Boy, are times changing in professional sports.
As MMW reported earlier today, not only are the Denver Broncos tossing their traditional 500-page printed paper playbooks in favor of using the iPad, other professional sports teams are embracing technology and social media to an unprecedented speed that almost boggles the mind.
Now we can add to the mix the Cleveland Indians – or, as they are also known, one of baseball’s “most Twitter-friendly teams.”
But as ESPN reported Monday, the Indians aren’t just big into social media in their own sport, they are, by all means, a giant in social media across all of professional sports today.
This much is clear by the organization’s latest development – a social media suit at Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland. From ESPN:
Billed as “the first social media-only space in professional sports,” the Indians Social Suite provides fans the opportunity to chat about the Tribe offline with other attendees, and online with friends and followers directly from a Wi-Fi-enabled suite at Progressive Field.
“We’re cognizant of the importance of social media as a tool to engage with fans,” says Indians president Mark Shapiro. “We now have the opportunity to directly connect to our fans and engage in authentic, two-way conversations. These connections with fans strengthen our brand vision to create memories, connect generations and celebrate families.”
Does the growing fusion between social media and professional sports make you more excited about or engaged with the sports of your liking? Please weigh in with a thought or comment below.
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Mark Tennant
The Indians fans here are second to none, have been for years. Yes they will embrace it and a lot of folks do right now, but other than this article had not really heard about the Social Media Suite. I am a lifelong Indians fan, listen or watch most all of the games. I must be out of the room every time they talk about it….
Moreover and a big BUT here is, fans at the games that will interact, check-in, etc via their phones will also have to watch out for those wicked foul balls while sitting in the stands. Fans will have to find a way to keep their heads in the game and still have an online thing going on while watching baseball.
Brian Satterlee
Can technology make professional sports better? I guess we need to figure out what problems exist that can be solved by technology.
Social media is a good way to get buzz without spending much, so I guess it makes sense to cater to people who use social media.