connect with their audience.  People who call in to his show or reply on one of his blog posts create communication that didn’t exist before. It makes the relationship more personal and lets the audience know that their voice does actually mean something. Using the social media sites and their features is a no brainer.

Media Madness

The month of March is known basically for two things: St. Patrick’s Day and March Madness.

March Madness is the most important time of the year for college basketball fans. Both men and women teams compete through out the month, making their way down the bracket in hopes of winning that championship title. It is the one month where fans get to pretend that they are basketball experts and predict the outcome of the tournament. Social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook give constant updates on scores of the games and who is moving on to the next round. The NCAA has taken full advantage of these sites. At one point on their Twitter page, there was an update every minute for ten minutes giving the latest scores. Sites like that make it very easy for someone to still be able to keep up with the games even if they can’t actually watch them. On top of that, the NCAA provides live coverage of certain games streaming to their website. Now that almost everyone has Internet capabilities on their cell phone, the biggest fan can keep connected at all times.  Other platforms such as blogs also keep people in the loop. Matt Norlander hosts a site called College Hoops Journal where he posts stats and information about games, players, and coaches as well as his own commentary. Norlander posts multiple times a day providing his followers with more than enough information to get their daily college basketball fix.

The constant updates, news feed, and video of the tournament tied in with the fact that everyone is connected to the internet at all times, gives everyone the chance to be the next Dick Vitale.

Social Media’s #1 Fan

Social media sites serve as a savior for avid sports fans.  With the constant updates, some multiple times within an hour, the viewer is caught up on the most recent news in the industry.  Broadcasting corporations such as ESPN use Twitter and Facebook to let the audiences know about everything single little thing that is going on. Reading the Twitter posts that ESPN puts out are never-ending and they vary on a large spectrum of topics. One will be about a recent trade that a team is working on and the next will be about a basketball player getting a DUI.  Now that the majority of the population has a cell phone with Internet capabilities, the viewer has the potential to always be connected and receive the latest and greatest news. It’s not only the broadcasting corporations that use these sites either.

Each branch of sports has their own Twitter page. There’s one for college basketball, the NHL, the NBA, the MLB, and so on. Posts from retired athletes, sports announcers, and current athletes can be seen on any of the pages.  Since each specific branch or organization has their own page, this allows for them to tailor the subjects of their posts to certain people because they know who their audience is. For instance, on the NHL page you aren’t going to find a post about what’s going on in tennis.  All of the posts are going to be within the same category.

The constant tweets and updates are for those who are true followers and fans. Those of you who lack in dedication and the basic technology skills would be advised to stay away.

Winter Olympics

This year’s coverage of the Winter Olympics has been very up to date and extensive. Constant coverage of every sport, athlete, and country is provided 24-7.  The NBC home page for the Olympics provides all of the statistics, scores, biographies of the athletes, video clips, schedules, and so on; basically everything an avid-Olympic-viewer needs in one place. Also on the home site, there is a tab for “Tweets and Blogs.” Here, news broadcasters, fans, and even the Olympic athletes themselves can post anything they want. Some of the blogs focus on topics such as the history of the sports that are involved, the inside scoop on certain athletes, recent studies dealing with particular sports, and other sports related items.

NBC is doing a very good job at targeting its key audiences by using the social media aspects. It provides the viewers at home a place to converse with each other about what is going on in the game or whom their favorite snowboarder is. This in turn provides NBC with the information and statistics of who is actually watching the games and willing to voice their opinions over the Internet so they know whom to focus on in the future.  It also makes watching the games on TV more exciting and interactive because you are doing more than just sitting on the couch.