How Social and Digital Media Reshapes the World’s Sports Industry

A 2020 Sprout Social Index report states that at least 45% of people use social media when they’re watching a sport. In another report by the Global Web Index, around 22% of participants accept that they watch games only to use social media.

Do you know which is social media’s most popular sports franchise? It’s Real Madrid. The 13-time European champion has more than 227 million followers on different social media sites – 117 million fans are only on Instagram. FC Barcelona has 108 million Instagram followers, and a total of 215 million social media fans.

When it comes to other sports, India is the most popular cricket team with more than 45 million social media followers. And, more than 14 million Netizens follow the New York Yankees on different social media platforms. 

Social Media and Sports in the 21st Century

Whether it’s a game day, a practice session, or something new, sports teams use their social media accounts to share the latest news with their fans. For example, WWE’s Wrestlemania garnered around 14 million engagements in April on different social media platforms. Apart from that, the finale episode of The Last Dance (a Michael Jordan series) was a part of more than 1.5 million tweets.

Apart from enabling sports teams to share what’s the latest with their fans, social and digital media allows fans to connect more closely with their favourite teams and athletes. From following them on Instagram to watching matches live on OTT platforms to IPL betting, there are plenty of ways that make fans be a part of a game.   

What’s Trending About Sports on Social Media Now

Social media has been here for years, and people have been following their favourite teams and athletes for a long time. However, today, social media is more than just about following people.

When it comes to sports, there are different types of trends and practices on social media that enable athletes and sports to connect with their fans on a personal level. They are:

• Real-Time, Live Content

One of the biggest benefits of social media for sports is that teams can connect with people in real-time. Additionally, it allows users to speak their minds.

In addition to live streaming a game, teams use social media to:

• Live tweet a match or an event

• Sharing information with hashtags

• Posting polls and QAs to collect feedback

Tottenham Hotspur is a fine example of how to use live content to grab the attention. The English football club uses its social media accounts to create hype around a match.

• Stories

In addition to live videos of a game, many sports teams use social media to tell exciting stories. Through these stories, players show their daily routine and connect with fans during practice sessions.

Connecting with fans through stories eliminates the feelings of a corporate culture and enables teams to stay in touch with their fans. 

• Support for Social Causes

If you are a Major League Baseball (MLB) fan, you must have remembered when the Cincinnati Reds knelt during the National Anthem to show support and protest for racial justice.

In the End

Apart from live feed and stories, many teams and sports clubs share funny memes with their followers to develop a constant connection with their fans. It isn’t wrong to say that social and digital media has brought teams and athletes closer to their fans.