Case Study: Social Media and Managing Sport
The sport industry in general and sport managers in particular are increasingly affectedboth positively and negativelyby ephemeral social media (e.g., short-lived posts on platforms such as Snapchat) and more permanent social media (e.g., traditional social networking sites such as Facebook). Social media mishaps in sport frequently make the news and hurt sport organizations and affiliated personnel. Dozens of social media mistakes (derogatory tweets, insensitive posts, controversial photos, etc.) occur in the sport industry each year. One social media post can certainly embarrass a sport organization, and it can significantly affect or possibly end a sport management career. Even highly recognized leaders in the sport industry have posted items on social media that have negatively affected them, their team, and their league. Whether the action is egregious or simple (e.g., liking, retweeting), social media mistakes by sport industry organizations and stakeholders all too frequently result in embarrassment, suspensions, fines, and even terminations.
Despite the regular social media mishaps that occur in sport, sport industry stakeholders have mostly benefited from opportunities presented through social media. For example, fans can interact with like-minded enthusiasts on social networking sites and mobile apps. Future sport managers can establish a marketable personal brand through professional and effective usage of TikTok, Threads, Facebook, and other social media platforms. Current sport managers can promote themselves, seek growth opportunities, and network through their use of social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Meetup, Xing, and 100AM as well as sport-specific sites such as Sportifico and Fieldoo. Sport organizations can connect and interact with their stakeholders, engage in source publicity, conduct research, market themselves, engage in cross promotion, and perform damage control through proper use of social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
What better way for sport organizations at all levels to market themselves and their products, secure free publicity and exposure, and connect with their millions of fans than by promoting a special social media hashtag, posting a training camp story on Snapchat, livestreaming a press conference via YouTube, posting a mascot comedy sketch on TikTok, uploading behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram, sending a short message on X (formerly Twitter), pinning a team uniform design to Pinterest, showcasing the sport entity on LinkedIn, providing a thank-you video on Threads, or asking a question to fans on Facebook?
Case Study Questions
- What are some recent examples of social media mishaps by sport organizations?
- What teams or stakeholders (e.g., athletes, executives, fan clubs) do you believe most effectively use social media platforms?
- Prospective sport industry employees have a variety of social media platforms and applications for networking, careers, and job searches. Which platforms or apps do you use, and how do you use them to network or explore careers and jobs?
- What advice would you give a sport organization seeking ways to expand its social media reach or promote an event?
Format: Roughly (but no fewer than) one page (excluding references); .doc, .docx, or .pdf; Times New Roman; 12-pt. font; double-spaced; one-inch margins. Please do not copy the questions above into the document you submit.
Citations: Citations should be included both in-text (i.e., parenthetical citations) and in a reference list at the end of your essay. Please cite sources use .
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