We see in many posts how clubs should be utilising social media for fans who come along to the games. The likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona have upped the game by making wifi powerful enough to actually be able to use your smart phone when there are 30,000+ other people in the area trying to do the same thing.

The owner of NBA team Dallas Mavericks Mark Cuban wrote an article on his blog recently to say that he doesn’t believe in any of this in-game digital entertainment with his post ‘The Fan Experience at Sporting Events – We don’t need no stinking smartphones!‘.

I can’t say that I agree with everything that he says but some of it does make sense. When people go to a game it is about the experience, otherwise they would just stay at home and watch it on TV right? (its cheaper and more comfortable for starters). The first aim for any club is to make the event day the most memorable, fun experience possible both on and off the pitch, or at least try to.

So when we start talking about in-game apps, talking to fans at the game on Twitter, etc should we be getting them staring at their smartphones and away from the match day experience they should be enjoying?

For one it depends on the sport. If you go to football, basketball or another fast-action sport then you will be too ‘in the game’ to give a damn about looking at your phone checking up on the latest stats of the players. But for a more drawn out event such as cricket, long distance running or motor racing then there will be things you can do that can actually add to the experience of the day, when they won’t actually be seeing that much action.

This is not to say there is not a role for using social media with fans coming to a game of football or basketabll. But I would recommend sticking to this mantra…. ‘be useful’! What do I mean by this? I mean that when you are looking at doing something for the fans, put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself ‘Would I find this useful? Does it add to my experience? Would I use it?’ and ask the others you work with or friends who are fans the same thing. If not, then stop!

Take time out and think about what content is right for the fans on your different pages and apps. Are they are going to be either at the game or watching it on TV? Are you adding that much by giving out score and action updates? (If they’re watching it you would presume they already know).

An alternative would be to set up an @XXXXlive account so people who want live updates, when they are out shopping or on holiday, can opt-in by following the account and follow the game. Thats a useful benefit without creating lots of spam.

Likewise, how about offering fans some useful match day info when they are on their way to the game. Give out traffic news from the area, updates on what the car parking situation is like, let fans know if tickets are still on sale, etc.

This is all information which is useful to those coming in and at a time when they are more likely to be on their phones. Answer peoples questions and add to making the day the best possible experience for everyone coming along.

Before they set off for the game, Facebook and YouTube could be used to show the players getting ready for a match and offering behind the scenes clips that add to the pre-match buzz. Inform them of where they can get match updates or which channel the game is being shown on or when highlights will be on. Remember….think about which fans you are targeting with which platform.

There are so many platforms out there now, and not forgetting club websites, that it can be tempting to treat them all the same and farm out links and replicate content. If you can put together a strategy that gives each a purpose and is targeted so you know which audience you are speaking to then you really are being ‘useful’.

It’s not often we get to talk on here about sports other than the big 3 (football, rugby and cricket) and most of that tends to be around football.  So its nice to get to hear about a social media campaign by another sport, and one that others can take something from.

The sport is that of Netball.  Netball is played by some 7 million people worldwide, of which over 1 million are in the UK, each week.  It’s also a sport thats enjoying greater coverage than it has for a long while with the SkySports deal to cover the recently formed Netball Superleague.

Over the last 3 years, netball has exploded on twitter, with teams taking to the social media platform to interact with fans and promote upcoming games.

But despite the high participation rates there is little in the way of mainstream media coverage outside of the Sky deal, of professional netball – so teams are taking to social media to get themselves heard instead.

Surrey Storm are the leading franchise on social media, with a good following on both Twitter and Facebook.  The reasons for the Storm’s development in the social space is clear to their Marketing & Communications Manager, Matt Burton;

“We have taken inspiration from MCFC and the way they are interacting with fans via social media.

As most fans can’t get to away games we started to tweet live updates from games and it took off from there. Where BBC would provide similar updates for football etc via bbc.co.uk, there was nobody doing this for netball, so we started tweeting and fans loved it.

We now tweet live from all games, offering fans from across the globe the platform to follow Storm when games aren’t on TV.  We are also looking to develop our youtube strategy and this season have started to add pre and post match video interviews: http://www.youtube.com/user/SurreyStormNetball“

To take this a step further the club have launched a Twitter campaign ahead of this Satursday’s sold out clash with Loughborough Lightening.  They are offering the chance for a fan to win 2 tickets to the Fiat Netball Superleague match, and get to work with the Storm media team to tweet live updates through the game.  The winner will also get to meet the players on the night.  An amazing prize for a big fan!

