Nicholas David Bowman, PhD Assistant Professor, Communication Studies West Virginia University 29 September 2011 "That's what Ochocinco said!" The role of social media in connecting fans to the athletes they love (and what management should do about it)
The relationships between sports fans and professional athletes has traditionally existed only at the para-social level; that is, fans watch their heroes perform on the field and identify with their successes - internalizing a player's and/or team's success as a personal one. Of course, any felt relationship between the fan and athlete is typically an imagined one, and usually of much greater importance to the fan. However, as more athletes take to social media to express their opinions on a broad spectrum of topics - both sports and non-sports related - this relationship has the potential to be both more intimate for the fan and more meaningful for the athlete. Recent evidence of this is use of social media by NFL players to plead their side of the labor dispute directly to the fans, circumventing both traditional media and team management in an effort to rally fan support from their followers. Yet, it is this circumvention that places a potential strain on team owners and other sports management executives, whose management role often includes maintaining the public image of the team as well as ensuring it's financial health (not mutually exclusive roles). As players continue to publish their raw thoughts and personalities via social media, concerns about how these players represent themselves and their franchises is at the forefront of sports management issues. If teams censor their athletes they run the risk of alienating fans, but if teams allow them to publish unfiltered, their overall brand might suffer. This presentation will highlight the current state of affairs by analyzing the role of social media in connecting fans to athletes, and the potential benefits and pitfalls of this relationship for sports management executives.
Dr. Bowman (Ph.D., Michigan State University) is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at WVU, where he researches and teaches courses on media psychology and the role of new media in human communication. A former athlete and sports writer, he has applied both of these areas of interest to focus on how fans use and are influenced by sports media. He has published work in leading communication research journals, including Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, New Media & Society, and Journal of Communication, and he has authored a recent chapter on fantasy sports research for a Sports Fandom Anthology due out later this year.
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Nicholas David Bowman, PhDAssistant Professor, Communication Studies
West Virginia University29 September 2011
"That's what Ochocinco said!" The role of social media in connecting fans to the athletes they love (and what management should do about it)
04/10/2023 (c) ND Bowman, 2011 2
WOOT!
• As team executives, we are charged with the long-term viability of our franchises.
• In sports, viability is tied to fan base• Does athletes’ use of social media influence a
franchise’s viability?
The Central Question
'What kind of person celebrates death? It's amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We've only heard one
side...'
@R_Mendenhall
How do you handle these situations?
'In da locker room, snuck to post my twitt. We're playing the Celtics, tie ball game at da half. Coach
wants more toughness. I gotta step up.'
@CV31
How do you handle these situations?
'Hey I think the urban meyer rule is in effect right now, When the going gets tough……..QUIT.'
'All I'm saying is that he (Cutler) can finish the game on a hurt knee … I played the whole season
on one.'
@Jones_Drew32
How do you handle these situations?
'What if God was tired of the way they treated their own people in there own country! Idk guys
he makes no mistakes.'
'u just never knw! They did pearl harbor so u can't expect anything less.'
@cappa23
How do you handle these situations?
The NFL brought this fight to us - they want $1 billion back, we just want financial information to back up that request
They refuse to give that information to us. They think we should just trust them. Would you?
I am very sorry that you as fans have to endure this. Football is more than just a game for all of us. We will keep fighting...always
@DrewBrees
How do you handle these situations?
• Many sports teams and leagues maintain strict policies regarding athletes interacting with the media (and by proxy, to the fan base) – “cooling off” period after games– Restricted locker room presence– Statements vetted through team publicists – Club speaks for players via official statements
• Similar policies regarding social media • Traditional PR moves; recognition that athletes are
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• Horton, D. R. & Wohl, R. (1956). Mass communication and para-social interaction: Observations on intimacy at a distance. Psychiatry, 19(3): 215–229.