Out of the 4.7 billion internet users worldwide, a whopping 90% (4.2 billion) are active on social media, says GlobalData. The leading data and analytics company notes that the sports industry has greatly benefitted from the popularity of social media, as it allows sports fans to become more connected to their sport.

GlobalData’s latest report, ‘Social Media and Sport – Thematic Research’, highlights that social media has connected the world in unique ways, and helped connect global societies. Athletes and sports teams have recognized this and are using social media as a way to promote their brand around the world. This, in turn, has increased sports marketing opportunities, fan engagement and financial revenue

Tanveer Aujla, Sport Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “One of the key ecospheres on social media now is sports, with many sports fans using social media to connect with their favourite teams. Social media allows fans to directly interact with players with many sports teams utilising hashtags on game days to connect their fans to online messaging and competitions.”

Social media has become a great way for sports teams and athletes to forge direct connections with their fanbase, and many have used their accounts to build their own personal brand, talk about personal issues and promote causes that are important to them.

In 2018, NBA player DeMar DeRozan posted a tweet about his experience with depression which accumulated over 24,000 likes. DeRozan was praised for his willingness to discuss a subject that is often considered uncomfortable. As a result, many other players began publicly discussing their own issues with some acknowledging that DeRozan’s statement had empowered them to speak out, and they felt more comfortable doing so as a result.

However, there have been downsides to social media use, with discussions sparked about the involvement of athletes in politics, as well as the digital abuse of sports teams and athletes from anonymous accounts.

Aujla adds: “The significant growth of social media in recent years has been driven by the increased use of smartphones, with easy accessibility to platforms making life more convenient for users. The number of users will continue to grow as less well-developed digital markets improve their technology and infrastructure. For sports fans, the convenience of being able to follow their favourite sports through platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and YouTube has changed the way that they watch sport and changed forever the way they interact with their favourite athletes, players and clubs.”