Photo By: LearningLark
*Today we welcome the newest contributor to sports-glutton.com, Jeff Greenberg who will primarily be covering college football for the site.
Unless you have been asleep during the last 20 years, you know that technology has changed the world we live in today. There may be no better example of this change than with sports. Following sports has evolved from radio to TV, televised games to 24/7 sports coverage on ESPN, from TV to the internet.
Now, once again there has been another evolution in the way we watch games. I’m not talking about giant flat screen TVs with home theater systems that make George Lucas proud or entertainment systems so incredible that people actually prefer to stay home in the comfort of their hi-tech surroundings as opposed to actually buying a ticket and going to the actual game.
No, this new wave of technological advancement is social media via smart phones. Social media has changed how we watch games AT the stadium.
Think about it. Do you see people at games looking down at their phones while the game is going on? When was the last time YOU made it through a whole game without looking down at your phone? There is ScoreCenter, Facebook, Twitter, even basic texting that enhances the game experience. Raise your hand if you looked at one, two, or all of these options at the last game you attended. Every sport has been taken over by social media. As an example, let’s take a closer look at how social media is integrated into all aspects of college football.
Recruiting is the foundation of every football program. In recent years, the arms race in college football has primarily centered on upgrading facilities. Now, Twitter and other social media outlets have become essential to a successful recruiting strategy. Programs who used to assign one of the assistant coaches to coordinate recruiting activities, now hire people specifically assigned to manage recruiting and program marketing through social media. They text players, Facebook players, tweet players and even announce big events and flashy uniform changes through Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
And the players do their part in building their “brands” on these sites before they even commit to a school. Some even announce their commitment decisions via social media events. In fact, a whole new industry of internet recruiting sites and experts has thousands of followers waiting for any clue to where the top recruits will play ball.
The fans get involved now too by following the top recruits and blanketing their accounts with explanations of why their school is the best choice. Recruiting has been forever changed, and teams that were focused on putting money towards stadium expansions and new weight rooms, now have to budget money towards their social media staffing needs, or risk falling behind in the recruiting race.
Photo By: Ben Seese
Schools also have to keep up in how they market themselves. I noticed last season at the games I attended that instead of only seeing school logos painted on the field, now the school’s Twitter handle is painted somewhere on the field as well. At the traditional postgame press conference, the backdrop behind the head coach will have the Twitter handle listed amongst the sponsors. Any major announcement a football program makes regarding scheduling, TV times, alternate uniforms, recruiting news is now done over social media as opposed to print media or radio. I would argue that Twitter has begun to send the immensely popular “ESPN Bottomline Ticker” down the road of irrelevance. You’ve read breaking news on Twitter well before you get in front of a TV to check the ticker. University Sports Information directors use their follower statistics to boast about who has the better fan base and which program is “trending.” I guess judging the greatness of your fan base by game attendance is old news.
Speaking of game attendance, the spectator experience has changed too. Has the actual game itself been altered? No. But how fans interact with each other and follow the game at the stadium has not been immune to the smart phone phenomenon. As mentioned above, a lot of eyeballs are looking at phones at a high frequency in college football stadiums around the country. They’re eager to check scores of other games. Other fans are checking video highlights from earlier games. Now with Twitter, fans want to see what aspects of the game they’re at is trending, or if another game elsewhere is trending more.
I can’t imagine being a sports’ reporter right now. They have to scramble and dig deep for original topics to write about in their game recaps that haven’t already been hashed out over Twitter. Nobody wants to miss a thing, yet they end up missing plays at the game that is going on right in front of them. Even quality trash talking has taken a hit. Now, people race their thumbs over their phone’s touchscreen to talk trash as opposed to trading barbs with people that are AT the game! Since when is civility in the stands fun?
The social media takeover has not been all positive for football programs. In fact, in some cases, it has brought schools to their knees in front of the NCAA Compliance Committee. Case in point – the football scandal that recently rocked the North Carolina Tar Heels. The carnage resulted in coaches being fired, players losing their eligibility, loss of scholarships, and a post season ban for one year. Without that post season ban, UNC would have played in their first ACC Championship Game last season, as well as a good bowl game. Missing both games cost the school millions in potential earnings. Remember, the entire scandal started when Marvin Austin tweeted pictures and bragged about partying like a rock star in Miami. Oops. You can bet now that every school coaches their athletes on being responsible with social media. And coaches have one more thing to worry about when they go home at night.
Smart phones and the social media we seek out on these phones are here to stay. It has enhanced parts of the fan experience we enjoy, but I hope it doesn’t distract us from what we love about actually being at the game. The smoky smell of the tailgates, the marching band, and all of the pregame traditions unique to college football are what keep us coming back for more year after year.
A close friend of mine now debates whether or not he wants to go to a game…based on how the Wi-Fi signal is in that particular stadium. Think about all of this the next time you go to a college football game. Are people around you singing the fight song, or are they looking down at their phone and lip-synching it? Will you look at the action on the field more, or the action on your phone?
We all have our vices in this situation, and my new one is Twitter…which, by the way, just informed me that the first college football game of the year is in 27 days. UNC travels to South Carolina to take on Jadeveon Clowney and the Ole’ Ball Coach. I, for one, will be at the game. The real question is…will I leave my phone in the car?
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