If you were asked to name the most powerful people in the media today, who would those people be? Would you think it’d be influencers or business tycoons or maybe the CEOs of large media companies? Well, what I’m about to say might surprise you. The most powerful people in the industry today are sports fans.
But why is that? Why are sports fans powerful? They’re not just influential; they’re innovative. The sports industry is one of the most booming industries worldwide, and it is also one of the few industries that has applied the changes in technology and successfully used tech to make consumers more engaged and committed than ever. However, that’s all about the industry’s power. Let’s talk more about you.
Because of this change in technology, fans can now engage in ways like never before. From running fantasy leagues, to March Madness brackets, to having podcasts and social media accounts for their favorite teams, it is almost more likely we get sports news from a fan than a professional network. Because of this, social media has become the place people flock to for entertainment – not television.
51% of sports fans today are getting their content on Facebook, 46% on YouTube, 31% on Instagram, and 25% on Twitter. Over half of the hundreds of millions of sports fans today rely on social media for their sports enjoyment – a number higher than we’ve ever seen before. Fans have moved industries like football and basketball to an entirely new space.
And thanks to the commitment of sports fans like yourselves, you’ve been able to leverage not only the success of the industry but your favorite athletes. Every athlete we see today is decked out in sponsored gear, swimming in NIL deals (Name, Image, Likeness), and growing successful online just as rapidly as they are in their careers. Because of fans like you, the world of sports isn’t simply watching players on a screen – you’re able to become a vital voice in turning your favorite athlete into the next big star.
As expansive as this may seem, things are only just getting started. Now that 2024 is rolling around the corner, what comes next for the sports world?
To answer that question, we have to ask ourselves: what is the industry missing? While Facebook and YouTube have certainly upped the ante when it comes to levels of engagement for fans, there are still a number of key things sports are missing on these traditional platforms. Sports content is typically lumped in with all other sports topics, making it harder to find what you want when you want it.
In addition, engaging with other fans and even athletes can be overwhelming and somewhat disappointing on such a large platform. It’s hard to be noticed by your favorite player when everyone else has that same goal. Simply put, you can only get so much out of general social media when it wasn’t made specifically for your intended use.
“The typical sports fan using traditional social media platforms will always struggle with having their opinion heard. People feed off the excitement of one another. This should be the new norm for the normal fan.”
To answer the question above, the future of sports and media is Hotake, a new mobile and web-based social platform made by sports fans for sports fans. Hotake allows fans to share their opinions, start conversations, launch their own shows, debate with other fans, and create communities without the clutter of the other major social platforms.
By sharing their love for sports, Hotake fans can discover and interact with a community of sports fans, including major brands and even the athletes themselves. But beyond the enjoyment, fans who use Hotake can even monetize their contributions.
Apps like Hotake are revolutionizing the way we talk about sports. Instead of sifting through the social media clutter to find the content you want, you can engage on apps with feeds curated to your preferred topics with minimal effort.
With an app fully dedicated to sports, your opinion is much more likely to be heard, appreciated, and even relayed to the athletes themselves.
Simply put, it is much easier to enjoy your sports when everyone else around you is equally engaged and the platform you’re using to enjoy it is dedicated to your interests.
Think about why group texts work so well – because it’s not about the text itself, but the atmosphere it creates. We feed off of the excitement of others. Having a platform dedicated to sports fans is like one giant group text that stimulates that same feeling of excitement.
To recap, let’s take a look at what we’ve discovered. Social media has revolutionized the way we interact today, particularly in the realm of sports. Here are 7 key ways social media has revolutionized the industry:
- Social media has allowed sports to become an everyday part of people’s lives
- Engaging in sports entertainment has become a community-building activity, where fans can find each other quicker and easier than ever before
- Fans can connect with their favorite players like never before
- Fans can now curate their own platforms to their sports preferences, providing a more enjoyable social media experience for themselves
- Social media has revolutionized the way sports news is reported, making social media a primary source of information
- Sports is becoming a two-way conversation with the public, from brands/athletes directly to their fans
- Social media has made athletes, organizations, and even fans more profitable
So whether you consider yourself a particularly powerful player in the media before or not, you should certainly feel that way now.
Sports fans are powerful today, transforming athletes into brands, elevating the sports industry to an entirely new level, and even creating platforms that allow the industry to reach further heights.
If you were looking for a resolution for the 2024 year, here it is: enjoy sports and talk about it more. This resolution shouldn’t be hard to keep.