To enter the competition, you need to follow @surreystorm and tweet them with your reason on why you should be the official Storm tweeter for the match and include #stormtwittercomp to be considered.

Entries are now open and the deadline for twitter entries is 11.59pm on Tuesday 24 January, so not much time left to enter!

This is a really nice initiative by the club, showing their willingness to give more than just a prize but an experience.  Many competitions we see are for a pair of tickets or kit but what many dont see is how much a fan wants to be involved with the club, to be part of it (even just for a little bit).  They’ve shown as well that they are willing to give some control away, let the fans be in charge. Too many are precious about who can say what where and dont concede anything, thus keeping fans at arms length.

Another good move from the club is to also have their players on social media, helping to spread the word about the club, the sport, upcoming fixtures and give an insight into who they are.  This has worked well in sports across the US and, if managed correctly, can be enormously beneficial to all involved (awareness, sponsorship, press coverage and much more).

We’ve seen the advent of Twitter influencers being given press access to games in the US and prizes such as ‘Facebook Row’ here in the UK.  Now it appears to be spreading.

For sports who dont get the attention that football, rugby and cricket get from the mainstream press, the need to look at alternatives and be opportunitistic is there.  We will see more clubs/sports become ’media publishers’ as the realisation that they have so much content to give and the platforms to achieve this on are there now.

Well done to Surrey Storm and hopefully we’ll see more following in their footsteps this year.

Guest Post: Iain Taker is an associate at Kemp Little LLP, specialising in commercial and sports law, and a registered lawyer under the FA Football Agency Regulations.  You can follow him on twitter @iaintaker or on LinkedIn

Is Social Media an opportunity or potential threat?

Messages can now instantaneously be sent across international borders to millions of people at little or no cost.  Although this reality brings with it significant public relations and marketing opportunities, there is also the possibility of serious damage resulting from ill-considered comments.

This article looks at the positives and negatives of using social media (in particular Twitter) from the perspective of a professional sports body and suggests some safeguards that should be implemented to reduce the risks.

Is social media really that important for sports clubs and players?

Social media is already a very large industry – Facebook alone has in excess of 800 million users and over a billion tweets are posted on Twitter every week.  Players and clubs have shown an increasing drive to tweet and be actively involved in social and digital media in order to interact with their fans.  It has now reached a situation where fans expect to be able to interact with players and clubs through social media platforms.

The most popular teams and players on Twitter (as at 17 January 2012):

Top 5 followed Sports Teams

• Real Madrid (@realmadrid) – 3.171m (20,015 tweets);
• FC Barcelona (in English) (@FCBarcelona) – 2.770m (8,155 tweets);
• LA Lakers (@Lakers) – 2.292m (9,360 tweets);
• FC Barcelona (in Spanish) (@FCBarcelona_es) – 1.624m (16,657 tweets); and
• Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) – 1.154m (7,026 tweets)

Top 5 followed Sports Professionals

• Kaka (@Kaka) – 8.040m (2,239 tweets);
• Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) – 6.418m (750 tweets);
• Shaquille O’Neal (@Shaq) – 4.870m (4,130 tweets);
• LeBron James (@KingJames) – 3.268m (2,300 tweets); and
• Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong) – 3.220m (8,237 tweets)

Top 5 followed UK Sports Professionals

• #13 Wayne Rooney (@WayneRooney) – 2.591m (679 tweets);
• #25 Rio Ferdinand (@RioFerdy5) – 1.882 m (8,239 tweets);
• #35 Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) – 1.237m (7,793 tweets);
• #47 Rory Mcllroy (@McllroyRory) – 792k (1,999 tweets); and
• #51 Jenson Button (@JensonButton) – 741k (1,301 tweets).

The importance of interacting with fans through social media should not be underestimated. A player’s or club’s potential reach in terms of the active number of followers they have gives them a particular influence in terms of both framing or adding to the debate of the day and (potential) in terms of revenue generation.  Social media enables players to develop a personal profile that is not only based or dependent upon their on-field performances.

It is my belief that Twitter has so far been under-utilised from a revenue generation perspective, and that in the near future clubs and players will be able to advertise significantly more on their page and through their tweets.  While advertising on platforms such as Twitter can lead to legal issues such as requirements to comply with consumer protection legislation in relation to endorsements of products these can easily be overcome with specialist advice.  The potential power placed into the hands of the clubs and players, through social media platform, can help to create significant additional income streams.  Such opportunities are however not fully understood or appreciated by many and yet specialist sports social media organisations, such as the industry specialists recently employed by Wayne Rooney, are available to assist in this area.   This may result in, the next few years, an extension of the traditional sponsorship model.

