99SYN14528_SocialSportsFanDoc-V2

The younger the fan, the more likely they are to express
their opinion through social media
2.3 The future is opinionated
“I use it to get across things
which I want to say. It’s nice to be
able to say “This is what I think.”
– Niall, athlete.
“
Desire to express opinion through social media
‘Social Exchange Theory’ suggests that individuals engage in social interaction in order to gain some
sort of social reward or sense of community. According to the Dual-factor Model, Facebook use
is motivated by two needs: belonging and self-presentation and a study into the social influences in
the use of Twitter can be divided into two aspects: social benefits and social pressures to comply.
Our research suggests that these theories hold two myths about the primary motivations for sports
fans’ use of social media:
- firstly, that sports fans want to interact with content or enter into online debate.
- secondly, that sports fan use social media to increase their sense of belonging.
It appears that the need to engage with social media content, to endorse content, share opinions
and participate in conversation is not a large driver for Millennial sports fans.
However, it is clear from our research that within the Millennial sports fan group, those currently in the
younger 16-21 age range do engage more. Crucially, this is the same age range whose fanship is
most affected by social media.
This trend highlights that even within the ‘Millennial’ group there are important differences
in behaviour. Furthermore, it suggests that as these young sports fans grow up, we
can expect a greater level of interaction across social media as a whole, as well as the
increased fanship that goes hand in hand with it.
This is of vital importance to a brand’s social content strategy when considering this younger
Millennial now and in the future.
16-17 year olds 18-21 year olds 22-25 year olds
The majority of participants stated that they preferred
to be passive in their consumption of social media:
there was no real ‘pull’ to show that sports fans
use social media as a means to publicise their
opinions, contrary to common belief. One fan noted
that whilst they follow and check pages every day,
they were admittedly ‘reluctant to comment as it’s
on a public platform’ (Khash). This may be due to
the increased awareness around privacy. Indeed,
95% of respondents said they were aware that they
are making a public statement about themselves
when posting on social media.
However, responses showed that both bigger fans
and younger fans were more willing to be opinionated
online, corresponding to their increased levels of
engagement which we saw in the previous section.
Once again this highlights the necessity of identifying
the strata within what has traditionally been seen
as a single homogenous group. Whilst lesser fans
are more interested in consuming content, the larger
fans are naturally more engaged and want content
that creates discussion and a breadth of opinion.
Brands need to cater to differences such as this in
order for customers to find their content engaging.
Furthermore, compared to other elements (e.g. music,
clothing, company you keep) 65% of fans considered
their online sporting identity to be the most reflective
element of their offline identity. Clubs and societies
associated with were 53% reflective, whereas the rest
all showed at below average. This may be due to the
nature of the interest itself: for example, whilst music
tastes are extremely personal and therefore easy for
people to criticise, sport is inherently more collective.
It therefore feels ‘safer’ to showcase that element of
our identity through social media.
16-17 year-olds
are twice as likely
to be opinionated
on social media as
26-19 year-olds