"Manti Te'o Gay? NFL Teams Want To Know About Linebacker's Sexuality, Says Mike Florio"

From the Huffington Post

Review by Sylvia Lee in SRM 334 (section 1)

The article, Manti Te'o Gay? NFL Teams Want To Know About Linebacker's Sexuality, Says Mike Florio, discusses how after the Manti Te’o girlfriend hoax, NFL teams are questioning his sexuality. Teams are wondering if this hoax was Te’o’s way of trying to hide the fact that he is gay. Their reason for questioning his sexuality is the concern of whether or not having an openly gay teammate would affect the locker room. During Te’os interview with Katie Couric, he said that he was not gay, but this did not solve the problem. Teams want to directly ask him, but are worried about any backlash this would bring. Due to this, other players are being asked more personal questions than ever before.

My personal view of this is that it should not matter whether a player is gay or not. But as a coach or a general manager, it would be something that would need to be discussed. Although it is not right, having an openly gay teammate could potentially affect the team negatively. In the locker room, other teammates might not be accepting of this and the chemistry of the team would be lost. Outside of the locker room, there are going to be a lot of negativity from fans and other people who are against gay rights, and may protest. Personally, I do not have anything against gays and/or lesbians, but as someone who is directly working with a team, it is something to be considered.

The way some NFL teams are going about the situation I believe is done incorrectly. I think that they should not be allowed to ask these questions. If the questions are not asked, then no one could really know and it will not be as much of an issue; ignorance is bliss. Therefore, other players should not be asked such personal questions, because then it is one less situation that has to be dealt with.

This article is relevant to our course because it is on the media; twitter, television, etc. It also affects the questions being asked to other players, and is a personal subject matter to some NFL fans.
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Review by Ryan Murakami in SRM 334 (section 1)

With the NFL draft coming up in about a month, Manti Te’o’s personal life has been a main topic in the sports world. In this article, the author discusses how Te’o’s draft stock might be on the decline due to his girlfriend hoax. During an interview a couple months ago with Katie Couri, Couric asked if Te’o is gay. Teo’s claimed he was “…far from it, far from it…” This has lead many teams to speculate about Te’o and his sexuality. According to some sources many teams have asked him in private interviews about his sexuality and have tried to dig through his past. Teams are afraid of the possible backlash if the media finds out they have been asking these questions but are really interested in knowing the answer. 

Social media has plays an important role in the entire Manti Te’o situation including the most recent debates about him. Teams are using social media to discover more about draft candidates to learn about their past. With any job, looking through Twitter and Facebook is a possibility for employers. Teams are afraid of how they will be perceived if they are looking for information about a player’s sexuality. Some members of the media think it is inappropriate to question someone’s sexuality, as it has nothing to do with the player’s ability on the field. Other players are also tweeting about how it is inappropriate for teams to ask about player’s sexuality, for example Shawne Merriman tweeted “Can't believe they're asking Manti Te'o abt. his sexuality…” . Other players might be afraid to voice their opinion because of possibly backlash from the media.

In class, social media has been discussed a lot and how quickly news spreads, how anyone can comment on any story and how anyone can voice their opinion via Twitter or Facebook. Once one player or reporters writes a story everyone hears about it and voices their own opinion.

Teams should have the right to look through the past about potential players to get a judge of their character but searching for their sexuality is another story. Searching for that information says nothing about their character or who they are as a person.

"Manti Te'o causing NFL teams to mine social media more"

From USA Today

Review by Connor Massei in SRM 334 (section 3)

The article from USA Today.com explains that NFL General Managers and Coaches are focusing more on draft prospect involvement on social media than ever before. This focus is greatly due to the highly publicized Manti Te’o hoax, in which one of the NFL’s highest rated prospects was involved in a false relationship with an imaginary girlfriend. Te’o communicated with whom he believed to be his girlfriend strictly through phone calls and the social networks, namely twitter. NFL organizations, more often than ever before, have personnel that monitor prospects tendencies on twitter and Facebook. These tendencies and posts are closely analyzed and sometimes play an effect on players draft stocks. Personally, Te’o now has more pressure to perform on pre-draft interviews due to his involvement in the hoax and poor judgment that could be seen on social media. 

This article helps its audience to understand that NFL GMs and Coaches care more about prospects than their physical talents shown on the field. It is important to them that their players show character, and an efficient way to get to know a prospect indirectly is through monitoring of their twitter and Facebook pages. I think it is interesting how much of an impact the tendencies of prospects on social networks can affect their draft stock, or even prevent them from being drafted at all. This new practice by NFL organizations is just one more dimension for NFL hopefuls to be aware of throughout college and during the pre-draft process. The article is relevant to this course because as we have discussed in class, the social media plays an important role in sports these days. The fact that NFL teams monitor player’s twitters and Facebook pages demonstrates the ability for social media to potentially spark, dampen, or even ruin the career of potential professional athletes. Sports media greatly utilizes social networks, and this article is a prime example of why they are so often used.
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Review by Michael Civiello in SRM 334 (section 3)

In summary, this article goes over how the so called “hoax” of Manti Te’o is now making NFL teams and their executives re-evaluate their own ways on how they will evaluate college prospects prior to the NFL draft. It has quotes from two NFL general managers: Rick Spielman of the Minnesota Vikings and John Schneider of the Seattle Seahawks. Spielman is quoted as calling the evaluated players “social media players” nowadays. He talks about how teams are now digging more in depth into players’ social media pages. John Schneider of the Seahawks said the team has a security staff assigned to monitor social media pages of potential prospects the team is scouting.

