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Hunter Miller
Professor Kramer
CAS 137H
2 November 2015
The Social Media and Sports Shift
We dont have a choice on whether we DO social media, the question is how well we
DO it (Qualman). This is perhaps one of the truest quotes in todays culture. Social media
platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and others have created a whole new aspect of the world
today. At the touch of a button, millions of people around the world can access the personal
information that individuals wish to display on their social media accounts. It has come to a point
where social media has infiltrated nearly every major aspect of life. This includes all professional
and college sports as well as the players and fans associated with them. Previously, sports were
only about the numbers. The amount of points scored, the record of the team, etc. was the focus.
However, the larger stories in todays sports occur off the field. They occur whenever an athlete
tweets regarding a controversial subject or when a reporter breaks a thriving new story about an
NFL organization via twitter. The main point of all of this is that social media platforms, in
specific Twitter, and professional/collegiate sports have become one. Sports today have made a
shift to beyond the field. They are now over analyzed due to social media. Overall, social media
has had and continues to have an overwhelmingly positive impact on sports, despite the few
negatives whenever players mishandle a situation, by giving players, fans, coaches, and
organizations more influence in the sports world, which contributes to shaping their public
image.

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In order to explain how the sports and social media have shifted to become one it is
essential to explain the basis for how social media has become integrated as part of the world
culture today. The first large social platform was Facebook. Facebook was launched in 2004 by a
college student at Harvard named Mark Zuckerberg. The website quickly took off and became a
large player in the media. However, Twitter is the main focus when it comes to sports. Twitter
followed in the footsteps of Facebook by creating a simpler social media platform where people
could express their thought in 140 characters or less. The simplicity of this platform which was
created in 2006 is what people have loved about it. By November of 2008, which was
approximately 2 and a half years later, Twitter had passed the 1 billion tweet mark. Then in July
of 2009 the word Twitter was added into the dictionary as both a noun and a verb. This officially
incorporated Twitter into the English language. By October of this same year it was clear that
Twitter was growing exponentially. It had officially passed the 5 billion tweet mark (Hernandez).
During this time period it became clear that Twitter was growing exponentially simultaneously
with its involvement in professional sports.
On or around the year 2009, many major sports stars such as NBA MVP LeBron James
were creating there soon to be high valued twitter accounts. The additions of these major
accounts started the shift of sports into the Twitter era. Now more than ever fans were using
Twitter as their tool of choice for portraying their various sports related opinions. In June of 2010
the record for tweets per second was broken with an incredible mark of 3,085. This was during
game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. However,
this record would be soon broken with a mark of 3,283 during the World Cup game between
Japan and Denmark (Hernandez). Now obviously these are two largely different events.
However, what they have in common is the fact that both of these events are sporting events. It

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had become clear that Twitter was indeed the choice for sports fans. More recent reports have
supported this fact. A 2014 article by Forbes cited Navigate research by saying, According to
Navigate Research a Chicago-based research, measurement and analysis company sports
fans are 67 percent more likely to use Twitter as their second-screen viewing experience
compared to non-sports fans. The platforms versatility and its concise messaging make it the
industrys ideal real-time content provider and now a built-in part of the sports world (Burns).
This fact is supported by the record breaking amount of sports fans, players, and analysts who
use the platform on a daily basis in order to express support for their favorite teams, break
exciting new stories, or stand up for a cause they believe in. Recently, Twitter and the NFL have
become immensely close. The two signed a 2 year deal in August of 2015 which will bring more
NFL highlights and analysis to the Twittersphere (Kafka). Overall, as the shift in the worlds
culture changed to include social media so did professional and collegiate sports.
With this shift there came to be a positive impact on sports in general. They were now
gaining more attention along with an increase in economic status. As of today nearly every major
sports organization has their very own verified Twitter account. These accounts have gained
millions if not billions of followers collectively. Now by simply following their favorite sports
team on Twitter, fans could get the up to date and latest information and various players, scores,
etc. For example, the Pittsburgh Steelers Twitter account posts daily player injury updates along
with highlights from last weeks game and short videos from practice throughout the week. This
has allowed organizations to gain more exposure to various fans and other organizations
worldwide. Additionally, Twitter accounts have also generated a form of revenue for various
sports organizations. Not only can they promote the latest t-shirts or jerseys, but their Twitter
account itself is worth an immense amount. Pop star Justin Biebers Twitter account is worth 8.6

