The way technology has grown in the last 20 years is nothing short of spectacular. It is also the reason sports teams and players are investing in their own creative teams to promote themselves and their brands.
It is why following Bundesliga picks, the Premier League, NBA, or any number of sports leagues has become so easy. At the tip of one’s fingers are game highlights, scores, and the ability to go behind the scenes of a person’s day.
But it is not as simple as picking up a phone and recording. These pieces of content take planning and often will take thousands of dollars to execute per piece, from the salary of the staff to the expensive – and sometimes inexpensive – equipment used and editing software.
That content is disseminated in a variety of ways. Technology has gotten progressively better, which means people can access anything from their smartphones at a moment’s notice. That is through applications, social media, and the sharing of messages between others.
Here are a few ways that social media is used to get content in front of fans that help them feel closer to their favorite teams and players.
Highlights
One of the easiest ways for teams to turn around content is by putting together highlight packages from their games or matches. In today’s age of sports, it is fairly easy to turn these around because nearly every game is going to be broadcast on some network or streaming service.
Teams facilitate those partnerships and are able to pull those clips together in real-time, whether it is sharing an insane goal on social media or putting together a full matchday package from a big win and adding a few fan and reaction shots from the boots on the ground.
Highlights are a great way to take fans deeper inside the game. It also allows fans to catch up on something they may have missed while in line for concessions or scrolling their phone while at home.
Graphics
A great way to engage fans on various social media – Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter – is by creating graphics on gamedays. Being able to share the starting lineup, scoring updates, and changes in quarters is a great way to stay connected to fans and engage them in real-time.
Beyond game days, there are simple graphics such as birthdays, transactions, and simple games to engage fans. Teams will often use Adobe Photoshop or other platforms like Canva to create graphics by pulling in photos, logos, fonts, and the teams’ colors to create brand recognition.
It is also a great way to update people on important announcements, such as if a game is being delayed or postponed, information about tickets, or various safety concerns.
Unique Videos
Highlights are a great way to engage fans, but content creators are finding creative ways to take fans beyond just the game. What has become very popular is having a question on a whiteboard that is more of a fun question, such as a basketball team asking, “Which teammate would make the best soccer player?”
Being able to record all the players walking into or out of practice for their answers and adding graphics to identify the players is a quick and easy way to learn more about the team. Finding ways to get more player interactions has been a priority for content creators employed by teams, especially.
Player Driven Content
While it has not entirely taken over yet, there seems to be a trend of players creating their own content and some even funding their own creative teams, which leads the market to believe there will be player-driven media.
The Players Tribune is a great example of professional athletes being able to pen letters to fans if they have something they want to share. This has even reached the college level, with campuses having their own “Uncut series,” which allows those athletes to share their stories from a first-person account.
Beyond that, professional athletes are starting to develop their own media teams. While Tom Brady has retired – and the same for Peyton and Eli Manning – the former quarterbacks have their own media companies that have been creating their own content and has leveraged them into an entirely different space.
