"Teams Keeping Fan Interest During the NHL Lockout On FaceBook"

From Sports Networker

Review by Alex Willner in SRM 334 (section 3)

Despite the NHL lockout lasting roughly half of the 2013 season, teams have turned to social media to keep fans involved and excited about their organizations. Facebook and Twitter have become an everyday part of people’s lives and have the capability of spreading information quickly and efficiently. There are over 160 million Facebook and 107 million Twitter users in America. With numbers like that, there’s no wonder why NHL teams have focused a lot of effort on connecting with fans over social media. The Edmonton Oilers have cleverly created Training Tip Tuesdays, which is a weekly video posted on Facebook by the strength and conditioning coach, explaining different workouts and healthy food choices. The Vancouver Canucks implemented another creative idea by posting pictures of fans on Facebook. The page highlights fans wearing team gear from all around the world including Barcelona, Indonesia, and the Great Wall of China. The Nashville Predators pride is still running strong partly due to the teams’ effort in creating the Second Annual Social Media Scavenger Hunt taking place across the city. Winners are given great prizes such as free concert and game day tickets. Social media has created the perfect platform for spreading information and keeping fans energized about their locked out hockey teams. 

Although it is still early in the season, there are clear indications that fans have not forgotten or turned their backs on the NHL. NBC’s broadcast triumphed after opening day reporting TV ratings has never been higher for a regular season game since 2002 (excluding the winter classic). The Canadian broadcast network CDC, had similar viewer results after the Toronto and Montreal match-up. A staggering twenty seven percent of the Canadian population tuned in for the game totaling roughly 9.2 million viewers. Fox Sports Ohio drew irregular numbers in Columbus for the Blue Jackets game against the Predators, a one hundred and thirty percent gain over last year's opener. Although there is no statistical information indicating the rise in spectator numbers were directly caused by social media, it can be concluded that it only helped the cause. With teams becoming worried about losing fans interests during the lockout, social media has become a cheap, easy and effective way of communication. 

---

Review by Melissa Knicely in SRM 334 (section 3)

A lockout during a sporting season is never a good thing; players, coaches, owners, team staff, and fans are all negatively affected by the quarrel. During this season’s NHL lockout, the relationships the teams have with their fans was one of the main concerns. The teams’ staff took to the internet as a main communication channel for interaction with fans during the lockout. During the lockout, many teams, such as Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks, and many more, used social media to deliver hockey content to their fans during the down time. These teams recognized that the fans are the most vital part of their organization and that they should not be punished because negotiations were at a standstill. In particular, the Edmonton Oilers were excellent at providing fans with an inside look into the team’s atmosphere. The strength and conditioning coach hosted Training Tip Tuesdays on Facebook, the staff created a segment called “Now & Then” where they reflected on highlights of the past, and they also shared with fans some of the players’ favorite recipes in the Oil Country Cookbook. By providing this exclusive content on their social media sites it kept the fans engaged and wanting more. The importance of social media was prevalent during the lockout because without the use of it, it is very likely that fans may have felt neglected and rejected. Throughout the course thus far we have explored how social media can play a huge role in the reputation and persona that a team portrays and I believe this situation is a great example of that. Social media, in this case, was a great avenue for damage control. By keeping the fans interested in hockey and the status of the lockout, the teams were able to retain their fans and make them more involved than ever before.