Social Media?
To many, social media has become a typical everyday matter, covering all sorts of topics, ranging from fashion, personal daily life, hobbies, and even sports. So, to briefly explain, the term social media refers to a computer-based technology that facilitates the sharing of ideas, thoughts, and information through virtual networks and communities. Social media is internet-based and gives users quick electronic communication of content, such as personal information, documents, videos, and photos. Social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook are commonly accessed on individual smartphones and tablets. When it comes down to the sport football, social media is a current must-have for individuals to be kept updated on the matches, specific footballers, and highlights. With social media, many are able to dive deeper into their interests through hesgoal and learn many more things.
Football has become a Business.
Football started as a form of entertainment. But now, it has without fail, become a business. To some, making football a business is to become detrimental and impeding to the fans. It is general for football clubs to be bought over by business people for their own profit. Therefore, there will be many instances where the decisions they make do not always sit right with the fans, such as changes to ticket prices or match locations. Fans may feel that the hard-earned money spent to support the teams, be it buying match tickets or merchandise is a waste as almost everything is overpriced.
Social Media & Job Creation.
Over the past decades, it is proven that social media has created plenty of meaningful and significant jobs and occupations for football fans across the world. YouTube is one of the main platforms allowing content creators to build a reputation and a following. Quite a number of YouTube football channels have millions of followers. These creators produce daily content or weekly shows and have enough influence to get interviews with famous footballers or coaches. These popular channels are carried out full-time, and there are some which have a crazy cult following. Since these channels are frequently updated, they become the first stop for data on the latest football highlights, as compared to the conventional television channels.
In contrast to YouTube, Instagram is a platform that goes straight to the point, using stories, photos, and short videos, with minimal captions. Just like YouTube, there are multiple accounts that acquire millions of followers. It is a competitive world, but with perseverance and hard work, you can create a strong reputation and have a decent number of followers. The possibilities are endless. Social media isn’t for everybody, particularly because of the time demands it takes to stand out in such a market with millions of channels fighting it out to reach the top. Nevertheless, it is possible to succeed, and not only can you be independent, but most importantly, you are working while doing what you love. Financially, it can be profitable.
Athlete’s Image & Reputation
Information in all sorts of mediums travels at the speed of light. One-click of a button to a short video or photo with or without any caption, and comments, be it positive or negative, spread like a wildfire! If the information posted on social media about the athletes or football clubs is pessimistic, the reputation and image of that particular club or footballer may be tarnished. Fans’ perception of their role models may waver due to this. As for the positivity, there are footballers who do not only dedicate their lives to football but still put the effort to further their studies in universities. The spreading of such news through social media platforms boosts the athlete’s reputation and can help to inspire the fans. The footballers will become respectable role models and prove to the fans that continuous effort and perseverance are the keys to success in life.
A Platform for Interaction
As football fans follow the social media updates on their clubs and athletes, virtual interactions among fans from different backgrounds and cultures is formed. These kinds of interconnection will assist individuals to broaden their knowledge of multiple topics discussed across the world. This also helps in instilling the humanity within the fans, since the passion for football is shared as a harmonious medium to share thoughts, opinions, and feelings. Social media is used by the footballers themselves, where they update their fans with posts, videos, and photos. Most footballers with their personal social media accounts have millions of followers. These renowned footballers are considered celebrities. Examples of footballers who dominate on social media are, Christiano Ronaldo, who has 63 Million fans on Facebook, and 21 Million on Twitter, and thanks his fans for their support with the posting of exclusive photos and quotes. Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, a Brazilian professional footballer, David Beckham a former English footballer, and many more.
Social Media in College Sports
Recent changes to NCAA regulations will transform social media in college sports, affecting the ability of college athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL), as MediaPost describes. Business interests unaffiliated with their schools will compensate student-athletes, including for personal appearances and social media businesses. A primary reason for the change was to allow student-athletes, such as University of Miami quarterback Tate Martell, to capitalize on opportunities as social media influencers. Martell has more than 250,000 Instagram followers and nearly 150,000 Twitter followers, for example. Analysts note that students have long been able to earn money as musicians, actors, journalists, and other professions while enrolled in school.
Overall The complexity of managing the growing number of social media platforms combined with the speed of information’s spread in the internet age highlight the importance of having a sports management team in place that’s able to plan and implement strategies that boost athletes’ reputations and promote their teammates, coaches, and the entire organization. Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms present sports organizations with tremendous opportunities to connect with their fans and communities, but they also present many potential pitfalls that require skill and experience to sidestep.
