Sports and Social Media

SPORTS AND SOCIAL MEDIANicky Lewis T101 Media Life / Summer 2011

A Quick Introduction…

Sports and Social Media: A Perfect Match

Immediate Accessible Fosters Fan Culture

Fantasy Sports

Began as a relatively unknown niche hobby in the early 1980s

Enter the Internet: it has seen remarkable growth since the mid-1990s

Some Basic Rules

All leagues are composed of multiple teams, with each team managed by a player

Each league has a commissioner, or one manager who oversees all activity that occurs within the league

The season begins with a draft, either live or automatic Points are assigned to drafted players in accordance

with performances during actual games The cumulative points determine the winning

managers of the fantasy game, who compete head to head against one another

League winners are determined at the end of the season based on the best winning record or point total

Some Basic Stats (FSTA, 2009) 27 million users in the U.S., or 6% of the

population 22% of American males, 18-49 with

internet access, participate in the activity

Economic Impact: $800 million within and $3 billion across the sports industry

User Interfaces

Various websites host free fantasy leagues online

Other websites host fantasy leagues for a fee, often offering additional features and programs

Many offer features such as message boards and access to player information and statistics

Media Impact

Fantasy involves more than just participation online

Outcomes of fantasy games rely on results of live sporting events that take place in the physical world

Users can access these results through a variety of media platforms

Media Impact cont.

From the recommended readings: We continuously engage in social media We use various media platforms

simultaneously Fantasy sports are a form of social

networking Does it pose a risk for addiction?

Media Impact cont.

Dwyer (2010) and Comeau (2009) found increased general media consumption as a result of participation in fantasy football 

58% of fantasy users reported watching more sports on television since they started participating in fantasy sports (FSTA, 2009)

What’s Behind It All?

The social and economical impact of fantasy sports has been well-documented in the mainstream media

BUT… the motivations for participation in this activity and the level at which individuals participate is largely unknown

Uncovering these motivations may reveal what kind of people participate in this activity 

These results could hold implications for professional sports leagues, media networks, advertisers, and consumers

Current Project: Trait Differences in Fantasy Football Participation

Research Questions For what meaningful purposes do fantasy

football participants depend on the activity? In what ways do fantasy football participants

identify and interact within social groups created by the activity?

What are the relationships between the individual traits of fantasy sports participants and their motivations for participation in the activity?

Individual Traits and Motivations Traits

Extraversion Competitiveness Machiavellianism Sensation-Seeking Impulsiveness

Motivations Social Competitive Identification Financial Gain

End Goal?

To predict the level of participation in the activity based on the interaction between an individual’s personality traits and motivations for use

Method

Conducted a survey of 457 subjects, 177 of whom have participated in fantasy football

Included IUB Telecom students and members of a variety of popular fantasy football forums

Questions pertained to their opinions, habits, and level of participation in fantasy football

General media use, social activities, and past sports participation were also addressed

Questions were posed related to their fantasy activities and motivations for participating

A series of personality scales were implemented to measure trait differences

Preliminary Data Analysis

Fantasy football participants rank higher in competitiveness, Machiavellianism, sensation-seeking, and impulsiveness, as compared to non-fantasy football participants

Fantasy football participants rank lower in extraversion than non-fantasy football participants Do fantasy football players view the activity

as an alternative to face-to-face social interaction?

In Conclusion…

Just where exactly are fantasy sports headed?http://FunnyOrDie.com/m/bfj

Links to Recommended Readings Social media survey finds use in bed, on waking

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/18/BURK1CHVVA.DTL#ixzz1ObMoYTdv

Americans Using TV and Internet Together 35% More Than A Year Agohttp://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/three-screen-report-q409/

Fantasy Sports: Social Networking or Time Wastinghttp://returnonnow.com/2010/02/fantasy-sports-social-networking-time-wasting/

Fantasy Sports: Another Internet Addiction?http://www.addictioninfo.org/articles/1259/1/Fantasy-sports-another-internet-addiction/Page1.html