Lights. Camera. Sports. Media is one of the most crucial–if not the most crucial–part of advertising a sports team. Whether it be on television, Instagram, or the Chicago Tribune, there always seems to be some major sporting event being aired. But what if someone does not play sports? How is the media going to draw them into something that they have never even heard of before? Sometimes, people are drawn to a sport by seeing a team’s social media following. For example, Cristiano Ronaldo is not only the most followed person in the world with 530 million followers, but he is also one of the most renowned soccer players.
Streaming games on a platform like YouTube TV has also changed the way sports are viewed. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, people would watch any sort of sports game on cable or antenna television. Since then, the majority of people have turned to the old cable companies’ live streaming services such as NBC, CBS, ABC, and ESPN. Some people may only watch these channels for the news, but with sports’ popularity today, people are likely to hear about it no matter the intended viewing platform.
The media also portrays sports in an appealing way to non-athletes by creating social media content. Social media has allowed some people to interact with their favorite sports players through comments and direct messages, essentially like getting to know a professional athlete.
Saint Viator students even benefit from sports social media.
“Even our high school has a social media account with a large following,” said junior Frankie Ragauskis.
“Social media emphasizes the crucial points of the sports we play and helps us to bond with people that may know nothing about the sport,” said junior Derick Nava.
Sports appeals to all: those who play it, and those who do not. Nonetheless, all are brought together by sports social media, one of the most influential aspects in making a crowd.