The rise of sports fan media – How YouTube and Twitter have helped change how fans experience sports

Posted on

21/04/2024

Lewis Moss

Abstract: This paper will examine the evolution of sports media and analyse the monumental shift in the way that sports fans consume sports. We will discuss how mainstream media no longer dominates narrative and how social media platforms YouTube and Twitter have enabled fans to have more control of how they engage with their sport. Using the English Premier League as an example, we will examine the concept of a third place, where fans are taken away from their home and work space and given the ability to interact with others. Drilling down further we will look at the creation of specific fan channels and how they have forged a sense of community between members whilst also empowering them to create content, and develop discourse with other like-minded fans. Using counterarguments to give an overall picture of fan media, we aim to show that the result has a positive influence of the sports fan community.

Introduction

The growth and globalisation of technology has changed many aspects of everyday life. The ease of communicating has enabled the world to become more connected with the ability to access and share information instantly. The introduction of social media has transformed the way we interact, people can now connect real time, sharing information and opinion. The sports world has seen a massive change in the way sports are televised and reported in mainstream media, but perhaps the biggest shift in this area is the sports fans themselves and how they now consume and interact with their chosen sport. Social media platforms have enabled fans to have a voice and become part of various fan communities. This paper will use YouTube and Twitter to highlight how the average sports fan engages with sports and how their relationship with sports media has changed. Using the sport of soccer from the English Premier League (EPL), we will look at how these platforms promote the concept of a “third place,” promote community through the creation of dedicated fan channels. We will examine how YouTube & Twitter have revolutionised the way sports fan communities positively engage with sports and acknowledge counter arguments that could be made.

The Changing Face Of Fan Engagement In Sports

YouTube and Twitter have contributed to how sports fans engage with sports and sports media. Prior to social media, fan interaction with the English Premier League was fairly restrictive. Game highlights could only be seen hours after the match and analysis of the game was limited to the media personalities or ex-players, who would have to censor their comments to fall in line with media rules. The media controlled all public discussion with no fan interaction whatsoever. Match reports were printed and published in the newspaper the following day, sports consumption was just one-way communication from the media.

The introduction of YouTube and Twitter along with mobile technology gave fans a way to change how they experienced sport and empowered them to participate. According to Wang, the emerging practices of online fans indicated empowerment, which challenged the authority of professional media outlets (Wang, 2020). Mainstream media no longer controlled content and sports discourse.

Using YouTube, fans for the first time could upload videos of their opinions and reactions to games immediately, inviting other users to react or even just like what they had published. Twitter was used to give live score updates and personal opinion, previously not afforded to the general public. The use of hashtags within posts would instantly share the comments to a broader audience, which could be seen as a positive as it potentially attracts a larger fan base to the sport. As mentioned, social media initially challenged mainstream media and was seen as a direct threat, however media outlets soon realised that they needed to embrace this changing landscape, especially with the growing number of younger sports fans. In 2020 the Morning Consult published two articles regarding the consumption of sports from different generations. It found that 49% Generation Z and 61% millennial fans consume their sports content from YouTube and 24% Generation Z and 44% millennial fans watch it on Twitter (Immersiv, 2020). Communication between an armchair fan and a media outlet would never have been a consideration in years gone by, but now social media has brought the two together. Wang states that Twitter encourages fans to get off their couch, provide instant feedback to media producers without management filters (Wang, 2020). This enables the media to keep up with preferences and trends of the ordinary fans.

Wang also comments that media producers have been forced to modify their strategies and products in response to fans’ demands (Wang 2022). This means the media content will align with what the consumer wants rather than any assumptions by out of date media executives. YouTube and Twitter have changed the relationship between the English Premier League and it’s fan base through online contact between fans and improved relationship with the media, it has shaped the way we interact with each other, culminating in positive change for the everyday fan and the sport itself.

Fan Interaction As A “Third Place”

YouTube and Twitter enables English Premier League fans to escape their home and work life and enter what has been termed as a “third place” by sociologist Ray Oldenburg (Soukup, 2006). In the period that Oldenburg proposed this theory, it referred to face-to-face contact at a meeting place other than work or home. Online connection created a third place within an online space, giving fans a space to interact with each other. For an individual, relief is offered by the third place from the stressful demands of home and work life, providing feelings of inclusiveness and belonging (Soukup, 2006), which is a positive from a psychological perspective. Oldenberg comments that one of the characteristics of the third place concept is that it is a leveler (Soukup, 2006). I agree with this position and believe that YouTube and Twitter makes the online user feel as worthy as others in the same community, the third place supports social engagement to users, who otherwise would have no connection. There is a counter argument to the positives of social media as a third place and Oldenburg himself felt that technology did not bring people together, ‘the only predictable social consequence of technological advancement is that they (humans in urban settings) will grow ever farther apart’ (Soukup, 2006). It has also been suggested that the third place online is not as real as when you meet face to face. Sherry Turkle raises concerns about the decline of meaningful in person contact and conversation (Hampton & Wellman, 2018). I disagree with these comments when relating then to fan media, as it encourages discussion and engagement. I feel that YouTube enables a user to become creative and communicate with like-minded people, which in recent times have seen the creation of dedicated fan channels. Twitter on the other hand supports instant conversation and discussion on specific matters with fans from not only the same location but worldwide. Although I believe that face to face contact is essential to individual and community development, I feel that in the sports fan space it is not vital, both platforms allow users to post links, videos and sports footage which in a face to face situation would not be possible. It is my position that the third place supports social engagement for sports fans through online platforms YouTube and Twitter.

