As sports journalism has become almost entirely digital, fans are nearly as “in the know” as sports analysts.
Fifteen years ago, you could hardly find a professional sports team posting on social media. You may have seen the score in the newspaper, on the daily television newscast, or on the team’s website. But without smartphones or internet connection, it was nearly impossible to stay in the know for sports news.
That is, compared to what the world of sports journalism is today.
If you follow your favourite team on Instagram or X (formerly known as Twitter), your algorithm will likely be built on news surrounding this team. What news is available to us? Well, pretty much everything there is to know.
Take Major League Baseball (MLB) star Juan Soto, for example. After a career year in New York Yankees pinstripes, the 26-year-old phenom became a free agent as his contract expired. Since the moment the Yankees’ World Series campaign came to an end, rumours about which team Soto would go to have swirled on social media. This has sent the baseball world into a frenzy.
Some of the MLB’s most popular analysts, like Jeff Passan and Jon Morosi, have posted insider-like updates and quotes straight from the mouths of player agents and connections. Early on in the Soto sweepstakes, when fans were hoping their team would sign the four-time all-star, Passan posted an article he wrote for ESPN.com on X. The post highlighted that four teams had interviews locked up with Soto. On Nov. 26, Morosi posted on X saying that Soto had received official offers from those same four teams reported about two weeks prior.
Another recent example is when free agent pitcher Blake Snell signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Nov. 26. Posts quickly started circulating on X claiming that Snell had agreed to a deal with the Dodgers at approximately 11 p.m. Just minutes later, MLB insider Mark Feinsand wrote a post stating that the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Baltimore Orioles had all made offers to Snell during negotiations.
The point of mentioning all this? That fans now have the opportunity to become “insiders” to what is happening behind the scenes, like the Soto contract negotiations.
On top of keeping fans up to date with live updates, digital sports journalism has a positive effect on fan engagement.
An example that comes to mind is when the former MLB franchise, Oakland Athletics, saw its fanbase use social media to send a strong message of support.
On the brink of seeing their team leave the city of Oakland, Athletics fans wanted to send team owner John Fisher the message that he should sell the team, meaning the Athletics would not be forced to relocate to another city. And so, fans orchestrated a planned “reverse boycott” for one game on June 13, 2023. They campaigned using social media, posting about the game’s plans and the way they could use their platform to grab Fisher’s attention.
When the game rolled around, the turnout made their message heard. 27,759 fans showed up at the ballpark, while the home game the day prior saw an audience of just 4,848. Clips of fans cheering after the Athletics’ win went viral on social media, and an article published in the Athletic received over 200 comments.
This exemplified the way reporting on social media could help form a movement for baseball fans, one that perhaps would not have been possible some 15 years ago.
And besides that, sports reporting on social media has undoubtedly offered other benefits such as increasing league revenue, spicing up team rivalries, and providing player injury updates.
There are certainly many elements of social media that could negatively affect readers, most notably disinformation. But if readers confirm their facts using multiple reliable sources, I believe they can use social media’s power to their benefit.
What sports journalism has turned into today, from the speed of reporting to the vast details shared, is an impressive trend. At this rate, fans may someday find out about a trade or signing before the agent calls the player!