Benefits of using Twitter

Twitter was launched in 2006.  One of the great appeals of Twitter for both the sender and the follower is its simplicity; messages are capped at a 140 characters so tweets are short and to the point. Followers find this approach more personable than email and perceive that they are not being overly bombarded by sales materials (even though tweets can contain sales messages or links to marketing materials) or excessive content.

Speed and cost

A significant benefit of Twitter is the ability to be able to speak to millions of fans spread across the world in an instant for free.  While sports teams (and players through personal websites) will have significant mailing lists, the likelihood is that Twitter may offer the opportunity to access a significantly larger and geographically more spread fan base than was previously possible (and possibly attract followers that would not otherwise consider themselves fans).  The tweets themselves can contain a simple link which will take the receiver to a specified site enabling existing marketing promotions/information to be displayed to any and all users who click on the link.

Multi-platform access means that the average Twitter user spends significantly longer on the site than they do reading their email account.  The increasing use of tablet and mobile devices mean that people look at tweets on the way to, during and after work. This ‘hit rate’ is also increased through the use of push notifications which alert the reader when their favourite team or player posts a tweet.

Self-promotion

The player or club can send tweets which contain a link to news concerning themselves which in turn creates greater exposure for their activities and (potentially) their sponsors.  This may, for example, be a link to awards they have been given (e.g. Mark Cavendish on his victory in BBC Sports Personality of the Year) or activities that they are involved within (e.g. Phil Neville’s charity work including Cornerstones in Manchester).  It has increasingly been used to link into business activities that the professional is involved in whether it be a restaurant they own (e.g. Rio Ferdinand and Rosso Restaurant), computer game they are involved with (e.g. Tim Cahill and FIFA 12) or a connection with a sponsor (e.g. Lance Armstrong and Nike).

Social media platforms are the modern equivalent of ‘word of mouth’ advertising but their functionality and reach is such that campaigns can ‘snowball’ quickly.  A good example of this is the American football player Chad Ochocinco who launched a mobile app called Mad Chad solely through advertising and word of mouth on Facebook and Twitter.  This app became one of the five most downloaded apps on Apple iTunes Store on the day it was released.  A similar ‘traditional’ campaign (namely one which would have reached a similar number of potential customers) would have involved significant expense and advertisement.

Public image

In addition to revenue raising aspects, Twitter has also played a significant role in the public perception of players and clubs.  The platform offers fans a way of ‘getting to know’ what the player is really like by being able to seemingly interact with them on a level that previously was impossible for most.  It has also helped players re-establish a positive reputation after negative portrayals such as the American football player Reggie Bush in the US who successful dealt with public criticism over allegations relating to his time at USC.

This type of openness and interaction helps to remove the dis-enfranchisement that many fans feel about today’s sports industry. The possibility to enter into discussions (or competitions set by) with high profile sports stars reduces the ‘disconnect’ and makes them more human.  For many youngsters receiving a retweet (or reply) from their hero is the modern day equivalent of getting their autograph or photo.

Examples of where Social Media has caused issues

Although there is much good about social media, the bad and the downright ugly are often not far behind.  Even though there is the possibility to remove posts and comments, the nature of the internet is such that once something has been posted it is very difficult (if not impossible) to prevent the contents from being accessible in one form or another.  Although in some instances too much information is revealed or unwise comments are made deliberately this can also happen quite innocently and unintentionally.  A few examples of negative consequences of using social media are set out below.

The footballer, Paul Konchesky, was on the wrong end of an unfortunate social media incident that was not of his own making.  During an unsuccessful time at Liverpool FC Konchesky’s mother Carol apparently updated her Facebook status to label the club’s fans in a derogatory fashion (see screen shot below).  Unfortunately, her comments were visible to all Facebook users as her privacy settings were not sufficiently strong enough to limit the comment to her ‘Facebook friends’.  Despite the removal of the post, it spread through local and national press and did little to help her son’s popularity in and around the club.

A second example is the NBA player, Michael Beasley.  In August 2010 Beasley found himself in hot water after posting a photo of his new tattoo on Twitter.  The problem was nothing to do with the tattoo itself rather two plastic bags that purportedly containing marijuana.  The apparent presence of the drugs in the picture was widely reported on local and global sports blogs and resulted in the player entering into a rehabilitation hospital a few days later.

