This document discusses the use of social media by professional sports teams. It provides statistics on the number of followers for different sports on social media platforms. Soccer has the most followers with 207 million, followed by football with 60 million and basketball with 34 million. It also gives examples of how teams are using hashtags and social media to engage fans, including increasing All-Star voting. The document discusses the structure and roles of social media teams for different organizations and how they balance public relations and marketing goals. It also explores how teams provide behind-the-scenes access and content to engage fans online.

1. Pro Sports Teams on
Social Media
#pssmp
Danny
Cuneo
(@DannyCuneo)
Louise
Chouinard
(@LouiseAtCuse)
Christina
Ventura
(@cl_ventura)
Brandon
Wimberly
(@bmwguitar)
James
Gloria
(@jdgloria)

2. Sports in Social Today
#pssmp

3. Team Twitter Followers/Presence
Forbes’ 50 Most Valuable Pro
Sports Teams by SM
Presence
http://trends.e-strategyblog.com/2013/07/17/forbes-50-most-valuable-pro-sports-teams-by-social-media-presence/12819
Total Followers:
1. Soccer, 207 million followers
2. Football, 60 million followers
3. Basketball, 34 million
followers
4. Baseball, 20 million followers
5. Formula 1, 1.6 million
followers

4. ● 83% of fans watching the
game will check social
during a sporting event
● Mississippi State’s end zone
reads “#HAILSTATE”
● Philadelphia Wings utilize
Twitter handles on the backs of
uniforms
● MLB: 36% increase in All-Star
fan voting after creating a
hashtag campaign on Twitter
http://www.kttape.com/game-change-social-media-in-the-sports-world-infographic/#pssmp
http://bit.ly/RnI8iQ
Examples of Social Influence

5. Latest Trend: Multiple Screens
Social Media Used to Discuss Sports:
1. Facebook (73%)
2. YouTube (54%)
3. Twitter (37%)
4. Google+ (33%)
5. Instagram (18%)
28% difference in usage of
multiple screens between
devoted and casual sports
fans
http://www.dr4ward.com/dr4ward/2012/11/how-many-sports-fans-go-digital-infographic.html

6. Klout
#pssmp Source: http://fanpagelist.com/category/sports-teams/view/list/sort/influence/
Top 3 Most Influential
Sports Teams:
The WWE; Klout 99.0
Over 21 million combined
likes/followers
Los Angeles Dodgers; Klout 99.0
2.6 million combined likes/followers
Philadelphia Eagles; Klout 98.5
2.9 million combined likes/followers

7. Business and Sports
• Businesses use sports
to advertise and spread
their brand
• London 2012 Olympics
http://visual.ly/sports-and-social-media#pssmp

8. Sports’ Reach in Social
2012: 13.7 million tweets during the Super Bowl
Euro 2012 final: 267,200 tweets per minutes after Juan Mata’s 88th minute
goal against Italy
184,535 tweets per minute during the UEFA Champions League Semifinal
between Barcelona-Chelsea match (Fernando Torres goal)
#pssmp

9. Why Use Social for Sports?
67%-celebrate team wins
48%- talk smack
85% of fans like a brand on Facebook
(teams, organizations, etc)
67% follow a brand on Twitter
http://jem499.blogspot.com/2013/04/social-media-week-infographic-sports.html

10. • The League has been on the cutting edge of breakthroughs in
sports social media
• Sacramento: First NBA team on Twitter (January 2007)
• Denver: First team to sell tickets on Facebook
• 2012: NBA hosts first ever social media awards; celebrates social
content
The NBA Ahead of the Game
#pssmp Source: http://www.sporttechie.com/2012/08/09/interview-with-sacramento-186/
http://www.sporttechie.com/2014/01/29/denver-nuggets-become-first-nba-team-to-sell-tickets-directly-from-facebook/
http://www.sporttechie.com/2012/06/07/nba-becomes-first-129/

11. Survey Time!
https://twtpoll.com/1zayy527ydg773k

12. • Manager of New Media - LA Lakers
• Twitter - @lakers - 3.72M followers
• Instagram - @Lakers - 1.1M followers
o @LakersScene - 25K followers
• Facebook - 19M likes
#pssmp
Tyler Nowell - @tynowell

13. • Coordinator of Digital Media - Buffalo Bills
• Twitter - @buffalobills - 223K followers
• Instagram - @buffalobills - 74K followers
• Facebook - 546K likes
#pssmp
Anna Stolzenburg - @annastolz

14. • Social Media Managers - Buffalo Sabres
• Twitter - @BuffaloSabres - 196K followers
• Instagram - @buffalosabres - 50K followers
• Facebook - 403K likes
#pssmp
Craig Kanalley - @ckanal

15. Adelyn Biedenbach - @adelynlee
• Coordinator, Digital Media and Communications
for the Florida Panthers
• Twitter - @FlaPanthers - 110K followers
• Instagram - @flapanthers - 17K followers
• Facebook - 115K likes
#pssmp

