Being a sports fan today is quite different from what it was like to be a sports fan just a decade ago. No, I’m not talking about the fact that fans now have to pay high
ticket and parking prices when they attend games. As the title suggests, I’m talking about the impact that social media has had on the way fans experience sports. Social media gives sports teams a tool to create an active community of followers that have a two-way relationship with the team. Fans can respond to messages from their favorite teams, and those teams can respond to the messages from their fans. Input from fans makes for a better experience come game day, and input from teams makes for more invested fans. Allowing fans the opportunity to interact with players is also a great advantage to sports teams in the age of social media. Rather than only seeing your favorite football player once a week on Sunday, you can keep up with him all week long, and if you’re lucky he might even respond to a message you send his way. Fans today are more than just spectators, they are a part of sports organizations. They feel closer to the organization and closer to the players they like because they have a constant window into their world.