A friend of mine (the guy in the Sheffield jersey in the second video) recently attended the Chargers/Jets playoff game last weekend.  Now, this friend is actually a rabid Buffalo Bills fan…..so, needless to say, he was not cheering for the Jets.  That being said though, once again, he was blown away by the overwhelming support Jets fans showed their team.  Even in San Diego…..Jets Nation was strongly represented and, as my friend stated:

“Jets fans are crazy…by far the best fans to party with at a tailgaiter!”.

Although Fireman Ed was not in attendance, it is rumored that he was there in spirit and has been cheering on his beloved Jets back in New York.  I can honestly say that throughout our travels, the spirit of Jets fans can only be rivaled by the spirit of our own Saskatchewan Roughrider fans.  They are both “Green” at heart and hard-working, blue collar in nature.  Exactly how you would envision a football fan.

NY Jets Photos – http://www.flickr.com/photos/42340245@N02/sets/72157622575665005/

Saskatchewan Roughrider photos – http://www.flickr.com/photos/greycupfanconnect/sets/72157622907460298/

Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts will be a tough test for the surging Jets this Sunday, but I can only imagine that the Jets faithful will be out in full force and Rider Nation will be cheering along with you!!!!  GO GREEN!!!!!!!

J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets!!!!!!!!!!!

NY Jets Experience & Social Media

One of these bright minds is Jason Peck. Jason is the author of http://jasonfpeck.com (a blog focused on the sports business, sponsorship, new media, social networking, and whatever else he finds interesting).

Jason graciously asked Trevor Turnbull to contribute to his new ebook (Sports and Social Media Predictions 2010) on behalf of Sport Fan Connect. The ebook includes insights from many of the brilliant Sports & Social Media enthusiasts we have met over the past 6 months and provides many great thoughts on where we may be heading in the world of Sports & Social Media in 2010.

2009 has been an amazing year and we believe we have only just begun to see the impact that social media will have in the sports world. We hope to one day meet everyone included in this ebook. In the meantime, we’ll be sure to follow them online! Included below is a list of all the contributors to the ebook. Be sure to give them a look and feel free to drop any one of them a line. If there is one thing we’ve learned this year, it’s that the online social community is all about sharing! And these folks are certainly willing to share their time!

Sports Social Media Predictions 2010

Sports and Social Media Predictions 2010 – Contributors

Brian Gainor - http://partnershipactivation.com
Dan Beeman – http://sponsorshipinsights.com
Darren Heitner – http://sportsagentblog.com
Don, Chris & Kyle – http://blogswithballs.com
Espree Devora – http://zexsports.com
Joe Favorito – http://joefavorito.com
J.W. Cannon – http://twitter.com/khuda1
Lewis Howes – http://sportsnetworker.com
Pat Coyle – http://sportmarketing20.com
Peter Robert Casey – http://peterrobertcasey.com
Rob Katz – http://twitter.com/robkatz
Russell Scibetti – http://thebusinessofsports.com
Ryan Stephens – http://ryanstephensmarketing.com
Steve Cobb – http://activ8social.com
Trevor Turnbull – http://trevorturnbull.com
Ty Ahmad-Taylor – http://fanfeedr.com

“The Grey Cup has a long history and there have been many memorable moments over the years,” says Sheldon Lachambre – 2009 Grey Cup Festival – Director of Marketing and Media Relations “Some people have been coming to the Grey Cup Festival religiously for 20+ years, and every CFL fan has a Grey Cup game memory that is special to them!”

“These Grey Cup memories and the connection CFL fans have with each other is what makes the Grey Cup Festival such a special event. Therefore we felt it was important to implement a social media strategy and to showcase how the 2009 Grey Cup Festival connects CFL fans from East to West.”

Check out the 2009 Grey Cup Festival website to view the official press release: http://2009greycupfestival.com/news/34.html

2009 Grey Cup Festival, CFL Playoffs & CFL Fans = Excitement!!!

While at the game, I took time to chat with some CFL fans about the Grey Cup Festival.  Virtually everyone I speak with about this topic says the same things.

1. The Grey Cup Festival connects people from across Canada
2. The Grey Cup game is the pinnacle of the Festival, but all the events leading up to the game are what make the Festival special
3. Many people make the Grey Cup Festival an annual event and have made lifelong friends that are all connected by the Grey Cup Festival.

The two videos below communicate these points from two perspectives…….a Lions fan and an Eskimos fan.  Traditionally, they are football rivals, but when it comes to the Grey Cup Festival, it’s all about having fun, connecting with old friends and making new friends!

