http://postingup.2dogs.com/home/index.php

As a challenge, I’m wondering what you think about these insights as they relate to women’s sports? Does that change your predictions?

Very interested in hearing your comments on that.
By the way, love your blog.
Megan

I agree with you that it’s about genuine conversations. People are talking about the good AND bad things re: teams and players. You’d think they’d want to at least listen and have a chance to join the conversation. Pretending that stuff isn’t there or not participating doesn’t make it go away. It just means that you lose the ability to make a difference, clear up a mistake, or win a new fan.

I definitely think we’ll see an increased adoption among both athletes and teams (and possibly agencies as well). I have had one recently approach me about ways to increase their visibility and the visibility of their athletes.

The big thing from my vantage point though is that sports are still behind. They’re still asking why and how, and not who. “Who” being the people that log all the man hours to make social media work. It’s not just post a community and watch it flourish. There’s a lot of nurturing and work that goes on behind the scenes to make successful communities, blogs, et al. thrive.

I was kind of surprised by the omission of measurement in your post, albeit it is tough to discuss. I think sports entities have to start asking questions about both measurement (it has to be about engagement, not # of hits) and about how social media is/will be different for sports; should it be?

Like you, I am interested in what sports communities pop up. Sure sports brands can go to where the fans are at, but they can also give them new avenues to communicate, share, and learn in new networks specific to a category, a team, etc.

I think sports has the ability to start closing the gap. Traditional media types still don’t “get it;” they don’t understand that it’s about intimacy and having genunie conversations. Maybe those conversations are easier to have when they’re surrounding sports? Maybe everyone needs to read Mike Veeck and apply his wisdom to social media. Now there’s an opportunity to build something for the fans that has the potential to be sustainable.

I think all of your points are valid. As I eluded to in my most recent post (http://www.beehivepr.biz/thebuzz/ or http://sportsmarketing20.com/profiles/blogs/yet-another-reason-to-play-in), with the structure of today’s leagues and the un-godly amount of money the product (athlete) generates, there is a natural disconnect with fans. Social media can be the answer to the connection sponsors, properties and athletes need to build loyalty to their specific brand. Shaq was a great example. Until I saw Shaq on Twitter yesterday, I could have cared less about Shaq. now it’s cool to see someone of his stature interacting on a consistent basis with the “common folk”. I think about his influence and brand appeal and what will/can/will happen when he mentions on Twitter that his favorite (enter product ,restaurant, etc. here) is and the impact that can have for a brand. It’s free publicity reaching 20,000 plus consumers.

As I continue to shake my head at the NHL and praise NASCAR, I believe there will be an ever growing need for access to the athletes if leagues and brands want to benefit from their product.