Social Media and Sports With Web Resource

Book

Social media communications play a huge role in the day-to-day operations of sport teams and organizations. Both current and aspiring sport business professionals need to know how to best leverage social media to meet their organizational goals, and Social Media and Sports With Web Resource will help pave the way by emphasizing the strategic, creative, and logistical elements of effective social media practices.

Beginning with foundational concepts, students will first examine the history of social media and its impact on sports. They will learn about the categories of content used, including written content, images, produced video, live video, audio, graphics, dynamic visuals, and responses. They will then gain a better understanding of the social media environment by learning how to think about audiences and networks, evaluating how online communities act and interact, and considering key issues that may be encountered. The final chapters of the text assemble the building blocks from previous chapters into practical application, covering brand management strategies and overall social media presence from the perspective of a member of the sports media, a representative of a team or league, or an individual athlete.

A related web resource, reviewed annually to stay current with evolving trends, provides a detailed look into major social networks and their technological elements, plus best practices, tips, and tricks for utilizing a variety of social media platforms. It also examines content methodologies, including podcasting, live video, and prerecorded video, and it discusses the use of social management software. Markers throughout the text refer students to the web resource when additional related content is available.

Learning aids for students include Professional Insights, sidebars containing interviews with industry insiders; these real-world examples and professional advice provide depth and context to each chapter’s content. Key Points highlight important points, end-of-chapter review questions promote practical application and ensure content comprehension, and bolded key terms are defined in an easy-to-reference glossary.

Social Media and Sports offers a practical approach to understanding social media communications in the sports industry, with application extending to those working in journalism, public relations, broadcasting, advertising, and other sport business careers where knowledge of effective social media usage will maximize career potential.

Note: The web resource is included with all new print books and some ebooks. For ebook formats that don’t provide access, the web resource is available separately.

Audience

Textbook for upper-level undergraduates in sport management, sports communication, sports journalism, or sports media programs, particularly those who are interested in careers as content creators, marketers, public relations experts, and journalists.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Social Media and the Sports World
The Sports World
The Social Media World Sports and Social Media Summary

Chapter 2. Tools of the Trade
Software and Hardware Training Programs Summary

Chapter 3. Creative Sparks
Core Creativity Elements Social Media Consumption Summary

Chapter 4. Audiences and Networks
Historical Development of Social Media Audiences Network Infrastructure and the Effects on Audiences Summary

Chapter 5. The Online Community
Audience Adoption and Migration The Darker Side of Online Audiences Summary

Chapter 6. The Technology Curve
Why Technology Changes Social Media Building Blocks Summary

Chapter 7. Framing Your Presence
Agenda Setting Framing Summary

Chapter 8. Editorial Content
Defining Editorial Content Best Practices in Social Media Editorial Content Summary

Chapter 9. Industry Content
Defining Industry Content Best Practices in Social Media Industry Content Summary

Chapter 10. Holistic Social Media
Personal Care and Challenges Professional Tips Summary

About the Author

Galen Clavio, PhD, is widely regarded as one of the brightest minds in social media in sports research, with a background in both sport management and sports communication. He serves as an associate professor of sports media, head of the sports media program, and director of the National Sports Journalism Center at Indiana University (IU). His teaching draws upon his professional experience as a broadcaster, reporter, and media relations director to teach courses in sportscasting and play-by-play, applied uses of social media in sports communication, sports and society, and the intersection of academic theory and social media.

Clavio’s research focuses on the effects of digital media on the interactions between sport entities and sports consumers. He has authored nearly 50 peer-reviewed publications, the vast majority of which focus on social media utilization of fans, teams, and individuals within the sports environment. He is the senior editor for scholarly outreach for Communication & Sport and has served as a guest editor of three separate social media–focused special issues in respected journals (International Journal of Sport Communication, 2010; Online Information Review, 2016; and Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, 2017).

A native of Indiana, Clavio graduated from IU as an undergraduate in 2001 and worked for several years in the sports media field before earning his PhD from IU in 2008.

Excerpts

Core creativity elements of social media
Social media building blocks
Theory of planned behavior in social network adoption

Ancillaries

All ancillaries are free to course adopters and available online.

Instructor guide. Includes several resources that instructors can use throughout the semester as they organize and teach their course: chapter objectives, lecture outlines, solutions to the end-of-chapter review questions, and applied activities with solutions to encourage critical thinking for real-world application.

Web resource. Outlines the major social networks and their technological elements, including best practices and tips and tricks for using a variety of social media platforms. The web resource will be reviewed annually and revised as needed to stay current with evolving trends.

The web resource is also available for purchase separately • ISBN 978-1-4925-9345-4