Spielman and head coach Greg Schiano of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers both emphasized the importance of the interview process that teams get with players at the combine. They both said that the fifteen minutes they get with prospects, especially a player such as Te’o, will be very crucial in determining the player’s football smarts but also their character.

Social media is so relevant in today’s world, especially with the national media outlets. Many players do not have private pages and that makes them susceptible to getting looked at by teams that will monitor their pages. These players definitely have to be more careful because posting inappropriate tweets or pictures can cost players lots of money because they fall far down draft boards and potentially undrafted. It is dream to many of the prospects to play in the NFL and its sometimes unthinkable that something as small as a post on twitter can potentially ruin that dream.

"Meet Titus, the ultimate basketball trick-shot artist…oh yeah, he's 2 years old"

From RYOT

Review by Calvin Parson, Jr. in SRM 334 (section 2)

Countless videos of individuals performing trick shots have been posted on the web over the years. Whether it’s professional athletes taking full court shots after practice, a group of Notre Dame football players and their rendition of water pong, or a Heisman Trophy winner throwing a football from ridiculous heights into a basketball hoop, these videos are always amusing to the public. Media outlets always seem to be on top of these types of videos. Footage like this has a tendency to spread through social media sites, and ultimately land on major news television networks.

In the case of two-year-old Titus Ashby, his quick trip to fame was no different. What started as a trick shot he made to impress his grandmother, turned into over 7 million YouTube hits and counting, and numerous interviews on national television. People across the globe are wondering what the next step is for young Titus in regards to diaper endorsements, his future with basketball, and when he will start being recruited by college coaches. However, most people are overlooking one very important fact: he is only two years old. Titus is still three years away from entering the public school system. At two years old, some children have not yet been successfully potty trained and Titus is still six months removed from baby food.

This is yet another example of how the media can exploit individuals in lieu of a great story. Hopefully, this early stardom will have no negative effect on the life of young Titus and his early love for the game of basketball.
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Review by Danielle Poplawski in SRM 334 (section 2)
Titus Ashby is a two-year-old boy who has become a YouTube sensation after his dad posted a three minute long video showcasing his basketball trick shots. The video was posted on February 3rd and currently has over 7 million views. It was so popular that he was interviewed on the TODAY show this past Thursday and also received a shout out on Good Morning America. 

In the video titled Unbelievable Little Kid Does A Trick Shot, Titus is shown making baskets effortlessly from a variety of distances and places such as from the bottom of a staircase and at Chuck E. Cheese. The clips used were shot during a six month period beginning when Titus was only 18 months old. His dad, Joseph Ashby, posted the video in the hope of it going viral. Most recently he has been contacted by the Dallas Mavericks along with other various members of the media.

This video is relevant to the course because, without social media and communications, the video would not have been such a success. Videos such as this one are often used as feature stories for media outlets. Given that Titus is only two years old, it could be debated that the media is exploiting him. Because he is so young, he does not really understand what is going on or why he is receiving such attention.

A major concern about the media attention Titus is receiving is that playing basketball and shooting hoops could quickly change from being a fun activity to become more of a job or task that he feels he is required to do. As of this moment, it is evident that he enjoys making baskets. However, if people continue to ask him to do it, he may grow tired of the game and move on to something else.

"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. 

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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.

"Norwegian kicker dreams of NFL after viral video"

From ESPN.com

Review by Ryan Vince in SRM 334 (section 2)

The current event article that we chose was about a 28 year old Norwegian soccer player who became famous due to his posted Youtube video. Havard Rugland never had any aspirations of becoming an NFL kicker or becoming an internet sensation, he just wanted to entertain his friends and family with a neat 4 minute video. There’s no doubt that Havard has the talent needed for the NFL, but this opportunity never would have arisen if it wasn’t for the social media in the world today. 

With an increasing popularity of Havard’s video, Scott Cohen, assistant general manager for the New York Jets, sent him an e-mail showing interest in Havard’s leg. The Jet’s assistant GM was willing to give Havard a workout, to see firsthand the talents of the Norwegian youth counselor. This past Thanksgiving, Havard met with former NFL kicker, Michael Husted, to hone his kicking skills before an actual NFL tryout. “He’s definitely the most impressive nonfootball kicker that I’ve worked with,” said Husted, who believes that Havard has many similarities to that of Oakland’s kicker Sebastian Janikowski.