A third example is the football player Ryan Babel. Babel has the dubious honour of being the first Premier League footballer to be charged by the Football Association due to a posting on a social media site.  Following a contentious FA cup match between Manchester United and Liverpool, Babel retweeted (forwarding another person’s tweet) a picture (see below) of the match referee, Howard Webb, which contained the comment “[a]nd they call him one of the best referees? That’s a joke” the picture has been manipulated such that Webb appeared to be wearing a Manchester United shirt.  Babel subsequently apologised for the retweet and was fined £10,000.  In this situation it is important to note that Babel did not create the image itself but merely passed on a link that another user had created.

Measures to restrict potential problems

There are a number of potential measures that can be implemented by professional sports clubs in order to help prevent issues from arising or to protect themselves in the event that a situation arises.

1.       Comprehensive social media policy

Surprisingly, a number of professional sports clubs do not have an estbalished social media policy either included in the playing contract or given to and agreed by the player.  Such a policy should set out clear instructions over what is, and what is not, permitted.  Best practice would be for it to include a quick reference guide for the player and list contacts of the club who are nominated to handle social media queries who can be contacted as and when necessary.  The policy should also set out the internal punishments that may result from an infringement.

2.       Set parameters as to what players are allowed to tweet about

A number of football clubs set strict guidelines over what their players are allowed to comment on.  For example, matters relating to the club (ranging from team selection, thoughts about fellow players or officials to transfer speculation) are usually off limits.  While these guidelines would appear to be no more than common sense it is clear that they are not always followed or effectively enforced, (see for example Joey Barton’s tweets (@Joey7Barton) for a number of examples of disputes with fellow players).

Neil Warnock (former Queens Park Rangers Manager) has gone on record as saying that his squad are allowed to use Twitter only on the proviso that it has nothing to do with the club.  While the photo may actually turn out to be innocent it is the public perception of them that can be very harmful, see for example the criticism given to Steven Ireland’s (Aston Villa football player) as a result of a photo showing him smoking a shisha pipe with an unidentifiable drink in his hand. In addition, players should be warned against putting up pictures that may portray them in a bad light such as images that show them smoking, drinking, late night partying and/or gambling.

3.       Players (and connected persons) should use privacy settings

The use of strict privacy settings should help to prevent situations of unauthorised tweets/comments being made from player accounts.  Any such guidelines or advice should apply equally to persons connected to the player as it is often the case that comments of the player are displayed on their friends’ and family’s pages see the Paul Konchesky case above.  Both Twitter’s and Facebook’s default privacy settings are such that tweets and comments are publicly available.  Clubs should be able to provide the necessary advice as to how to ensure the settings can be adjusted to avoid personal information being unintentionally sharing of personal information.

4.       Blackout periods

Players should not be allowed to use social media for a few hours prior, during and for a few hours after the game.  The NFL enforces a social media blackout for the period commencing 90 minutes prior to the match and ending after the post-game media interviews.  The NBA has enforced a similar rule starting 45 minutes prior to the match until after the post-match obligations.  Chad Ochocinco (Cincinnati Bengals player) was fined $25,000 for posting two messages during a pre-season game in August 2010.

As emotions run high, the danger of reacting to a situation in the immediate aftermath is significant and can have far reaching implications.  As shown by the £10,000 fine given to Ryan Babel (discussed above), the Football Association will punish players for indiscretions.  It is not inconceivable that severe indiscretions will in the future be met with a suspension and little is likely to upset a player’s employer more than having their star player banned for heat of the moment comments.

5.       Pre-approval of content

While this may on the face of it seem an arduous step for players, the reality is that often ‘communications’ through player’s websites/blogs are not actually written by the player themselves.  An increasing number of celebrities (for example the actor Ashton Kutcher) do not post to Twitter directly but rather through an intermediary.  In a world that takes an instant to read but a significant time to forget a post such a pre-caution would be wise.   The consequence of having a dedicated individual at the club who handles social media issues for players is that the club will have a greater awareness over any potential conflict and can implement damage limitations procedures quickly. For example the Manchester United players have access to a member of the club’s staff to clear any tweets which relate to the club.

6.       Educate the players themselves

An important step to minimise issues is to educate the players over the potential pitfalls of inappropriate use of social media.  The potential implications can include a ban from playing, fine from governing body, fine from club, loss of sponsors and loss of fans.  Such an education should include the potential consequences of re-tweeting without fully understanding (or examining) the content of the tweet which may include an unsuitable link.  The advice to the players should be:

• do not share too much;
• know who they are sharing it with;
• double check that they are happy to be associated with everything they are sharing; and
• if in doubt check with a club official.

The education should include details of the legal consequences that may arise from the use of Twitter such as potential claims for defamation or breach of contract (e.g. where a contract has a morality provision and the player is shown drunk/using drugs etc.).  What may seem a harmless comment or bit of fun can soon turn out to be a very damaging and expensive decision.

