SPORTS AND SOCIAL MEDIA Nicky Lewis T101 Media Life / Summer 2011

A Quick Introduction…

Sports and Social Media: A Perfect Match

  Immediate   Accessible   Fosters Fan Culture

Fantasy Sports

  Began as a relatively unknown niche hobby in the early 1980s

  Enter the Internet: it has seen remarkable growth since the mid-1990s

Some Basic Rules

  All leagues are composed of multiple teams, with each team managed by a player

  Each league has a commissioner, or one manager who oversees all activity that occurs within the league

  The season begins with a draft, either live or automatic   Points are assigned to drafted players in accordance

with performances during actual games   The cumulative points determine the winning managers

of the fantasy game, who compete head to head against one another

  League winners are determined at the end of the season based on the best winning record or point total

Some Basic Stats (FSTA, 2009)

  27 million users in the U.S., or 6% of the population   22% of American males, 18-49 with internet access,

participate in the activity   Economic Impact: $800 million within and $3 billion

across the sports industry

User Interfaces

  Various websites host free fantasy leagues online   Other websites host fantasy leagues for a fee, often

offering additional features and programs   Many offer features such as message boards and

access to player information and statistics

Media Impact

  Fantasy involves more than just participation online   Outcomes of fantasy games rely on results of live

sporting events that take place in the physical world   Users can access

these results through a variety of media platforms

Media Impact cont.

  From the recommended readings:   We continuously engage in social media  We use various media platforms simultaneously  Fantasy sports are a form of social networking  Does it pose a risk for addiction?

Media Impact cont.

  Dwyer (2010) and Comeau (2009) found increased general media consumption as a result of participation in fantasy football 

  58% of fantasy users reported watching more sports on television since they started participating in fantasy sports (FSTA, 2009)

What’s Behind It All?

  The social and economical impact of fantasy sports has been well-documented in the mainstream media

  BUT… the motivations for participation in this activity and the level at which individuals participate is largely unknown

  Uncovering these motivations may reveal what kind of people participate in this activity 

  These results could hold implications for professional sports leagues, media networks, advertisers, and consumers

Current Project: Trait Differences in Fantasy Football Participation

  Research Questions  For what meaningful purposes do fantasy football

participants depend on the activity?   In what ways do fantasy football participants identify

and interact within social groups created by the activity?

 What are the relationships between the individual traits of fantasy sports participants and their motivations for participation in the activity?

Individual Traits and Motivations

  Traits  Extraversion  Competitiveness  Machiavellianism  Sensation-Seeking   Impulsiveness

  Motivations  Social  Competitive   Identification  Financial Gain

End Goal?

  To predict the level of participation in the activity based on the interaction between an individual’s personality traits and motivations for use

Method

  Conducted a survey of 457 subjects, 177 of whom have participated in fantasy football

  Included IUB Telecom students and members of a variety of popular fantasy football forums

  Questions pertained to their opinions, habits, and level of participation in fantasy football

  General media use, social activities, and past sports participation were also addressed

  Questions were posed related to their fantasy activities and motivations for participating

  A series of personality scales were implemented to measure trait differences

Preliminary Data Analysis

  Fantasy football participants rank higher in competitiveness, Machiavellianism, sensation-seeking, and impulsiveness, as compared to non-fantasy football participants

  Fantasy football participants rank lower in extraversion than non-fantasy football participants  Do fantasy football players view the activity as an

alternative to face-to-face social interaction?

In Conclusion…

  Just where exactly are fantasy sports headed?http://FunnyOrDie.com/m/bfj

Links to Recommended Readings

  Social media survey finds use in bed, on waking http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/18/BURK1CHVVA.DTL#ixzz1ObMoYTdv

  Americans Using TV and Internet Together 35% More Than A Year Agohttp://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/three-screen-report-q409/

  Fantasy Sports: Social Networking or Time Wastinghttp://returnonnow.com/2010/02/fantasy-sports-social-networking-time-wasting/

  Fantasy Sports: Another Internet Addiction?http://www.addictioninfo.org/articles/1259/1/Fantasy-sports-another-internet-addiction/Page1.html