Although, there has been some skepticism of this Norwegian sensation from Arizona Cardinal’s kicker, Jay Feely, and New York Giants punter, Steve Weatherford. “I think he’s talented, but there’s a different dynamic when you have a video camera and 1,000 chances versus when there’s 80,000 people screaming at you,” Said Weatherford, “You only have one shot.” Although, Rugland believes he can handle the pressure.

Right now, Havard is far from playing for an NFL team any time soon, but the social media has given him the opportunity of a lifetime. Rugland didn’t pursue an NFL job; he merely works as a youth counselor for the local child protective services and one day decided to make a video kicking around a football. Twenty years ago this story wouldn’t be possible, which proves that the emergence of online sport communication and the new sport media has grown at an accelerated rate.---

Review by Tucker Koch in SRM 334 (section 2)

For our current events presentation we chose to base it on an ESPN article about a Norwegian kicker who made a video on YouTube and suddenly rose to stardom. Havard Rugland is a 28 year old from Norway who has never played a single down of American football but has already had tryouts with NFL teams. It is due in large part to a video he posted to social media sites that shows him making all sorts of “trick shots” with his powerful and accurate left foot. After his video accumulated 2.3 million views (and counting) the New York Jets contacted Rugland about a possible tryout. He thought they were kidding, but given the fact that they gave a backup quarterback his own press conference after signing a multi-million dollar contract, you never know with the Jets. It turns out they were being serious, and they flew Rugland out to San Diego, California to work with a kicking specialist to see just how much talent he has. The result was just as astonishing as some of the kicks in his video. The expert, Michael Husted, said that Rugland had more talent than any non-football kicker he’s ever seen. He added that he has just as much leg power and height on his kicks as most NFL kickers, if not more power. The Jets must have been equally as impressed because they asked Rugland to come back for a second tryout in March of this upcoming year. After being also contacted by other teams including the Philadelphia Eagles, it seems very likely a pro career will come out of a YouTube video. 

My initial reaction to this video was that it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It was just impressive trick shots like a lot of YouTube videos seem to be, but it was actual talent. Making 50 yarder after 50 yarder in the dead center of the uprights is unbelievable natural talent. But as current NFL players are saying, it will be a lot harder with 80,000 screaming fans. ---

Review by Rich Leeper in SRM 334 (section 2)

The title of our current event article was “Norwegian kicker dreams of NFL after viral video.” The article is about a YouTube video called “Kickalicious.” The YouTube video was made by a soccer player from Norway, Havard Rugland, and his friends. It consists of four minutes of amazing tricks and kicks all done with a football. The video was originally posted to YouTube and Facebook so he could share it with his friends and family. After a few short weeks the video was spread over the internet and even caught the attention of some NFL scouts. 

Rugland has never played football and hardly knows the rules to the game, but with the exposure he has received from Kickalicious he may end up having a shot at playing in the NFL. In November the New York Jets gave him a tryout. He met with the Jets kicking coach, Michael Husted, and spent a week working on his technique and displaying his skills. Husted has claimed Rugland is “Definitely the most impressive nonfootball kicker I’ve ever worked with” and “he hits it just as high, just as far as a lot of the NFL kickers, if not further.” There is no doubt that the Jets are extremely interested in this new prospect, but there is some skepticism. He has never played the game, not entirely sure on the rules to the game, and never experienced the tremendous pressure NFL kickers are under. Multiple NFL kickers asked what they thought about the video and they expressed similar concerns.

Rugland on the other hand, remains enthusiastic about the opportunity. After his NFL tryout with the Jets he was quoted saying, “I was under a lot of pressure during the tryout, and a lot of people would freeze up at something like that because there’s a lot of people watching you. But that went well, so I think I have good chances of handling it.”

It is amazing how fast and far this simple YouTube video has spread. The amount of technology and emphasis our society places on social media allowed a 28-year-old ex-soccer player to be given a chance to play in the NFL. It will be really interesting to see if this YouTube sensation can back up his video when it comes to the real games.

"Arian Foster changes Twitter pic to Boston column ripping Texans"

From CBSSports.com

Review by Matt Butta in SRM 334 (section 1)
The current event that my group presented on was written by Will Brinson who wrote a response to a negatively written article about the Houston Texans. Dan Shaughnessy, a columnist for the Boston Globe wrote that the Texans were a terrible team and had no chance to beat the New England Patriots during Sunday’s divisional playoff game. Shaughnessy said that this was the first time the Patriots had two straight bye weeks because of how easy of a win the Texans game would be. Shaughnessy also had several insults about the Texans including calling them “fraudulent” as well as other things (Brinson, 2013). The article that we used talks about how Arian Foster, starting running back for the Texans, changed his avatar on Twitter to a picture of the article written by Shaughnessy and about how the article is not accurate. I agree with Brinson’s article completely. He talks about how the Texans are a good team with excellent players and how they have a chance to win the game on Sunday. He also talks about how they are not favored to win but should be taken seriously as a contender in this weekend’s game. This article is relevant to the course because it shows how professional athletes use social media to gain motivation for their games. It also shows how athletes use social media to display their response to criticism whether the criticism is positive or negative. Four years ago if something like this occurred chances are Arian Foster would have used a different approach to handle the situation because social media was not used as often as it is now. Now players use social media not only as a way to connect with fans but to also to motivate their teammates and themselves. With all the changes in social media it will be interesting to see how athletes will use social media in the future.