7.       Have a damage limitation plan

Where a situation comes to light that a tweet which contains unsuitable comments/links or photos has been posted, the player or club should have a clear and detailed damage limitation plan that should be implemented as soon as possible. While the damage may not be fully contained as it is likely to have been captured or retweeted, it is important to minimise the damage/publicity as far as possible. In addition, it may be beneficial to clarify a statement which has been taken out of context.  An apology should also be issued if any offence (or potential offence) has been caused as in the case of Ryan Babel (as shown below). This may help reduce the knock on effects (as often it is how situations are handled that is remembered) and any subsequent punishment handed out.

8.       Seek specialist advice for monetising the potential

Further to having a social media policy in place in order to fully exploit the potential, in particular in relation to revenue making opportunities that social media can offer it is essential to deal with experts within the field.  Such specialists can implement solutions that would ensure potential public relations issues can be avoided such as a player advertising a product that is a direct competitor to a principal sponsor of the club.

Conclusion

Twitter is a platform that offers clubs and professionals significant opportunities to increase awareness, business opportunities and their public perception.  The important part is to recognise (and limit) the potential pitfalls that such an opportunity can present.  Both clubs and players would be well advised to use a specialist to handle this aspect of their marketing.  The financial benefits of social media have yet to be fully developed and exploited, a situation that will undoubtedly change as the trend away from traditional to digital media forms continues.  The implementation (and enforcement) of a clear but complete social media policy is fundamental as clubs will no doubt wish to retain some control over their players’ ability to make public comments. Given the potential benefits and costs associated with social media, it is highly advisable to implement and enforce a very thorough social media policy as well as a comprehensive education programme. In my opinion the potential and opportunities of social media have yet to be fully realised by most and clubs and players who focus upon this area will be well rewarded.

Note – You can check out other articles on Twitter and athletes below:

‘Twitter Ye Not’  – a BBC article

Are the media obsessed with banning players from Twitter?

Football clubs must take responsibility for their players twitter mishaps!

How would I advise sports stars on using Twitter and avoiding the pitfalls

Comcast’s Xfinity Service is launching a contest to hire an individual who will serve as the new voice of Xfinity in the sports social media space and go behind-the-scenes at some of the biggest nationwide sporting events in 2012, sharing exclusive insights and updates with fans.

The contest, entitled “Xfinity Presents: The Ultimate Sports Social Media Job,” runs from January 13 through March 25 in search of the next sports social media star.  It has been put together by our friends at GMR Marketing and especially Brian Gainor.

The winner will receive a one-year salary and will be responsible for tweeting from the @XFINITYSports Twitter handle on continual basis,  reporting live from premier sporting events throughout 2012, and educating and engaging avid sports fans in social media communities. In addition to live event access, the winner will also receive all the electronics for the ultimate sports pad, including televisions, home audio/video equipment, etc.

From January 13 – February 6, consumers can log on to Facebook.com/Xfinity and then go to the “Xfinity Presents: The Ultimate Sports Social Media Job” contest tab to submit video between 30 seconds and two-minutes in length explaining why they should be selected as the sports social media voice of Xfinity based on their sports knowledge, social media expertise, personality, and passion for Comcast.

The top video submissions will be featured on the Ultimate Sports Social Media Job contest tab located on Facebook.com/Xfinity for fans to vote on from February 9-19. The five entrants with the most votes will advance to the final round of the contest where they will cover one of five premier sports events the weekend of March 8-11.

Each candidate will receive access typically granted to event personnel, athletes and media and be asked to chronicle their live experiences behind-the-scenes with tweets, video uploads, and short posts that will be featured on the Xfinity Facebook contest tab as well as their own social media channels.

Following that weekend, a panel of celebrity judges will evaluate each performance and announce the winner of “Xfinity Presents: The Ultimate Sports Social Media Job” contest by March 25^th. The winner will travel throughout the year to the biggest rivalry games, championship games, and premier sporting events.

catch more articles back on the homepage here at UK Sports Network

The first Mashup of 2012 (last one here) and this start to January has been a very eventful one for social media and sport in the news.  Some of it has been positive as social becomes more intertwined in major sports event and this week sees the start of the Australian Open tennis down in sunny Melbourne.

It has also been a time for apologies and fines in equal measures as sports stars take to Twitter to let their views been known.  Some has been a case of some careless banter and have received no more than a ticking off, while for others it has been much more costly.

If you haven’t caught our look into the future of social and sport we ran recently, you can via the links here for the USA/Spain Social Media 2012 predictions and for 2012 Predictions in the UK.