Edmonton Eskimos Fans – Grey Cup Festival Highlights (a 17 yr veteran!)

BC Lions Fan – Grey Cup Festival Highlights

I began working with Mike Petrie (Calgary Stampeders – Director of Community and Media Relations) while working with a Saskatoon based company (http://zu.com) that was contracted to work with the Calgary Stampeders on their online initiatives. This relationship led to me consulting with the Stampeders on social media (and the eventual development of StampsConnect – http://stampsconnect.com) and really fueled my interest in expanding my network in the sports world.  Through this relationship, I was able to get in touch with the BC Lions media relations department to line up an experience that, I’m sure, my Dad will never forget!

A BC Lions Fan from Saskatchewan?

To truly understand the unusual circumstances of this story, I have to take you back a number of years to when I was just a little kid.  Growing up in Saskatchewan, it is pretty much assumed that you will be a Saskatchewan Roughrider fan for life.  After all, they are our only professional sports team and for nearly 100 years, they have been the face of a vast province that has always been deemed an underdog competing against the “big cities” of Canada.

For as long as I can remember, my Dad has always been a BC Lions fan.  As you can imagine, he has taken years of grief from family and friends for having loyalties that differ from everyone else in the province. And for a guy that has spent his whole life in Saskatchewan, and who had never been to Vancouver prior to this weekend, it is somewhat odd that he chose the Lions as his favorite team.    But, regardless, the Lions are “his team” and when I saw that the Stampeders were going to be playing the Lions while I was in Vancouver, I made a point to see if I could make his experience one that he’d never forget.

Meeting the BC Lions

The day before the game, we ventured over to the BC Lions practice facility in Surrey, BC. I lined it up for my Dad to watch the practice and meet with some of his favorite players (Geroy Simon, Casey Printers, Paris Jackson).

Big thanks goes out to the following people for making all this happen:

Mike Petrie (Calgary Stampeders – Director of Community and Media Relations)
Jacqueline Blackwell (BC Lions – Communications Coordinator)
Jeff Armstead (InTheTunnel.com – Athlete websites & online marketing)

And, I have to give a big thanks to all of the players as well.  For as long as I can remember, CFL players have always been very approachable and accommodating with their fans, and these guys were no exception. As you can see in a recent interview I did with Geroy Simon, many athletes are now starting to use social media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and uStream) to connect directly with their fans.  So, for anyone else that wants to have a conversation with or possibly meet their favorite players, they are now only a click away online!

Stay tuned for the Part 2 video – “BC Lions Experience – Game Day”

They chatted about why the Stampeders got involved in social media, the StampsConnect social media aggregated website, concerns they had when first starting, how they manage all of their online assets, contests and promotions they have ran to encourage participation and provide value for sponsors and future plans for their social media efforts.

StampsConnect

In June 2009, the Stampeders launched a website called StampsConnect (http://stampsconnect.com) that pulls in content from popular social websites including YouTube, Twitter, Flickr based on “keywords” “tags” and “hashtags”.  The website also incorporates Facebook Connect to allow fans to comment on and share their favorite videos and photos with their Facebook friends.

Mike explained that they pursued development of the StampsConnect website to enhance the fan experience and to provide a platform which fans could contribute to its success.  At first, there were concerns that the website might not be received well, but Mike explained that the site has been a tremendous success and will continue to be a big part of their marketing efforts in years to come.

Social Media Strategy (Management)

Mike also shared some insight on how they manage their main website (http://stampeders.com), the StampsConnect website and all of their social accounts.  Again, I have to commend Mike for his foresight in crafting a “Social Media Flowchart” (see below) to assist his staff in understanding how all of their marketing efforts tie together. Of course, every team, league or organization would require their own unique “Social Media Strategy”, but the diagram attached below gives you a visual representation of how the Calgary Stampeders currently manage their online assets.

Mike (and one other person) currently oversee the management of all of their social media accounts.  However, there is a team of people that are responsible for the collection, editing and distribution of content including videos, photos and blog articles.  Even though the premise of the site is to leverage user (fan) generated content, the Stampeders have made a point to upload current, behind the scenes content so that there is always new, engaging content on the site to keep people coming back and to encourage participation.

So, to summarize how this chart works, the Calgary Stampeders main website (http://stampeders.com) is (and always will be) the main source of detailed information for Stampeders fans.  StampsConnect, is focused on providing everything else a fan would want from their team including behind the scenes videos, photos and tweets.  And, of course, since StampsConnect pulls properly tagged content from YouTube, Flickr and Twitter, it is also a great source of information from the “Fans” perspective.