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Review by Forrest Lodge in SRM 334 (section 1)

This article brings up the controversy of Dan Shaughnessy’s column in the Boston Globe about how much of a blessing it was for the Patriots to draw the Texans in the second round of the NFL Playoffs. The main thing in this article however is how Texans running-back Arian Foster acknowledged Shaughnessy’s column and even took a screenshot of it and made his Twitter avatar. The Twitter world nowadays is huge and it spits out news and information like wildfire, so once Foster changed his Twitter avatar to the picture of the article, everyone and their mother’s found out about this article. It is not uncommon for players to find out about harsh comments and opinions of sports analysts and other critics, however Foster took it to the next level by putting the word out through social media. What we did notice through the YouTube video that we found was that Foster never actually commented on the article at all, and that the only thing he did was put the picture of the article as his Twitter picture. I feel like this was a proper way to handle the situation because it is a form of motivation for not only himself but for players, coaches, and fans of the Texans. Ultimately I think it is a prime example of how social media plays a major factor within sports today because of the endless access and availability that it provides to everyone in this world with a computer or smart phone. Twitter allows anyone with an account to connect directly with athletes and celebrities who also have accounts and that is something that we haven’t been able to do for all that long and I feel that it has changed the way athletes handle the public because they can also connect back with anyone they want through social media.

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Review by Sean Petrizzi in SRM 334 (section 1)

After the Houston Texans advanced passed the Wild Card Round to face the New England Patriots Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy wrote an article claiming the Patriots were the “first team in NFL history to get back-to-back byes before advancing to the conference championship game.” This was in reference to the Week 14 matchup where the Patriots outplayed the Texans to the tune of 42 to 14. Texans running back Arian Foster posted three paragraphs of the article as his Twitter avatar without comment. It was seen by many as a move to post bulletin board material for all to see.

I feel that Arian Foster handled this situation perfectly. By leaving out any commentary on the article Foster showed he took offense from the article but did not complain which would have opened him up to criticism of being overly sensitive to the media. He brought the article to the attention to people outside of New England and possibly was trying to bring it to the attention of his teammates to help motivate them. My criticism would be of Shaughnessy. Football fans will know that the New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick is very reserved with his comments and is very calculated in what he says as to not provide the typical “bulletin board material” that may help other teams be motivated to win more than they already are in the ultra-competitive NFL. By writing this article, Shaughnessy flies right in the face of that train of thought. As someone who has covered Belichick and will continue to do so, I wonder whether Shaughnessy’s relationship with Belichick will be slightly strained now.

This article shows that changing forms of media are affecting the interaction between sports reporters and athletes. It is now much easier for athletes to respond to criticism from sports reporters and these responses can be seen by almost anyone at any time.

"The Social Side of Sponsorship Sports marketers take aim at activating fan engagement"

From Adweek

Review by Jenny Hansberry in KIN 332 (section 2)

Stuart Feil does an outstanding job of proving that social media is a vital way for sports teams to build a better organization amongst players, employers, and fans. Today’s marketers want to take greater advantage of the powerful emotional attachments leagues, teams and athletes have with the fans that follow them. The responses from fans on social media, whether it’s for a specific player or entire team, have showed their loyalty and in return, organizations have been able to make a better understanding of their followers.

Social media is constantly enhancing and the need to consistently be adapting is essential. A perfect example of how a sports team utilized social media to connect with its fan was the New England Patriots decision to host a virtual tailgate. Not only did this allow fans to interact with thousands of others with the same loyalty to the Patriots, but it allowed them to ask questions and speak to the coaches and staff. The most avid fans loved this engagement with the coaches and felt a sense of participation in prepping the NFL superstars for the game. Pat Coyle, the president of Coyle Media, stated that “fans want three things: camaraderie, recognition and access. Camaraderie comes from interacting with other fans. They want recognition from the team for their passion and loyalty. And access means they want to feel close to the team or the athlete. Social relates to all of that”. Fans want to feel as though they are a valued part of a team, and in today’s society that feeling is not hard to come by.

Beyond just the fans having the ability to be more involved, the business side of social media gives insight to fans demographics and psychographics. It’s crucial for an organization to know its fans and be able to deliver what they need in order to make money. Whether a company uses an athlete known across the world to push a product, like McDonald’s did with Dara Torres for the 2012 Olympics, or simply giving a large opportunity to engage with your favorite sports team, everybody wins. Fans feel more passionate about staying a loyal fan and the organizations are striving off of the extra support from its fans.

