Athletes and Social Media = Proactive PR

Across the world, sports celebrities are seen as role models for the young, icons of national pride, and idols and heroes to their fans. Today more than ever before, they are subjected to unprecedented scrutiny and increasingly high expectations of fans, especially in the event of either positive or negative media attention (Summers, 2008). Thus, the role of the public relations in the lives of athletes has emerged and grown in necessity, making sports public relations a field of its own for the first time.

Public relations is essentially proactive in making an effort to foster positive reputations and images. A well-designed public relations image campaign is as important to an athlete’s future as regular training and practice are to their success in their sport. This is why most high-profile athletes employ public relations professionals to develop and manage their individual image. This is separate from the public relations activities generated by corporate investors to use the sport celebrity for their own strategic goals (Summers, 2008).

Athletes Doing Their Own PR With Social Media

Outside of the image management techniques of their hired public relations professionals, athletes are beginning to reach out to fans on their own. This is being done on an unprecedented personal level as today’s intersection of sports and social networking involves college athletes, professional players, broadcasters and more using social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter to share their thoughts and experiences with fans on a frequent, unregulated basis. Social media is a compliment to sports, allowing sports celebrities to engage fans like never before. As this intersection allows sport celebrities to foster the personal relationships that fans today crave, the opportunity social media brings to the sporting community are endless (Van Grove, 2009).

Social media could be a celebrity athlete’s greatest tool in creating and maintaining a desirable image and a reputation with their fans. Fans want and expect sports celebrities to have a personality that is likable with a bit of spice, flamboyance and a sense that they care about the world and others in it (Summers, 2008). They want a personal relationship with sports celebrities and an “insider’s” look at the people behind the uniform. Sport celebrities want to build and maintain a positive image in the eyes of their publics, of which fans are most important, and to maintain relationships with them as well.

Two-way Communication and Social Media

The two-way symmetrical communication advocated by social media outlets allows for both sides to give a little and get enough of what they desire to make them happy. ‘Top-20 NFL Tweeter,’ Cincinnati Bengals’ Chad Ochocinco tweeted on November 27, 2009, “OGOchoCinco: On Call of Duty, invite me to a game, esteban 85, 360 xbox” (Sideman, 2009). A simple invite to spend some time working together as a team is enough to let fans feel a connection to Ochocinco and for Ochocinco to reinforce an image of a down-to-earth, friendly, normal guy who cares about spending time with his fans. Ochocinco is currently being followed by more than 500,000 people on Twitter and had more than 6,000 fans on Facebook.

Another ‘Top-20 NFL Tweeter,’ Seattle Seahawk Craig Terrill tweeted on September 30, 2009, “TerrillMusic: Caught a glimpse of @MatthewHass8’s Ipod in the training room today. ‘Material Girl’??? What ever gets you healthy,” in reference to popular teammate Matt Hasselbeck, who is also a ‘Top-20 NFL Tweeter’ (Sideman, 2009). This honest inside look at the locker room antics of the team, allow fans to feel a part of the team at the open invite of Terrill, reinforcing the team-player attitude that causes fans to look at athletes as heroes. Terrill is currently being followed by almost 3,000 people on Twitter and has almost 1,000 fans on Facebook. Hasselbeck is currently being followed by almost 20,000 people on Twitter and has over 3,500 fans on Facebook.

Social Responsibility and Social Media

Sports celebrities are also using social media websites to put social responsibility theories to work. Cleveland Cavalier Shaquille O’Neal is one sports celebrity who is well-known for doing this. A prolific tweeter, O’Neal is famous for tweeting things like “THE_REAL_SHAQ: Shaq-A-Claus challenge time. Help @toysrus and @babiesrus raise $10,000 online at Toysrus.com/ToysforTots by Wednesday. Tell your friends,” and for sending people to his facebook page to donate to the cause (November 16, 2009). O’Neal spends most of his time on social media connecting with fans and asking them to help him in giving back to those less fortunate. He also offers free tickets to games and other prizes to avid social media followers; “THE_REAL_SHAQ: oops i dropped a signed sports illustrated n da west side market, findas keepas” (December 4, 2009). O’Neal currently has over 2.5 million followers on Twitter and over 1 million fans on Facebook.

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong also uses social media in the context of social responsibility theory. A cancer survivor himself, he often posts to the hash tag #LIVESTRONG, the topic page for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a cancer fighting campaign that Armstrong began and supports. He tweeted on December 7, 2009, “lancearmstrong: Watching 60 minutes piece on Geoffrey Canada. An inspiration 2 all. His work in Harlem is changing the world. #LIVESTRONG.”  He offers information about the campaign and how to get involved on his Facebook page as well. Armstrong is currently being followed by over 2 million people on Twitter and has over 1 million fans on Facebook.

Citations:

• Summers, J., & Johnson Morgan, M. (2008). More than just the media: Considering the role of public relations in the creation of sporting celebrity and the management of fan expectations. Public Relations Review, 34, 176-182.
• Van Grove, J. (2009, September 5). Sports and social media: where opportunity and fear collide. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2009/09/05/sports-and-social-media/
• Sideman, G. (2009, October 5). Football tweets: 20 must-follow nfl players on twitter. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2009/10/05/nfl-players-twitter/