One of the biggest
reasons social media are so powerful in drawing fans, building loyalty, and
strengthening fan identification is the element of user involvement. In a way
unlike anything available before the explosion of social media, fans can now
feel like contributors and participants in the teams they love. In fact, some
of the most successful social media campaigns in sports have been
fan-initiated. Wise organizations can learn how to capitalize on fan movements.
As I’ve
mentioned, social media works a lot like waves. Anyone who has experienced big
waves knows that when a big wave comes your way, there are only a few options. The
first is to let it hit you, the thrashing to follow will result—at best—in some
salt-water nose spewing and a full body sand rash! Another option is to simply
try to swim under it before it breaks. Option three is to turn around, start
paddling and ride it to shore. An organization can result to the tidal
movements of social media in much the same way. They can let it thrash them,
try to avoid it, or turn and ride it.
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When Hartnell lefy Philly for Columbus, he posted this
letter on facebook praising and thanking his fans. |
When some Philadelphia
Flyers fans noticed how often Scott Hartnell hit the ice, they created the
#hartnelldown trend, which kept track of how many times he went down each game.
Rather than resenting the joke, Hartnell embraced it, and even started the
#hartnelldown foundation. The popularity of the movement has grown into
something impressive. Hartnell pays a chunk of money to various charities
for each time he falls in a game. It is incredible to see just how much has
come of what started as a joke from some fans. When Hartnell was recently
traded to Columbus, he announced that the #hartnelldown foundation would
continue to support youth hockey programs in Philadelphia and expand to
Columbus. If you look at any of Hartnell’s social media sites, it is
immediately apparent from tweets and comments that his fans don’t just appreciate
his hockey skills; they also respect him and appreciate his class. When this
wave came crashing, Scott Hartnell started paddling and rode it in rather than standing
and letting the wave score a big #hartnelldown.
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| The #hartnelldown childrens' book |
Sports and culture have always been connected. With the growth of technology and social media, that connection has become stronger and more apparent. What happens in sports affects the online world, and what happens online can have just as strong of an impact on sports. The climb of the Kansas City Royals to the world series has electrified MLB fans across the country. While late game heroics and gritty baseball have taken the spotlight, there is a parallel level of hype surrounding the team in the online world. 
The NHL season just started this month,
and while fans are following their teams with high hopes, they are also
wondering whether a long standing part of the sport is disappearing. Fighting.
Just yesterday, an article showed up on cbssports.com an incident in a game on
Tuesday in which linesmen broke up a fight before it started. While in most
settings, breaking up a fight before it starts would be tallied as a success,
not everyone agrees that’s the case when it comes to hockey. If fighting is
going to go away, it is not going to slip away without being noticed. Fans care
about fighting. Some don’t like it. Some argue it’s as much a part of the game
as the ice and the puck. Anyone who isn’t sure whether or not fans care about
fighting should go check out hockeyfights.com, which provides updated fighting
stats for both individual players and teams. The site even provides an
opportunity for site visitors to vote for winners.
I recently took up a part time job filming
little league football games on Saturdays. I’ll admit I've been a little
surprised with the way coaches and parents talk to their 7 year old kids. “I
don’t care who you hit, just hit someone!” or “you need to take someone out.”
As I've watched quietly from behind the camera, I’ve debated in my own mind
whether this is just harmless pep talk, or whether it teaches kids that treating
each other right had limit. Can we really encourage violence and fighting in
sports but expect civil behavior off the field? Like I said, I’m still debating
that question myself, and while I’ve always enjoyed watching the gloves come
off at the rink, I now find myself asking the same question the NHL is
wrestling with. Is it really worth the fight?
The commercial
side of sports continues to change the way we play and participate with them.
One of the most notable ways sports have changed as communication technology
has developed is the off-season. One author claims that sports coverage has
gone from 90% on-field and 10% off-field to probably 60% off-field. This
transformation has made marketing and advertising a 12-months-of-the-year
undertaking. There is no offseason. While it is pretty easy to get even
moderate fans engaged during playoffs and championships, leagues, teams and
players don’t want their brands leaving the public light during the long months
of off-season. 
Since the NHL
season ended, the League has been releasing “SEASON IN :60(ish)” videos for
each of their teams providing a quick highlight video of their season. A new
video comes out about every day and gives fans some hockey highlights to watch during
the offseason. Yesterday they started the “30-in-30” campaign, during which
each day for 30 days content on NHL.com and social media is focused on a
different team. An organized media campaigns like this keep fans interested,
knowing that each day holds something new to consume.
A few years ago,
the Carolina Panthers did a big scavenger hunt campaign. During “The PantherPurrsuit” fans completed different tasks to win awards and prizes. This year
BYU is doing a similar kind of campaign that connects Cougar fans nationwide. In
their Twitter campaign #BYU50 they are posting pictures of prize boxes they are
dropping across the country and the first BYU fans to arrive win the prize.
Programs like the Panther Purrsuit and #BYU50 are great ways to get fans
excited about their teams even when no games are being played.