16. • Varies from team to team
• Position could be called Social Media
Manager, SM Coordinator, Digital Media
Manager, etc.
• Could be 1 person, 4 people, or more
Structure of Social Media Teams
#pssmp

17. • Social Media Center
controlled by 25 fans
• Follow the Devils’ buzz
• Allow fans a place to
converse
• 70,000+ Facebook
Fans
Mission Control Centers
Environment: The New Jersey Devils
#pssmp Source: http://www.brafton.com/blog/four-winning-sports-social-media-marketing-campaigns-you-can-learn-from

18. • Every team handles it differently.
o Lakers - Aim towards marketing even though they
don’t need help with ticket sales
o Bills - Need help with ticket sales so it’s a combined
PR/Marketing strategy
• But when it comes down to it…
o “Fans just love when they can interact with us--
when we’re a face and not just news.” - Anna
Stolzenburg
Social Media as PR or as Marketing
#pssmp

19. • Varies
• Some PR departments step in and
take over
• Others have control, but work
closely with PR department
• Example: Ralph Wilson passing;
Kobe Bryant injury
How teams handle situations...
#pssmp

20. When Do You Respond?
• Customer Service
Questions and
Legitimate Concerns
• Engaged, Consistent
Fans
• Especially Unique
Photos
• Improvement to Come
for In Game Interaction

21. Sports Promotions on Social Media
#pssmp

22. • The University of Michigan in
2011
• Football tickets presale via
“Michigan Football” Facebook
• Must “Like” the Facebook page
to be eligible…Incentivize!
• 7,000+ “Likes”
• $74,000+ in ticket sales
More than just events...
Sales: The University of Michigan
#pssmp Source: http://www.brafton.com/blog/four-winning-sports-social-media-marketing-campaigns-you-can-learn-
from&https://www.facebook.com/michiganfball

23. • Dewayne Hankins
(@DewayneHankins)
• Pat Donahue
(@patatack)
More than just events...
Tone: The LA Kings
• Entertaining
• Funny
#pssmp Source: http://www.brafton.com/blog/four-winning-sports-social-media-marketing-campaigns-you-can-learn-from

24. “Access, 100%”
More than just events...
Andy Pregler (@acpregler) of SIDEARM Sports
#pssmp Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0dGJMwZaPg&https://www.facebook.com/andy.pregler?fref=t
s
Andy Pregler, radio play-by-play man Matt Park and SU assistant coach Mike Hopkins in a Google Hangout as part of #CuseMadness.

25. Access
#pssmp @Seahawks, @Colts, @Lakers

26. Access: Information and behind the scenes action you can give
your viewer that they can’t get from home or other sources
63% will browse social media even if they’re at the game!
Team pages provide access they can’t even get from their
seats.
#pssmp @Rangers

27. Ty Nowell
@tynowell
@Lakers
“Pictures and video are essential. Gives
fans at home the experience of being
at the event! We can show fans
things they wouldn’t normally see like
locker room pictures and practices.
Anything that can make the players
seem more human.”
Anna Stolzenberg
@annastolz
@buffalobills
“Something we focus on a lot is the fact
that only we have the access we need to
take fans behind the scenes. It’s what
makes our brand special and what
people will keep coming back for. Access
is what will be important for the future.”
#pssmp
Access

28. Offer incredible access to fans with photos and video
Joined Twitter: February 9, 2009
Klout Score 93#pssmp

29. “Only a small percentage of our fans get to attend a game so
anything we can show them from the in-arena experience is
of value in communicating with our fans.” -Nick Kioski,
Director of New Media and Technology for the Los Angeles
Lakers
#pssmp

30. 120.5K followers
Uses: Practices, giveaways,
flashbacks, locker room
Los Angeles Lakers Vine
#pssmp

31. Monitoring Draft Picks
Teams are using Facebook and
Twitter to check out possible
draft picks to make sure they
won’t be a PR liability for the
team.
What’s Next
#pssmp
Bitcoin
● Implemented by the
Sacramento Kings starting
March 1, 2014
● Fans can purchase tickets and
merchandise with online
currency
● Using Bitpay, Kings are paid in
actual cash
Source: http://www.sporttechie.com/2014/03/07/why-the-sacramento-kings-have-gone-tech-crazy/

32. Sacramento Kings and Google Glass
Implemented January 24,
2014
Gives fans courtside
experience through the
eyes of reporters,
dancers and some
players.
#pssmp Source: http://www.sporttechie.com/2014/03/07/why-the-sacramento-kings-have-gone-tech-crazy/

33. “While social TV is moving to a world where time doesn't
matter, sports is still very much a live, spectator event.
Social media is the place our fans check when they are
unable to watch the game.”
-Adelyn Biedenbach @adelynlee
Future of Social Media and Sports