Anyway, there is much to get through so here we go (click on titles for full articles)….

Mark Williams set for disciplinary over twitter comments

Snooker star Mark Williams is set for disciplinary with the governing body over the use of offensive language on Twitter.  The players were warned about the use of social media platforms during the summer by letter from the board.

Snooker Star Ronnie O’Sullivan faces fine for Twitter comments

Carrying on the snooker theme, the star who always seems to get on the wrong side of the snooker laws has been threatened with a fine.  This time it was not for anything said about snooker but the 36-year-old, and three-times World Champion, criticised the Welsh glamour girl for going to the High Court to clear her name over claims she had tried to blackmail the Manchester United star over their six-month fling.

FA Cup game highlights available in iTunes

The FA has taken to step of making the FA Cup highlights, something that has always been reserved for TV and the broadcaster websites, onto iTunes.  You can now buy a ‘season pass’ to watch highlights from every round and from last season final.  If your a fan of cup football then this looks like a great purchase.

How the Australian Open is acing digital

The 2012 Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament may just be the most digitally connected major sporting event of all time.  This Mashable article looks at how the fist major tennis event of the year is showing the way for the rest of sport in 2012.  A Slamtracker already provides real-time updates of qualifying play that began on Wednesday, and fans can relive and share their favorite moments via Facebook and Twitter through a database of classic matches.

Wales captain Aaron Ramsey takes to Twitter to clarify comments

The Arsenal midfielder took criticism for saying he was disappointed at players not being consulted over Gary Speed’s replacement. But in a series of tweets, Ramsey clarified his comments to defend what he had initially said.  It should how Twitter can be used to defend players reputations and come at at the press for what they see as quotes being taken out of context.

Oxford City sack Lee Steele for homophobic tweet

A footballer who posted a homophobic remark on a social media website has been sacked by his club.  Oxford City striker Lee Steele made a comment on Twitter about the gay former Wales rugby player Gareth Thomas.

Tweeting about Thomas’s appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, Steele, 38, wrote a “strongly-worded” message about being in a bed near the contestant.  Oxford City manager Mike Ford said: “On this occasion Lee’s had to pay for his error of judgement.

Leo Messi shares Ballon D’Or win on Facebook with most shared post ever?

The Argentinian genius strolled to his third World Football of the Year award in a row last Monday and to celebrate this achievement his sponsors adidas put together a video with the man himself.  The video was released solely on Facebook and YouTube with no other promotion around it.  Since its release on Monday night it has racked up 1.9m views on YouTube together with 372k likes, 45k shares and 41k comments!  Is this the most ever in the sports world?

Rory Lamont apologises after Twitter blast at Barack Obama

Scotland and Glasgow Warriors winger Rory Lamont has apologised after describing Barack Obama as a “whore” on a social networking site.  The rugby international has used his Twitter account to make disparaging remarks about a number of politicians.

These have included the United States president, Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.  The Scottish Rugby Union has described the language as “inappropriate” and the 29-year-old has apologised via Twitter.

Premier League Social Media stats – January 2012

Finally, here is the last infographic by Freestyle Interactive to enjoy showing the lastest social media stats from the Premier League….

This is a new app that I was made aware of and thought would be good to get your thoughts on too.  It is made by the guys at Slipstream who work with the likes of Volvo Sailing and British Triathlon.

Sportsday.co is an idea to bring tweets into one place where you can watch all the information about your team; follow games, transfer news, team updates, etc in an easy to view and aesthetic manner.  Something not really possible via Twitter lists.

The dashboard means you can follow all teams tweets (from anyone mentioning the official team account) or just the one that you are interested in.  The idea is to make more available through the site as time goes by so that it includes more content.

As Dan Griffey, Director at Slipstream, told me;

“We made it… as a proof of concept and intend to develop the app further to include more sports (and a dashboard to show sports / leagues / clubs) and eventually a mobile app.

We have added some features, including permalinks (http://sportsday.co/#!/mcfc) and stats, and will evolve the stats so that match day trends can really show through. We also plan to hook into Foursquare events for each of the main stadia.”

It sounds exciting and even now it is easy and enjoyable way to follow what is happening in the football world.  Its an idea that could evolve into following individuals within teams and even reporters/PR staff from them too. That would mean you would get all the breaking news from one place.

Unfortunately for me my team, Manchester United, dont have an official Twitter account (aside from the little used PR one).  Thus I have to stick to Twitter and Tweetdeck for my news for now.

Its a great idea and looks to work well.  What do you think of it?  Here are some screenshots of the site…

This is the last mash up summing the week in social media and sport before the Christmas celebrations really start!  It has been a fantastic year, a sentiment I hope you share too.

