I usually try to avoid certain hot-topic issues when I blog, in particular, politics and religion. Oh, I have distinct opinions in those areas, but at least for professional purposes, I try to keep them on the down-low.
But, there comes a time when I have to say something that just might be divisive. I’m a Phillies fan. There. I said it. And while that counts me among a large group of people who face regular derision in the national media, I’m proud of that fact, and I’m looking forward to the see if my team can beat the Yankees and repeat as World Champions.
What does this have to do with social media? Social media is about communities, and sports fans make up some of the best communities. There is the large community of sports fans. Then there is the sub-community of baseball fans, which is then divided up into a number of very strong and loyal communities based around each team.
Last year during the World Series (which the Phillies won, I might add), I got to see this community in action first hand via social media. Many of us shared the ups and downs of the series, connected only by Twitter. Friends, and people I had never met, all connected by a shared love for a team that rarely seems to win, from a city that was starved for a winner.
All it takes for a community to form is something in common. And when it comes to sports, that common bond is a strong one. People who are “friends” on Twitter have become stronger friends. We have our love of the Phillies in common. And it’s the same for any sport and any team. I have a number of friends who are Yankees fans (Don’t judge!). In particular, Thomas lives in Illinois, while Stephanie lives in the Lancaster area. I introduced them on Twitter awhile back due to an interest they had in common. Now they also know of their shared love of the Yankees. And I’m sure they will be ganging up on me quite a bit over the next two weeks. They are part of a community.
What boggles the mind is how sports leagues and teams have failed to tap into these natural communities via social media. It makes sense. Sports fans are natural communities.
And one of the concepts of social media is that you don’t even need to create a community if that community already exists; you merely join and become a part of that community.
But sports leagues prefer to control, not join. That’s why individual teams are not allowed to have their own websites. Every site in every league is a template, dictated by that league. The only difference is the content on each site.
So while the leagues may not be part of it, I’m looking forward to experiencing the World Series via social media.
I’ll be on Twitter, tweeting the games with my fellow Phillies fans, all the while dodging the invective hurled at me by Yankees fans. But it will be an exercise in community building and bonding.
And hopefully, just hopefully, we will once again be able to bond around the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. Has a nice ring to it, eh?
