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.
From USA Today Review by A.J. Monette in SRM 334 (section 1)
Katherine Webb stormed onto the national stage on January 7th, 2013. For many college sports fans, this was a day to be dedicated to the final game of the season, the BCS National Championship game. The game featured a highly anticipated match up between Notre Dame and Alabama, but the most memorable thing about the game was sitting in the stands. In the first half of the game, ESPN crews cut to a shot of Alabama quarterback, A.J. McCarron’s mother and girlfriend. The reaction from analyst Brent Musburger proved to be the highlight of the game, and a new overnight sensation was born.
Ten years ago this would not even have been a major story. This is not the first time a successful college quarterback has had an attractive girlfriend and it won’t be the last. It is also not as if Ms. Webb was a complete unknown figure, she was crowned Miss Alabama 2012 and went on to finish inside the top ten in Miss USA 2012. So what’s the big deal? Combine ESPN commentator, 73 year old Brent Musburger, a predominantly male audience, and the power of social media, and you will get your answer. Webb stated the game with just over 2,000 twitter followers, and as of January 26th, 2013 she is up to over 270,000 boasting a 120,000 follower advantage over her athlete boyfriend. This stat shows the power of social media. She was instantaneously thrust into the spotlight due to the reaction of fans on Facebook and twitter. She didn’t even do anything special; she was just there in the stands like any supportive girlfriend would be.
While she did not anticipate this level of celebrity, she is certainly taking full advantage of it. Since the game, Webb has landed a spread in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, a spot on ABC’s new reality show Celebrity Diving, a gig for Inside Edition as a correspondent covering the Super Bowl, and secured a place on next year’s Miss USA judging panel. Calling this woman a celebrity is a little far-fetched, but due to role of media and the reaction of fans she has managed to stay in the news far after the final whistle of the championship game blew. The comments made about her appearance were a little inappropriate, but they only added fuel to the fire. Constant tweeting and status updates about Webb made her all the more popular, and without social media this newest off the field sports phenomenon would just be another pretty face in the stands.
This story pertains to our class in particular because it shows us how key social media is becoming to our industry. It makes the world a much smaller place, and it also warns us how something that may not seem like a big deal, can turn into something massive. It also shows how far we have come as far as the role of media in athletics. The role a commentator plays should be one of informative, and to help explain the game. However that may not be the total target market anymore. We are more involved in the personal lives of athletes than ever. This trend can only be expected to continue as the prevalence and scope of social media increases. As the next generation in this field, we need to make sure we are up to date and brush up on our tweeting skills or we may find ourselves at a competitive disadvantage. --- Review by Becca Gibbs in SRM 334 (section 1) On January 7, 2013, AJ McCarron played in the BCS Championship against Notre Dame. Although his performance was enough to defeat the Irish 42 to 14, he was not the star of the night. Cameramen focused their lenses on 23-year-old Katherine Webb, girlfriend of Alabama’s quarterback, Aj McCarron, throughout the entire game. Commentators began to commentate on her rather than the championship game. Before the game Webb had about 2,000 followers, but by the end of the game she had over 90,000 followers. Now she has 237,000 followers on Twitter.
Although Webb is Miss Alabama, she did not attain fame through pageants. Sports fans and enthusiasts have recently taken a huge role in the expansion of social media. Twitter has become a favorite website for fans to use because of its efficiency and timeliness. Fans now have a direct line of communication with professional athletes through Twitter by simply tagging them in a post or tweet. Clearly enough people watching the BCS Championship game became mesmerized by Webb’s beauty to create such frenzy.
Sports media has been booming with the creation of Twitter and apps that make exchanging information and opinions easier. The sports industry is trying to keep up with today’s technology. Teams and players are creating accounts in order to stay close with their fans and followers. Katherine Webb is now immersed in the sports world, and the media can take full credit for that.
From Athletic Business Review by Jauan Latney in SRM 334 (section 1)
The big story that has recently come out about Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o is only behind Lance Armstrong’s admissions to Oprah Winfrey in the sports world. There have always been plenty of people coming after Lance Armstrong accusing him of doping, but no one ever had the proof to set it in stone. This always left doubt in the sports world on how “legit” his seven Tour de France titles were. All of that doubt has now been erased with certainty after Lance came out on the Oprah Winfrey show, admitting to doping in all contests.
A week before the interview was to be released on to the public, there had been plenty of advertising and talk to build it up. People took to twitter to put in their opinions as well as making headlines on sports channels and the news, without even airing on TV yet. When this interview finally aired it was split into two separate shows where Oprah got into the issues that everyone wanted to hear the answers to. He admitted to using drugs and said about the whole thing “I view this situation as one big lie” and felt that while he was living the lie it didn’t feel wrong at all. This all flows directly into class because of how the media is now running with the story as well as regular people on social networks. Shows the connection certain media people have with athletes and how the word of something can spread like wildfire from a tweet.
I think the way he went to a popular talk show host to admit to his wrongs was good for him in a way to get the apology out to many. He still had a very negative affect on many people’s lives which will be hard to fix but at least he is trying to right his wrongs. The way the information spread throughout the world shows how much media has changed and can shed light on any event, anywhere in the world. I personally hope Lance is forgiven after the struggle of cancer in his life to even return to cycling. I can understand taking back the medals but there is no need to bash him. --- Review by Brandon Lee in SRM 334 (section 1) During the past few weeks we’ve seen a good amount of big stories in sports world. From the national championship game and the controversy with Manti Te’o to Ray Lewis’ retirement and his Super Bowl run, the excitement has been there. However one story that has trumped them all would undoubtedly be Lance Armstrong and his long awaited admission to using performance enhancing drugs.
Lance has won 7 Tour de France titles and speculations have rose before yet there was never concrete evidence of him “doping”. However after many years of these speculations, Lance agreed to have an interview with Oprah Winfrey and speak on the subject. A week before the interview was to be help, the media began to advertise this event and did a great job of getting people excited to hear the details of the story. Oprah and Lance explicitly agreed that the interview was to be “no holds barred” during it and she would ask questions that may be uncomfortable to speak about but had to be done. In this interview Lance Armstrong admitted to not only doping, but doing it during all 7 of his titles. He apologizes to all the people he hurt by not admitting earlier and seemed very sincere with his the apology. I feel that these apologies are from the heart however the fact that he’s trying to race again may have pushed him to say what he said to get in good standing with the public, media, and the cycling committee. I do feel however that the committee did what they should have by stripping him of his titles. This story is extremely relevant to our class because it shows how that media connects with the athletes and how they can shape the way some may view them. It also connects to our class because how they get the word out about the event (i.e TV, internet, social media).
