The underlying emotion that drives sports fandom remains the same; the details surrounding that fandom have very much changed since the emergence of the internet. Of course, it’s not just the internet that has caused a shift. Sports fandom is always in flux and has been especially in flux in recent decades, especially in sports such as football. But whereas most shifts are planned (see: a drive to a more corporate setup for Premier League clubs), some come from societal changes. A good example of this is the internet.
In this blog, we’re going to run through some of the key ways that the internet has changed the sports fan experience.
How They Watch Games
The ubiquity of sporting games and highlights hasn’t just made being a fan more convenient (now, you don’t need to watch the game live or watch a specific highlights show; they’re all available, all the time). It has also helped the teams. In many cases, it was largely the teams that were shown on television that acquired new fans. Today, television has much less power in deciding which team a new fan will support. They’re able to watch all the sides, all the time, on more or less all their devices.
Endless Content
For die-hard fans, sports is about more than just what happens on matchday. It’s a lifestyle. In the pre-internet days, fans would get their fill from water cooler chat and game replays. In the internet era, they can get their fill from a never-ending supply of content. They can read the opinions of football experts and apply those tips to the wide variety of free bets, listen to baseball or even team-specific podcasts, and become a part of the online sports conversations that social media throws up daily. All this combines to create an environment where sports fans can exercise their passion with just a few taps of their smartphone screen.
International Support
Many sports have “gone global” in recent years. The NFL plays games in London; English Premier League teams market themselves all over the world — indeed, it won’t be long before the international “39th game” idea is given legs again. These teams can only make these connections with international fans because of the groundwork laid by the internet. People with zero historical or geographical connection to a team can quickly become a superfan because of the access to information and content that the internet allows.
Direct Engagement With Their Team
It wasn’t all that long ago that television and other media functioned as gatekeepers between clubs and fans. Today, that gatekeeping does still exist, but on a much-reduced scale. Social media channels have allowed clubs and fans to interact directly. Rather than releasing a statement through a traditional media company, clubs can simply release the statement directly on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. This allows for a level of control that has previously not been possible. The effect has been a more direct relationship, which is positive, but on the negative side, they’re less likely to know the goings-on at other clubs. As with many things related to social media, this approach puts the fan in an echo chamber, which furthers the tribalism aspect of sports fandom.
The Internet of Things
Finally, there’s the Internet of Things. This already has a presence in modern-day sports fandom and will surely grow in the future. While at the stadium, IoT can allow for seat upgrades and live status updates, including which concession stands have the shortest queue. They also push fans towards buying more merchandise from the ground (without waiting in line) and live instructions for finding their seat.
The above examples are just the beginning of what’s to come. With the internet becoming more and more a part of our lives, it’ll naturally have an even bigger impact on the fan experience in years to come.