2012 is going to be another year of massive change in the world of social media as we see adoption rates accelerate and new technologies spring up.  With so many massive sports events to look forward to, including the first ‘social’ Olympic Games here in London.

Anyway, back to the week that was.  Here is your weekly round up…

David Villa on YouTube straight after surgery

Barcelona and Spain striker David Villa fractured his leg playing in the World Club Championships in Tokyo, meaning he will miss at least the next 4 months which may even extend to the Euro 2012 Championships.  To show his fans how we was getting on, his team posted a video of him coming out of surgery and then him giving a message to his fans.  This was posted on his own YouTube channel.  Who needs journalists to break news when the players can do it themselves?!

Super Bowl to be streamed online in 2012

Big news for all fans of the Super Bowl.  It was announced that next years big game will be streamed online by NBC Universal on their website and via Verizons NFL mobile app.  With the tight broadcasting rights around many sports this is going to be an interesting one to see what the uptake is like.  With the BBC planning to show all the Olympic sports via red button and their website next year too, could we see the rise of the internet enabled TV?

Canadian players develop own social media policy

The coach os a world junior ice hockey team is not on Twitter, and does really too much for it. But his players do enjoy it. So when it comes to making a policy for their conduct on it why not let those who know it best decide how they should use it?  It sounds like a great plan and appears to be working well.  Could this be the way forward for social media policy making?

Arsenal Facebook – Emirates 360 Panorama

As part of the clubs 125th anniversary celebrations, they have developed a Facebook app to enable fans to take themselves and friends who went to the Arsenal v Everton game on the 10th December.  Not a new idea but one that adds something new to their page and fans always like seeing themselves in the crowd to show friends.

Michael Owen fires back on Twitter to fan banter

One of the drawbacks for any ‘name’ on Twitter is that they are open to people throwing abuse at them or trying to wind them up enough to get a response.  This time it was Michael Owen’s time to lose his cool at one fan in particular.  It did seem to catch him at a sensitive time as he was tweeting about how he was upset by the amount and type of abuse levelled at Blackburn manager Steve Keen during the game against Bolton on Tuesday night.  Sometimes a simple ‘block’ or ‘block and report spam’ is the best answer though when emotions are running high it is easily done.

Pro team to sport Twitter handles instead of names on jerseys

Another trip over the pond to see what our friends in the US are up to.  This time it is one of the National Lacrosse League teams who have made some headlines.  They have announced that for their Feb 12th game each player will have their Twitter handle in place of their name on the back of their shirt.  In the meantime this requires each player to have a Twitter account and the club will be running Twitter training sessions in the lead-up to the game.  A bit of a PR gimmick but with the traning they are heading in the right direction at least.

Social Media and Football: a Match Made in Heaven

An article from The Wall Blog telling us something that most of us know, that football and social media are a perfect match with so much potential.  It takes a brief look at footballers and social, clubs and what they are doing plus a roundup of what the future holds.  It is a subject that could go on for much longer than a couple of hundred words as it does here but still quite a nice little summary.

This weeks #DigiSport mash-up has brought together a whole host of great stories from the last few days.  With the seasons first El Classico coming up this weekend and Shaq O’Neill giving an insight into his social media plans its been all go.

To go to the actual articles and find out more on the story, click on the title of the article and it will take you straight there.  If you hear of any interesting #DigiSport stories during the week then tweet them to me at @danielmclaren or @uksportsnetwork and we’ll add them in next week.

For anyone still interested, the drinks on Monday in London has a couple of places (is just about full) so DM or email me for more details.  The great news is that We Are Social (my place of work) will be sponsoring the evening which is fantastic news!  Thanks guys

Have a great weekend all and enjoy the articles below…

Twitter launches brand pages – interesting for sports teams!

Tonight, Twitter has come out and made a major announcement in regards to a redesign of its platform and more interestingly what it is doing for brands.  The article concentrates on what is in it for brand marketeers but this is also interesting for sports teams and leagues.  Be interesting to see what more comes out in the coming days from all parties.

The Match Day Experience: a Social Media trial goes live

After last weeks post about Man City’s social media experiment they have again come out and explained more about whaty has been happening.  It is great to read about what they are doing, why they are doing and sharing their successes and failures.  I cant think of many other companies who would do the same. Well work keeping an eye on their MCFCgeeks website and twitter

Big Shaq talks up Social Media plans

The Big Aristotle announced via Twitter in June that he was done with basketball. But since then, he has busied himself by promoting his book, “Shaq Uncut,” and by preparing to team up with Charles Barkley as a TNT basketball analyst this year.  O’Neal has also been working on his website, Shaq.com, which is what he wanted to talk about during a phone interview last week. During a call that included his brand manager, Mary Gleason, he also discussed his business plans, dispensed social-media advice and talked a little Barkley and basketball.

