Major League Baseball and Twitter Usage: The Economics of Social Media Use
The role that social media plays in the development of professional sports is an increasingly growing phenomena. Likewise, the growing role of social media in professional sports is an increasingly researched topic. As new research is conducted and more data is gathered, the vital role that social media platforms play in the sports industry is also becoming increasingly prevalent to professionals in this industry.
According to the New York Times, sport franchises are widening their embrace of social media, employing people to find creative ways to inform and connect with their fan bases on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. It has become vital for teams/leagues to further develop methods to manage media messages and employees working with these platforms.
In a 2015 article published in the, “Journal of Sport Management,” researchers Nicholas Watanabe, Grace Yan, and Brian P. Soebbing examine the factors that determine daily changes in Twitter following of Major League Baseball teams through the lens of economic demand theory. Previously, economic demand theory has been widely used to study fan interest in sport products. This study, however, focuses on the Twitter following of Major League Baseball teams as a form of derived demand for a sport product. Specifically, the researchers constructed a linear regression model by taking consideration of factors relevant to fan interest, including: team performance, market characteristics, scheduling, and so on. The results revealed specific determinants that have significant relationship with Twitter following.
From a team management perspective, factors such as the content of social media messages, certain calendar events, and postseason appearances can be used to enhance fan interest on social media. In so doing, it brings together communication inquiries and economic literature by delineating a comprehensive and nuanced account of interpreting sport social media from a consumer demand perspective.
Even though the benefits of well-managed social media accounts are evident, franchises still grapple with difficulties in dealing with variations and behaviors when trying to obtain fan interest. As such, the findings from this study enable sport franchises to accomplish better understanding and strategic focus of managing social media.
While this article contained more statistics than I was anticipating, I still found it to be an enjoyable read and interesting. I think the franchises that would benefit the most from reading this article and implementing more detailed social media plans are the small market teams, as social media is one of the most cost-effective ways to market team events to a wide audience.
The article in its entirety can be found by following this link.
Hayden Coombs 