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million roughly (Dugan). By comparison, the Twitter account of an organization like the
Pittsburgh Steelers would be valued at approximately more than $200,000. This is an immense
amount of money for a social media platform that can only send out 140 characters of
information at one time. Nevertheless, this is in fact the case. Twitter has become extremely
beneficial to sports organizations.
However, Twitter is not just a valuable assets to sports organizations. It is also an asset to
the fans around the world who use Twitter every day. It has given them a voice in a scope of the
world in which they previously had none. Whenever a major events happens, fans take to Twitter
before anything. They repeatedly take the initiative to mention various athletes Twitter pages
with demeaning or supporting remarks. In a recent example, Pittsburgh Pirates fans took to
Twitter before the NL wild card game. They provoked Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta by stating how
the pitcher wasnt ready to handle Pirates fans. This produced a response by Arrieta on two
separate occasions to these fans. This is a clear example of how fans now have direct access to
professional athletes. Additionally, there have been incidents where fans have used their
influence on social media to affect major sports decisions. For example, Steelers fans took to
Twitter after the loss to the Baltimore Ravens several weeks ago. They called for the release of
kicker Josh Scobee. This influence among other factors did in fact lead to the release of veteran
kicker Scobee effectively ending his NFL career. This shows how truly powerful social media
can be in the hands of fans. It gives them a say in everything from recent signings to who the
team should get rid of. The one thing that is for certain is that coaches and presidents of sports
organizations now have to take into consideration fan reactions prior to making an important
decision regarding the organization.

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Now perhaps the most important social media shift in sports has occurred with athletes.
Nearly every athlete now operates his or her own personal Twitter account. This is where the
Twitter and other social media platforms have impacted sports the most. This is for obvious
reasons. Athletes are the ones who people most highly focus on. They are the ones who are to
serve as role models. Therefore, their public image is the one that is most closely monitored
compared to random fans or a hired employee responsible for making tweets on an
organizations account. During the onset of Twitter, athletes were consistently taking the wrong
approach. This is where the negative aspects of the shift of social media into sports comes into
play. Several athletes have caused harm to or ended their careers simply by sending out a tweet.
This has caused detrimental effects to fans and supporters, organizations, and even precious
fantasy teams in return! In order to explain this shift in public perception of player image it
would be most beneficial to offer up a few examples of the negative factors first. Former NFL
running back Larry Johnson knows the perils of Twitter all too well. At a point where the famous
running back was only 100 yards shy of setting the all-time rushing record for the Kansas City
Chiefs, he was suspended and released. This was all do to an anti-gay slur that he used on Twitter
(Ortiz). Another prominent example is former Olympian triple jumper Voula Papachristou.
Papachristou was removed from the Greece Olympic team during the 2012 Summer Olympics
due to a simple tweet in which she stated, With so many Africans in Greece, at least the
mosquitoes from the West Nile will be having homemade food (Quinton). According to her, the
tweet was meant to be funny. However, people worldwide viewed this as extremely racist and
Papachristou paid the price. Overall, the beginning of the shift to the Twitter Era created a
negative reflection on most professional and collegiate athletes.