As Mike mentions in the video, the StampsConnect website has not caused a whole lot more work with regards to time commitment for him and his staff.  The reason for this is that many of the features listed on this flowchart have been automated.  For example, when they update their News & Blogs section on Stampeders.com, it automatically updates on StampsConnect.  And, when they upload a new video to YouTube, the video is also posted to their Facebook Fan Page and tweeted out from their official “CalStampeders” Twitter account.

I believe many teams are unaware that this type of automation can be setup and, of course, there are new FREE tools being developed every day to make social media account management easier and more effective.

Online Contests & Sponsorship

The last thing Mike discussed in the video is the way they have incorporated contests and sponsorship activation through StampsConnect and their social accounts.  In particular, the Stampeders have ran weekly contests this season encouraging fans to submit their content to be entered to win a Sirius Radio.

Photo Contest

During home games, they have asked fans to email their photos to a unique email address (stampsconnect@stampeders.com) that is setup to automatically send the photos to their Flickr account.  This Flickr account, has been setup to automatically pull into StampsConnect, so, it is an easy way for everyone to participate in the contest (after all……just about every cellphone out there has the ability to take photos and send email).

Twitter Contest

During away games, the Stampeders have asked fans to follow and participate in their Twitter conversation on StampsConnect.  In this case, fans are asked to retweet any of their many exclusive live game updates (from their live play by play tweets from @calstampeders) as well as posting their own unique tweets.  This contest encourages fans to engage in the conversation about the Stampeders on Twitter and in turn, drives traffic to StampsConnect.

Both are great examples of ways teams can tie in their social media efforts to their live game day promotions. And, because they are engaging fans and asking them to participate, they are providing much more value to their sponsor (Sirius Radio) than they could through a static advertisement in their game program or on a sideline sign.

Conclusion

In summary, the Calgary Stampeders are continuing to lead the way when it comes to experimenting with social media.  Mike and his team are continuously coming up with new creative ways to engage their fans and provide value for their sponsors.  There are a number of great ideas planned for the offseason and next years football season involving more “real time” content delivered thru StampsConnect, Stampeders.com and their social accounts.

The biggest thing that other teams and leagues can learn from the Stampeders is that participation in social media does not have to come at a huge expense, but properly crafting a “Social Media Strategy” will provide much more value to everyone involved. As Kathleen Hessert (President – Sports Media Challenge) says “Experience does not equate to Expertise”. So, by first becoming educated on the benefits of social media, then participating in the conversations online, teams will be in a position to take advantage of the value social media can provided.  Engaging fans and leveraging the fact that key influencers online can help build their brand, teams can see the real “ROI” that they are after including more tickets being sold, more merchandise being bought and new sources of revenue generated.

The 2009 Grey Cup Festival just launched a new website called Grey Cup Festival Connect (http://greycupfestivalconnect.com).  The website was based on the same concept as StampsConnect (the Calgary Stampeders social media aggregated website)(http://stampsconnect.com). By properly tagging their content, fans can upload their videos, photos and tweets and have them show up on the Grey Cup Festival Connect website.

The Grey Cup is Canada’s largest professional sporting event. A celebration of sport and culture, the Grey Cup is uniquely Canadian and has a storied history and deep traditions. The 2009 Grey Cup Festival, “Canada’s Game Calgary’s Party”, will be distinctly Canadian and showcase Calgary’s famous western hospitality.

For more info on how to get tickets to all the great events planned at the 2009 Grey Cup Festival, check out http://greycupfestivalconnect.com/tickets/

The three of them visited all 30 MLB ballparks over 90 days this summer using social media (blog, Twitter, Facebook) along the way to connect with the league (MLB), teams and other fans.

Their story is an amazing one and, best of all, was all done to raise money for a local charity. They have some great stories to share including why they did it, how they did it, all the new friends they made along the way and the impact that social media had on making all these new connections.

Make sure to check out their blog for updates on the family after the trip of a lifetime: http://30ballparksandababy.blogspot.com/

For details on their upcoming auction starting October 29, 2009, check out: http://30ballparksandababy.com

We met them the night before the Washington Capitals home opener at the Baltimore Orioles game after finding them using the “Nearby” feature on Tweetie (Twitter iPhone application).  Their story was the perfect example of how social media can connect fans with their favorite leagues, teams and other fans.

In this video, we show how we found them at the Orioles game using Twitter which eventually led to an interview at Camden Yards.  We then chatted the following day in front of Capital Hill in Washington, DC to award them the Washington Capitals tickets.  Finally, we put together a short piece that shows the excitement around the Washington Capitals home opener and wrap things up with a conversation at the game with our winners. Needless to say, the Washington Capitals and the NHL have inherited 3 new fans thanks to the power of social media!!

