Professional sports teams are often among the best examples of big brands that use social media to further entrench their existing fans while appealing to new potential fans.
Sports consumer research has identified the eight most frequently recurring motives to sports fandom as: escape, aesthetics, eustress or drama, group affiliation or social interaction, entertainment, self-esteem or vicarious achievement, acquisition of sport knowledge or information, and potential economic benefits. Social networks have presented a unique opportunity for professional sports franchises to highlight and appeal to their current and potential fan base by hitting each of those unique motives through innovative digital formats.
Escape
Beyond the opportunities for online interpersonal communication, the benefits of social media largely appeal to escaping the day-to-day issues that everyone deals with for a (sometimes) lighter look at life through a curated social media newsfeed. This sense of escape plays perfectly into the appeal for professional sports franchises that are offering an emotional investment that’s completely disconnected from anything that’s realistically within the fan’s control in their own life.
Following a favourite sports franchise on social media adds another level of escape to the average user where they’re able to enjoy the feelings and benefits of being a fan at their own convenience, in their own safe space among curated content that further gives them a break from reality.
Aesthetics
A majority of competition between professional sports franchises benefit from an inherent aesthetic appeal to athletic competition in general. Social networks are able to make aesthetic and dramatic appeals to fans by posting dynamic video highlights of in-game performance, especially real-time updates that allow fans to follow along with live TV and social media simultaneously.
Eustress or Drama
Professional sport leagues and social media have another common tie by typically appealing to the widest audience with the most controversial or dramatic content that typically sees the most engagement. In this sense, social media offers professional sports franchises the opportunity to highlight the dramatic nature of their sport by featuring key moments from past competitions, while further drumming up excitement and anticipation for future matchups and games with preview-style content and social engagement with other sports teams.
Group Affiliation or Social Interaction
Professional sports teams and social networks again have a unique appeal to ideal audiences through a sense of group affiliation that’s uniquely highlighted on social media.
Making fans feel like a part of a larger community is an especially valuable function of social networks. Fans can stay connected with their teams and other fans in the Facebook groups, comments section of posts from the team, and by participating in live conversations through hashtags on Twitter. Especially dedicated segments of the fan base even create their own websites and forums to discuss news and updates from the team they follow.
Entertainment
In the same way that professional sports teams and social networks benefit from an aesthetic appeal, they also benefit from an entertainment angle that appeals to anyone that finds high-level athletic competition entertaining.
Self-Esteem or Vicarious Achievement
To the same extent social media is an ideal format for fans of professional sports franchises to enjoy the feeling of group affiliation, the same appeal is granted to teams that win and offer their fans the feeling of vicarious achievement from their accomplishments.
Acquisition of Sport Knowledge or Information
Real-time updates from professional sports team social media profiles offer fans an opportunity to access key information and updates at their convenience, while also getting insider access to content that wouldn’t be available anywhere else outside of social media.
Potential Economic Benefits
The rise of sports betting has added another layer of incentive to modern sports fans to pay close attention to their favourite teams, or at least the teams or players they’re willing to put money on.
In many ways people’s first interaction with a new brand or business is done on social media nowadays, especially for younger generations. For professional sports franchises in particular, social media offers a unique opportunity to bring the appeal they have to their fans into the digital realm to allow the entire experience to be more accessible, convenient, and engaging than it’s ever been before.