After Feil explains all the benefits of the social aspect of sports, it is difficult to people that anyone would shy away from it. The results clearly show one thing: everyone wins.

"Policing the social media craze"

From ESPN.com

Review by Jennifer Luck in SRM 334

140 characters. That is the amount of characters the 140 million Twitter users have to
express themselves. College athletes have joined the social media craze. For most,
they’re casual outlets that rarely cause problems. But when the outlets become online
soap boxes for emotional young adults, issues can arise.

In recent years, college coaches and athletic directors have dealt with a variety of
social media challenges. At the Catholic University of America the whole lacrosse
team was suspended because of hazing photographs of new athletes posted on their
“personal” Facebook accounts. Kansas basketball coach Bill Self had to break up a
Twitter fight between former player Tyshawn Taylor and critical fans.

Firms such as Varsity Monitor, UDiligence, and CentrixSocial have capitalized on
the growth of social media and try to help schools control negative Internet behavior.
These firms offer schools a computer application that allows them to filter and identity
problematic social media behavior. Universities are reaching out to these firms
because they want to protect their brands and players.

However, there are times where athletes possess the technology to instantly broadcast
messages and photos before any type of authority can intercept them. For example,
the University of North Carolina. The NCAA cited North Carolina for failing to
monitor their players tweets which led to an investigation and violations. Because of
one tweet posted by former football player Marvin Austin, fifteen scholarships were
revoked and a one year bowl ban was placed.

In the past, student athletes were prepped for only interviews. Now, they must be
reminded that social media is an open forum. Young men and women may think
because they have specific “privacy” settings it won’t reach a media outlet, but most
of the time it does. Student athletes and social media have become big issues on
college campuses over the last few years, but universities are taking steps to prevent
negative images of their programs from being posted and tweeted. Education towards
athletes on what to say on social networking sites has become the leading way to
keep a positive face. How universities face the social media era and their athletes will
be left up to their own discretion until the NCAA develops restrictions.

Social media is here to stay and as future employees in the sports industry we must
learn to embrace it for the way it can connect a fan base and promote a team or player
rather than shun it because of its potential embarrassing and distracting tendencies. If
we do, we will have a leg up in the arms race of college athletics.

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Review by Caroline Snedegar in SRM 334

In the article, “Policing the Social Media Craze” it talks about the recent impact the social media has had on the world of sports, specifically concerning college athletes, coaches, and athletic directors and how they deal with the challenges that the social media brings. With the constant use of social media people now can access it basically 24/7, which means athletes and coaches have to monitor what they say even more closely since the media and audiences have access to this information the second it is published online. Where some coaches see the benefits and actually promote the use of social media like twitter; it can also hurt a program if certain players aren’t careful about what they put out on the web. While most programs rely “on individual teams to inspect social media accounts (Medcalf, 2012),” however, with the immense amount of athletes there is no possible way that everything that gets put out on a social media source can be fully monitored. The majority of athletes have “instruments that allow them to broadcast messages and photos to people around the world before any authority can intercept them (Medcalf, 2012),” which has caused either citations with the NCAA or backlash from the media and fans in general.

This article exemplifies the constant evolution of the Sport’s Media Industry, with the rapid growth of social media it has impacted how people in this field have to deal and adjust by adding another media outlet for delivering information. Guest Speaker for our class, Niki DeSantis, Assistant Commissioner for Creative Services for the CAA, even thought that the increase use of the social media and online media sources has definitely increased her work load and adds another element that has to be constantly updated for the public and is on constant display.

"NFL Teams Turn To Social Media To Connect With Fans"

From Forbes

Review by Amber Bolen in KIN 332 (section 1)

In today’s world, technology surrounds our daily lives. Most of everything we do involves the use of technology in some sort of way. In the article, “NFL Teams Turn to Social Media to Connect with Fans,” it explains the NFL’s efforts to make sure that all fans can access team information and news. These features will benefit many different people depending on their lifestyle.

The NFL teamed up with Buddy Media which gave the insight to the NFL of what fans wanted in terms of social media and mobile technology. Every single NFL team now has a mobile site that everyone can access on their phone to make browsing faster and easy. And most, not all, teams have their own mobile app that someone with a smart phone can download and track their favorite team. 

Specifically, the New England Patriots have created an app that allows you check news, keep live updates of the game, and even watch highlights from a previous game. Not only do the Patriots have this app but they have an app that is free for users with premium seats to download and see on demand instant replays from many different camera angles and a feed of NFL’s Redzone channel so that they can see what is happening across the league.