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However, within this paradigm shift there is another shift from the negatives of the use of
social media to the positives. This is why the paradigm shift into the Twitter Era can be viewed
as largely positive. Today athletes have used Twitter to conduct positive messages to fans,
support a cause that they believe in, and send out promotional information. In one instance,
former Cincinnati Bengal receiver Chad Johnson responded to a tweet about a man being buried
in his jersey. This was a saving grace for the man who had just lost his friend and sent the tweet
out. It saved him from slipping into a depressed state. The article about this incident put the
situation in context exactly right when it said, Before Facebook, Twitter and e-mail, if a fan
wanted to reach a professional athlete, there generally were two routes: either some personal
connection or a pen and paper. You'd stuff the paper in an envelope, stamp it, ship it, wait and
hope. The letter probably would sit in a tub on the ground in the athlete's locker room. If the
athlete was a superstar, it likely was wedged between thousands of others. Technology has
allowed social-networking sites to change the dynamic between player and fan (Nelson).
Twitter has allowed players to make a difference in the life of their fans. There is now a direct
connection. Previously, this didnt exist. Additionally, the Twitter pages of athletes can now be
used for promotional reasons, which can be beneficial for small of large businesses. Recently a
study was made that valued a promotional tweet from NBA star LeBron James at $140,000
(Rovell). This is clearly a high price tag. However, the amount of visibility that companies can
gain from a simple tweet is immense. In this case, the money is definitely worth the
advertisement.
This positivity was sparked by an increase sense of awareness in the Twitter Era.
Houston Texans star J.J. Watt has made increased efforts to warn high school and collegiate
athletes about the perils of social media. He tells his audiences to read a tweet or post 95 times

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before sending it out (Markazi). Additionally, social media coaches have now come to exist in
the world of sports. Basically, their job is to advise athletes at all levels to make the right
decisions when using social media. This is because with the shift to a social media sports world
came a shift in recruitment of athletes. There are now vigorous screening processes of
prospective recruits at the collegiate level. Any red flag could cause a cease in recruitment. In
fact, many coaches that have been interviewed have stated that they have ceased recruiting at
least one player due to something that the recruit tweeted or posted that is viewed as detrimental
to the team or unworthy of college athletics. Basically, coaches are trying to determine the
character of recruits by examining their social media more in depth. This was an aspect in sports
that previously had no existed. Now more than ever athletes have to watch everything they post.
A simple tweet could result in the loss of scholarships and a chance to play at the collegiate level
thus jeopardizing their professional career.
In summary, the world of sports has been changed forever. From an era with no social
media to a negative social media environment and finally to a positive one. Athletes,
organization, and fans have all experienced this shift in one way or another. Organizations have
gained more visibility and revenue. Fans have gained greater access to players and an outlet to
express their opinions other than just to their close friends or relatives. Athletes have been able to
gain the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of others and support social issues.
Additionally, fans, players, and organizations have gained greater promotional opportunities. The
athletes and organizations facilitate the promotions. The fans are the ones who pay for the
promotions. Regardless of how this situation has been viewed in the past, it is clear now that it
has become an integral part of sports and has created a positive impact. Athletes now understand
the perils. Now everyone reaps the benefits of the usage. During this shift, athletes have placed

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themselves in a role in which they are certainly DOING social media, and they are certainly
DOING it well.

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Works Cited
Burns, Mark. "How Twitter Is Part of the 'Fabric' of Sports in 2014." Forbes.com. Forbes, 25
July 2014. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.
Dugan, Lauren. "Find Out How Much Your Twitter Account Is Worth." Adweek.com.
SocialTimes, 9 Feb. 2012. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.
Hernandez, Brian. "Explore Twitter's Evolution: 2006 to Present." Mashable.com. N.p. 5 May
2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.
Kafka, Peter. "More Football Is Coming to Your Twitter Feed, Courtesy of a New Deal With the
NFL." Recode.net. Vox Media, Inc., 10 Aug. 2015. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.
Markazi, Arash. "Social Media Is a Double-edged Sword in Sports World." Espn.com. ESPN, 21
July 2012. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
Nelson, Amy. "Fan, Friends Connected with Ochocinco." Espn.com. ESPN, 31 Jan. 2010. Web.
22 Oct. 2015.
Ortiz, Maria. "Twitter Gaffes Begat Punishment for Athletes." Espn.com. ESPN, 27 July 2012.
Web. 22 Oct. 2015.

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Qualman, Eric. "Eric Qualman Quotes." Goodreads.com. Goodreads, Inc. n.d. Web. 27 Oct.
2015.
Quinton, Sean. "Top 10 Dumbest and Most Regrettable Athlete Tweets Ever." TheRichest.
TheRichest.com, 7 June 2014. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
Rovell, Darren. "LeBron James-sponsored Tweets Valued at $140K, Or $1K per
Character." Espn.com. ESPN, 20 Aug. 2015. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.