Stay tuned for another video where we talk about their amazing tour in more detail and they tell us a bit about their upcoming charity auction on October 28, 2009. You can check out their website for details on the items available for auction at http://30ballparksandababy.com

Dania Jai-Alai

The event we attended was at one of the few Jai-Alai arena in the United States – Danai Jai-Alai.  You could tell that the building itself was probably the “place to be” at one point, but as interest in the sport has declined over the years, I would imagine there has not been alot of money to throw around at improvements.  The building itself is very worn down and is now best described as a gamblers paradise.  There is gambling everywhere with Jai-Alai going on in the main arena, horse races on multiple TV screens in the lobby and a poker room upstairs.  Apparently, there is some big money to be made on betting on Jai-Alai, but when you don’t know the rules…..I think your money would better spent on the Roulette table.  Needless to say, my $2 bet could be considered a donation to the future of Jai-Alai! However, I can’t complain too much since it was $0.99 Wednesdays (HotDogs, Chicken Wings and Beers for a buck!!…how can you beat that!!! ha).  If you are interested in checking this sport out….but can’t make it down to Florida, you can visit http://betdania.com and watch the live streaming games over the internet (no, seriously!!)

Jai-Alai – The Sport

Jai alai promotes itself as “the fastest sport in the world” because of the balls’ speed, although Badminton and Golf have actually seen faster speeds. A 125g–140g ball covered with goatskin can travel up to 302 km/h (188mph). I don’t even know where to begin to explain the rules of this sport (mostly because I don’t have a clue how they score the games…..even after watching 2 hrs of Jai-Alai last night!) I found this video on YouTube that helps explain a bit of the history behind Jai-Alai (warning – it’s a bit dated

Jai-Alai Documentary

Jai-Alai and Social Media?

As I was watching this new found sports, I couldn’t help but wonder if social media was impacting this sport……and if it isn’t, could it?  So, I did a bit of digging around to see what I could find:

Facebook

I did a quick search for “Jai-Alai Facebook” and found the following:

Jai-Alai Facebook Group – There are currently 126 members in this group.  The rules of the game are explained here and there are a couple of links to news articles

Jai-Alai Facebook Fan Page – There are over 660 member of this Fan Page (which is amazing because there is literally nothing on the Fan Page.  There is a “Just Fans” wall that has some conversation happening, but it doesn’t appear anyone has engaged in the page for a couple months now).  A link to http://www.jai-alai.info/ can be found in the “Info” section.  I have to assume that they are the ones that built this Facebook Fan Page??

Twitter

Ironically, I used the “search” feature on my Tweetie iPhone application and saw that there were people at the event last night talking about the Jai-Alai match. Here’s a link to the tweet posted by a Twitter user at the Danai Jai-Alai event last: http://twitter.com/radiodanshow/statuses/4852566047.  Unfortunately, I didn’t check it last night or I would have taken the time to track this person down to discuss their interest in the game.

I also discovered, to my amazement, when using http://search.twitter.com that there are a number of other people talking about the sport on Twitter: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=jai-alai

I also did a quick search for “Jai-Alai Twitter” using Google and came across an official Dania Jai-Alai Twitter account.  There are only a handful of followers of the account (23 to be exact) and they are using it mostly to promote upcoming events (like the $0.99 Wednesday, Horse Races and Poker Tournaments)

YouTube

There are a number of clips on YouTube profiling the sport of Jai-Alai (http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jai+alai&search_type=&aq=f) But, the one that stood out the most for me was during an episode of Jackass where Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O take shots from some professional Jai-Alai players. I think the real Jai-Alai ball would potentially kill them…..so, in this case, they used oranges. Haha…enjoy!

Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O (Jackass) – Jai Alai

Conclusion

I certainly don’t think that the sport of Jai-Alai will ever reach the popularity of other major sports in the world (soccer, football, baseball, basketball, hockey, etc), but considering what I have seen in my research, there is definitely room for improvement. The great part about social media is that you can target your messaging to your target audience and reach out to those that are already engaged with the sports.  After all, there is no better promotion (with regards to impact vs cost) than word of mouth.  And by leveraging the voice of advocates for the sport, the sport could benefit from their influence and messaging.

I can’t say that I found an “official” Jai-Alai Association that oversees the sport internationally, but there are a number of Jai-Alai groups out there that would all benefit from a collective effort in promoting the game using social media. Social networks (like this one created on Ning), would be a good place to start in finding those Jai-Alai advocates