I loved this article simply because it showed me where media was going in the future. I like the NFL but I’m more into college athletics and if this continues to grow into college sports it would definitely make me more interested. Even though most games are played on Sundays, some people still work and giving those type of people who cannot catch games go to an app and access updates and even go back and watch highlights of the game from their phone. The only thing that I do not like is how people with premium seats are the only ones who can get that app for free. Some people have just enough money to buy the cheapest tickets/season tickets. It is not fair to limit one group of people to this app.

"The Lines Between Social Media And Sports Continue To Blur"

From Forbes

Review by Josh Ruffner in KIN 435 (section 1)

This article is about how sports teams are starting to implement social media into their marketing campaigns. They are really trying to increase interaction between fans, players, and the teams. Social media usage has become a huge asset to our daily lives. The one that is talked about within this article is Twitter.

The Philadelphia Wings decided to have a special jersey night with the players donning their twitter handles on the backs of their jerseys. The idea behind this was to create an interaction between the fans and players. The jerseys were later raffled off for a charity event. Social media is starting to become widely used in sports marketing. It is easier to engage the fans through social media because everybody is using it. I personally think this was a great idea for the Philadelphia Wings as it increases interaction between the players and fans. I think that Twitter could have a huge future in the marketing of sports. By following teams on Twitter fans are always up-to-date about what is going on with their favorite teams. Since the Wings were the first team to implement this idea, I think others will surely give it a try. I also think this may benefit the smaller leagues because they can become more connected with their fan base through social media usage. I am not really sure how this will factor into the four major sports as many people are already connected with their favorite teams through some sort of social media channel.

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Review by Peter Billups in KIN 435 (section 1)

A recent article in Forbes Magazine titled, “The Lines Between Social Media and Sports Continue To Blur,” addresses the February 12th National League Lacrosse game in which the Philadelphia Wings wore jerseys with the players Twitter handles on them. This marks the first time a North American Professional Sports team has done such a promotion. This promotion was genius; the team and league received a great amount of free exposure due to the jerseys. The NLL and Philadelphia Wings received more airtime on SportsCenter and other news channels channels across the country as well as articles in many magazines including the one in Forbes Magazine. Not mentioned in the article was the fact that after the game the jerseys were auctioned off, with proceeds going to support the American Cancer Society. Obviously, the intent of having these jerseys made, worn once and auctioned off was to provide a unique marketing experience for the Philadelphia Wings and provide an opportunity for fans to engage with the athletes via Twitter.

I thoroughly enjoyed this article. It raises many questions and encourages any sport business professional to consider the future of social media relating to sports. Steve Olenski, a freelance advertising and marketing writer/blogger concludes the article with the question, is “the use of Twitter handles and jerseys, a one time thing? Or do you think this is only the beginning?” I believe that this is only the beginning but the use of Twitter handles on team jerseys will not immediately be duplicated by other professional teams.

The sports purest would be against Twitter jerseys and right now I think management would be against it as well. This practice puts emphasis on the individual players. Why promote fan focus on the individual athletes instead of the team? Many players leave in free agency and those players can easily take fans with them through the use of today’s technology which makes keeping track of your favorite players a click away. The article focuses on the merchandise sales and makes the reader believe that Twitter jerseys could sell and lead to more Twitter gear. I believe that this is not the case, despite the fact that the line between social media and sports is becoming less clear. Fans value tradition and Twitter handles on jerseys is a deviation from tradition. One possibility is first to present Twitter handles in the programs and on the jumbotrons, more or less testing the response. The NLL and the Wings received positive results from the promotion since they found a new way to get publicity and had the positive image of helping those in need. Twitter reaches millions of people, especially those that economically support online marketing. It is inevitable that Twitter is used by major sports programs; but to add Twitter names on jerseys further divides athlete with team.

"Phoenix Suns hiring social media sideline reporter to track hot topics during televised home games"

From the SportsBusiness Journal

Review by Jordan Hunter in KIN 332 (Section 1)

The Phoenix Suns are a very popular NBA team with many fans from across the world. However, as well as any other professional sports team, they desire new methods to increase their fan base. The Suns wanted to get their fans more involved and active during the home games. This caused them to hire a social media sideline reporter.

The Suns never used this strategy before, but they recently thought of it as a major marketing component. In fact, they will be the first NBA team to hire a social media sideline reporter. Also, the Suns are offering a discount on a ticket package for all social media users. The ticket will be valid for five games. This was another first time approach for them as well. Everything that is recorded by the reporter will be shown on Fox Sports Arizona, which broadcasts the Suns home games at the US Airways Center. Another responsibility of the reporter will be to give updates on what people are saying about the Suns on social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or any other website. In addition to a new social media sideline reporter, they have recently started a front-office position for Greg Esposito. He is a columnist for Arizonasports.com that will now be the social media specialist for the Suns.

Sports marketing can be done in a bunch of different ways. Many NBA teams use similar techniques, but some come up with other, creative strategies. This article portrays sports marketing by the hiring of a new member, which caused the fans of the Suns to become more active and involved with the team. Fans are a major aspect of how successful NBA teams become, and they allow the programs to continue to grow. The suns are doing this as a promotion for their team, which seems to be greatly helping their business.