Barcelona’s new website gives links to players social media profiles

Barca’s newly designed website has come with some really cool new features.  The one I was drawn to, unsurprisingly, was the players info area where not only can you find out about the usual player biog stuff but also see embedded news streams from either Twitter or Facebook pages.  Awesome integration!

Fastest growing Facebook pages in sport this year dominated by Messi and Barca

This interesting snippet of information as we near years end has come from Facebook and their ‘Memology 2011′ tab.  Here you can see the fastest growing sports (as well as music, news and entertainment) pages in terms of growth of fans.  Messi’s FB page launch this year means he went from 0 to 27m pretty quickly.  6 footballers are in the top 10 and Barca, Real and Man Utd make up top 3 in teams (shock).  Some interesting info none the less.

Real Madrid v Barcelona – social media battle

You may need Google Translate for this one but this Spanish article ahead of the first El Classico of the league season this coming weekend.  It compares the giants of both the football and social media world with some interesting stats and take on what they are doing well.  A good read from Sportwist.

Social Saviness – NBAers, NCAAers and Media members talk social media

An interesting look by Jeremy Bauman and Peter Robert Casey on Slam Online at the impact social media has had for fans, players and media alike in how they consume and follow the game.  They’ve snippets from players on their experiences and media alike.  A good read if a fan of basketball and social media in the US.

5 tips for marketing to sports fans on Facebook

Mashable spoke to reps from the pro world of Sports Marketing including Christy Berkery (New England Patriots), Jim Spinello (rEvolution), Dan Lobring (rEvoltion), Laura Clemente (New York Jets), Kristen Baier (NETS Basketball).

Marseille receive 60k submissions for ‘fan designed kit’ competition

Back in March we posted an article praising French team Olympique Marseille for their asking fans to submit their own designs for a new official kit. Marseille used the landmark of hitting 1 million Facebook fans to reward their international fanbase and are the first football club world wide to essentially crowd-source their jersey. This week the club announced that they received a staggering 60,000 submissions for the competition and that after months of development and judging – they let their Facebook fans have the final decision.

JD Sports get top marks for social media

A quick look by Football Trade Directory on the social media presence of the Bury based sports retailer.

Using social media to make your sponsorship budget go further

Apparently, the 2012 Olympic Games aren’t just any old Games. They’re the world’s first social Olympic Games. Sponsors are lining up their social campaigns, most notably BT’s Storytellers and Lloyds TSB’s ‘Local heroes’ campaigns. But what of the (hundreds) of brands sponsoring major but non-Olympic events? The Grand National, FA Cup, Six Nations, Wimbledon, and the soon-to-be-not-the-Carling Cup?

Social media in Sports and Entertainment: Three mega trends in 2012

Beverly Macy from Gravity Summit LLC takes an early look at the top 3 trends to watch out for in 2012, in this edition of the Huffington Post.

BMW launches iPad app for Olympics

Not so much an article but a link to new BMW iPad app brought out as part of their sponsorship of the London 2012 games.

Shaq’s Social Media Guru Shares Her Secrets

Amy Jo Martin, CEO of Digital Royalty, tells Mashable how Shaq took over Twitter, what makes for a successful online presence and where she sees social media going in the future.

I know its not yet December, we’ve got 2 more days left yet, so apologies for the Santa covered picture but I’m sure you wont mind.

Anyway, I cant believe it is almost Christmas again.  I’ve absolutely no idea where the last year has disappeared to!  I’m sure you are all feeling the same way too.

To help bring the festive season in with a #DigiSport bang there is going to be a get together in central London on Monday 12th December.  It’s free to attend and hopefully someone kind out there will put some money behind the bar for at least one free drink!

If you would like to come along then drop me an email at daniel@theuksportsnetwork.com to be added to the guest list.  There is limited room at the venue but there is also a public bar downstairs so we can always overspill a little.

If you would like to meet up with some new people in the industry or get together with some old friends then this is going to be ideal.  It will certainly start the main Christmas party week off well!

At the moment it is a pure networking/drinks gig (no sales pitches going on please) but we may add in some yuletide surprises to liven the night up.  I promise not to keep you up too late as it is a school night but it would be great to see you there even for a short while.

As way of a teaser here is the venue.  Can you guess where it is??

See you there