Like many businesses and industries, professional sports clubs have vastly altered the way they utilize social media. Social media accounts are updated with new content several times a day, providing an up-to-date view of the inner happenings of the clubs. From team news to Twitter Q & A’s, there is a level of transparency that goes far beyond anything we experienced before.

Moreover, social media in sports has gone further than just faster and more informative news. Over the last couple of years, there has been a development of a real online sporting community. Fans and organizations are able to interact on a common forum. The jokes and the norms of this online community are understood almost immediately to any new comers. There is a fusion of diverse cultures and different opinions, connected by the single and universal language of sport. Social media has helped create this subculture that now seems key to sport. You can’t even imagine the days when there wasn’t an ever-constant conversation about the daily events.

Furthermore, this subculture has helped Sports clubs grow their brand. They have been able to become more than just a team of athletes; but have evolved into global brands with millions of followers. Teams like Manchester United and Liverpool have a following in parts of the world like Africa and Asia that most companies would envy. An important advantage that these brands have is that they do not have to try and build passion among their followers. Sports fans are already emotionally linked to their teams and will continue to follow them regardless of the state of the social media.

Unlike many industries today, a social media strategy is not a requirement. However a smart social media approach is a major advantage for brand growth. I’m a die-hard Liverpool fan. Hypothetically if Liverpool shut down their social media pages tomorrow it wouldn’t affect how much I was invested in the club. However, through social media I have been able to view a much larger piece of the fascinating world of professional sports and therefore feel more involved and valued.