"Revolutionizing the Market: Innovative Electronic Branding Strategies within NCAA Athletic Departments"

From the International Journal of Sport Management

Review by Patrick Pelletier in KIN 332 (Section 2)

The article I chose to read was titled Revolutionizing the Market: Innovative Electronic Branding Strategies within NCAA Athletic Departments, and was published in the International Journal of Sport Management. This article describes a very scientific approach to get a better idea of the electronic strategies that Division I athletic departments use to build brand equity.

The importance of brand loyalty is simple: the stronger the brand loyalty among consumers, the more likely it is these consumers will remain fans even while the team or school is struggling to win. That is why researchers Cooper, Ross, and Southall conducted this survey-style research. They wanted to know what athletic administrators were doing to build a brand electronically. The researchers sent out surveys to 64 athletic departments representing all 11 FBS conferences. The survey consisted of 16 Likert-type questions, in which the administrators were asked to indicate which strategy they thought was most useful in today’s industry on a scale of 1 to 6. For example the mean response for the relevancy of using video broadcasts on department websites was a 5.32 (1 was strongly disagree, 6 was strongly agree). The results showed that for department websites, administrators felt that using video broadcasts was the most effective (5.32) and that the use of message boards was least effective (3.03). The researchers also found that video sharing (4.53), text messaging (4.49), and social networking sites (4.47) were effective tools used by athletic departments when dealing with independent technologies.

These results were not surprising to me because of the constant desire for information in the sporting world. Video broadcasts online are a great tool, and I think most universities utilize this by uploading highlights and interviews, or even streaming live game footage. However, I am somewhat surprised that the numbers from the independent technologies section were not higher. Sites like Facebook and Twitter are used by universities on a daily and even hourly basis, and I think that adds a lot of value to their athletic departments. For example, JMU uses Twitter very effectively by updating followers with game updates, and news about current and former athletes. As a consumer I value that kind of information and it adds a little more loyalty to the JMU brand.

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Review by Brent Henchen in KIN 332 (Section 2)

In “Revolutionizing the Market: Innovative Electronic Branding Strategies Within NCAA Athletic Departments” by Coyte Cooper, Stephen Ross, and Richard Southall these men set out to quantitatively determine the importance of electronic media on college brands. They wanted to give the sports world some guidance as to what marketing vehicles to use since “several scholars have emphasized the importance of the realization of strong brand equity for sport organizations looking to maximize their financial endeavors.” Brand equity is the primary goal of many sports marketers. Increasing the positive connotation associated with a brand will in turn increase sales. “Researchers in the business field have illustrated that strong brand equity is directly correlated with the following consumer benefits: enhanced product value, improved purchase intention, and immunity to product-associated crises.” This carries over to increased immunity from declining sales when a team is underperforming. According to Gladen & Funk, 2001, “Scholars have expanded on pervious findings when explaining that consumers with a strong brand loyalty are more likely to remain fans when a team struggles from a performance standpoint.”

Since “investigating brand equity in web or Internet contexts is a relatively new research area” these three men decided to take it upon themselves to do some substantial research in this area. They sent out survey invites to NCAA Athletic Departments and ended up with 64 participants. All the participants were asked to identify, on a scale of 1 to 6, “the e-branding strategies that are most relevant in today’s competitive entertainment industry.” The strategies were divided into 2 groups: Department Websites and Independent Technologies. In the Department Website category participants were asked to rank the following: video broadcasting, audio broadcasting, podcasts, newsletters, blogs, interactive chat, interactive fan poll, and message boards. In the Independent Technologies category the vehicles ranked were: video sharing, text messaging, social network sites, podcasts, blogs, twitter, and message boards. The research found that when talking about department websites video & audio broadcasts were the two most important marketing ploys and the message boards were the least important strategies. For independent technologies the most important marketing ploys are video sharing and text messaging; with the least important category being message boards, again.

This research can increase the workload for sports marketers but also prevent a ton of headaches. Message boards are hard to police and are usually dominated by fans with extreme views. But if this data is taken as truth, sports marketers do not have to worry as much about message boards anymore. Unfortunately, now the fun starts in trying to make text messaging, video, and audio broadcasts current and plentiful. Video and Audio broadcasts take more effort to create than texts but do not need to be numerous. Texts messages, on the other hand, require minimal effort but need to by abundant.

Looking at the statistical analyses I was a little disappointed. I appreciate the work they put into the research but a few things pop out at me. Why did they interview the marketers and not the consumers? Wouldn’t interviewing a consumer tell you exactly what influences their image of a brand? Also, why did they use a scale 1-6? I always try to use an odd number so that responders can choose “neutral/neither.” The last problem I had with the result is the random p-values. Where did they come from? No hypothesis was being tested so there shouldn’t be a p-value to test for statistical significance. The p-value is the percent chance that you falsely rejected the null hypothesis. So, in order to have a p-value you must be comparing an expected value against an observed value. In the research paper there was no expected value or expected mean for the grading system. They simply observed and measured the values without guessing what the result would be. Therefore, I cannot determine why there is a p-value associated with the mean value in each category. Communication with the authors would be the only step to solving this problem.

"Tweet Smell Of #success"

From Sport Illustrated

Review by Jamie Coder in KIN 435


The article that we picked, “Tweet Smell of #Success” was a very interesting article. It talks about how Twitter.com has helped transform the world of pro sports. Now every NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL franchise, as well as a sizeable amount of pro athletes, has twitter pages. They can use these accounts to connects with fans one-on-one, promote games/players, or just to talk about nothing in particular.  This article also mentions how Twitter is changing the athlete-sponsor relationship because athletes are tweeting about their sponsors, which is sometimes gaining more recognition than a TV commercial. I think that Twitter has the potential to impact the sports world in a bigger way, especially through marketing and promotion. For example, pro athletes can tweet something about a product they like (or that they are sponsored by) and it would result in good publicity for that product because it would seem like it was not sponsored information or a paid advertisement, thus making it more believable in the minds of the people “following” that particular athlete. Another way Twitter could impact the sports world through promotion is athletes using twitter for more personal contact. As mentioned in the article, people are getting more excited about an athlete tweeting back at them then getting their actual autograph. Athletes could use this to get closer to their fans and to gain more support. The more fans like an athlete, the more sponsorship deals they could sign, the more popular they could become and so on. Teams and athletes could also use Twitter to offer incentives for following them. As mentioned in the article, when the Chargers faced a possible blackout, the official Chargers Twitter page offered discount prices for tickets to sell out the seats. Teams could use Twitter not only for putting butts in the seats, but for coupons to places that sponsor the team, special discounts at team stores, even have trivia with the lucky winner getting a meet and greet with the team. Finally, a team or athlete could use Twitter to improve its community relations or social responsibility. In the article, it mentions how the White Sox and Indians had a “#hashtag” battle by donating $1 to cancer research whenever a fan used certain hashtags. With fun games like this or even doing something simple like donating $1 to cancer research for every follower or an athlete donating $1 to their charity for every one follower, teams and professional athletes could improve their social image as well as improve their image within their community. All in all, I really enjoyed the article and think that the sports world has not even began to scratch the surface in regards to all the possibilities that Twitter holds, especially when it comes to marketing and promoting teams, athletes, sponsors, etc.

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Review by Patrick Downey in KIN 435

The article “Tweet Smell of #Success” discusses the relationships that professional athletes and professional sports teams have with the social media site, Twitter. It also touches on the impact of these relationships, noting that these relationships through social media create a unique experience for both the fans and the athletes/sports teams.

The article states that almost half of all professional athletes in the United States and every NFL, NHL, MLB and NBA teams have twitter accounts. Shaquille O’Neal, for instance, is approaching four million Twitter followers. Although not all athletes have jumped on the Twitter bandwagon, enough have done so that Twitter has become a permanent aspect of the sports world. During Super Bowl XLV there were as many as 4,064 tweet per second and during the Champions League final there were more than 6,300 tweets per second. However, not all Twitter involvement is good, especially since athletes with Twitter accounts are the ones with direct access and control, Tweeting whatever that want. Athletes such as Reggie Bush and Ozzie Guillen and Rashard Mendenhall have got themselves into hot water in the past. Mendenhall tweeted skepticism of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and has since received a lot of backlash from those tweet.

Although it began as a “toy” for athletes, Twitter now provides much opportunity in the marketing and promotions aspect of sport. Last season the San Diego Chargers were facing game black outs, so they went to Twitter and used it as a venue to sell seats. The White sox and Indians also used Twitter during a game last year to donate money to cancer research by using a “#hashtag battle.” NFL wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald embeds sponsors into his tweet, which provides that sponsor with medium to advertise their product indirectly. Although Twitter has not been used extensively for sport promotion, it certainly has the ability to do so. Twitter is a perfect vehicle for sponsors to convey information about their products to potential customers and it is also a good way to position a product. For instance, if a sponsor uses a well-respected athlete such as Michael Jordon, to tweet about a new product, this product is then positioned in the mind of consumers as a reputable product that they may want to buy. Also, due to Twitters ability for rapid response it becomes a valuable vehicle for publicity since athletes can tweet information about products or organizations that does not seem sponsored. Twitter also involves the personal contact and community relations’ aspects since fans (followers) can directly tweet an athlete or team and elicit a personal response thus making connection between athlete/team and fan (community). Finally, Twitter can become a large part of sponsorship, namely the ‘retail promotional sales (incentives)’ component. Twitter could utilize this component by having companies offer sales and promotions through the their Twitter accounts, such as the first set amount of people to tweet a correct answer to trivia or tweet a response to a post, get a coupon or win a prize.