Fan Channels and Community Engagement

Perhaps the most visible evidence of how YouTube and Twitter have been used to change sports fan engagement and experience, is through the rise of fan channels and development of online fan based communities. Once it was discovered how powerful online networks could be in the realm of sports fandom, some of the more creative English Premier League fans created dedicated fan channels through the use of Twitter and particularly YouTube. This highlights amateur individuals motivated by personal expression and the need for community (Burgess and Green, 2010). The first and arguably most famous fan channel to be created was AFTV, which was created in 2012 through YouTube and follows English Premier League team Arsenal. The concept of this dedicated fan channel was to give fans with a common interest the opportunity to participate in discussion and become part of a community, making content for others to view, share and comment. Subscription to the channel allows members to receive notifications regarding anything related to Arsenal. Initially using YouTube, AFTV attended live matches and interviewed fans after the game, which provided others in the community an incite into how the team played and the general mood of the fans. The channel then progressed to giving tactical analysis, player ratings and other topics for discussion. After this channel’s meteoric rise, many other premier league clubs had created similar fan channels.

By 2016 fan channels had changed the landscape of fan engagement and were deemed as ‘football’s YouTube revolution’ which showed a natural progression from radio phone in’s and online blogs. Fan TV encourages discussion and debate that can be directly engaged in online spaces (Woods and Ludvigsen, 2021). After the success of YouTube for AFTV, which today has over 1.6 million subscribers, and 1.22 billion video views (AFTV, n.d.) other platforms were opened up to the channel. Twitter now plays an important role in fan communication, it provides a platform for immediate discourse for members of the AFTV community, current figures show, 878 thousand followers to the AFTV channel (Lyle, n.d.). Some may argue that although fan channels have been deemed as a community, they are not real communities in a traditional sense. In my opinion this is an outdated view, as fan channels such as AFTV certainly fall into the category of being a community. If we look at some of the key characteristics of community it mentions terms like belonging, interaction and common interests, which this channel obviously promotes. I agree with Delanty, who quotes that virtual communities are communication communities (Delanty, 2018), this supports the notion that online fan channels enable communities of sports fans to communicate and feel connected and positively promote community.

The Dark Side of Fan Engagement

Although social media has proven to be a major positive for the creation and interaction within different sports communities, there are counter arguments to the positives of fan media in sports. The main negative is that there is a certain level of anonymity, which can open up the potential for hateful content, as social media has given people the ability to post their racist thoughts anonymously online (Cleland, 2013). Although all forms of social media can be subject to negativity, it is platforms such as Twitter that opens social media up to potentially harmful content. Comments can be anonymously posted immediately when emotions are high and shared within seconds to potentially millions of users with the use of hashtags. An example of the misuse of Twitter was following the 2021 European final between England and Italy that went to a penalty shootout. Three black English players were subject to racial taunts online immediately after the game finished, as they missed

crucial penalties in the shootout. In this instance, the third place concept became a safe haven for users to make faceless racist comments towards the three players, which they would be reluctant to do in a public setting. As quoted in a blog by Aini Yeskhozhina, having an anonymous identity online can erode one’s personhood and can cause online users to cross moral and social boundaries, which can be done by harassing and threatening others online (Yeskhozhina, 2024). Although AFTV has positively impacted the fan landscape, it has also been guilty of enabling fans to publicly convey negativity. In 2019, a regular contributor to the channel expressed his hatred for a player in a video viewed by over 1.6 million people on YouTube (AFTV, 2019). It was later revealed after this post that the player along with his family were subject to hate speech and death threats both online and directly (Xhaka, 2019). Although individual opinion can never be controlled by online platforms, both YouTube and Twitter are taking steps to try to counteract this type of content. According to an article posted on the Gilbert and Tobin website, YouTube removed over 85,000 videos that broke their hate speech policy in March 2021 and Twitter had removed over 1.6 million pieces of content that violated their own rules (Gilbert & Tobin, 2022). Although these statistics show a large amount of hate online, the speed of technological advancements will hopefully be able to detect this content earlier to negate its impact.

Conclusion

Technological enhancements have had a significant effect on sports fan interaction and engagement through platforms like YouTube and Twitter. Mainstream media are no longer the only source of sports content as these online platforms have encouraged sports fans to engage with their chosen sport in a different way.

Fans are empowered to produce content, share thoughts and challenge traditional mainstream media outlets, who have also had to embrace this shift in dynamic. These platforms encourage discourse between sports fans, with YouTube allowing users the ability to express themselves creatively and Twitter providing a way to instantly connect with like-minded people. The concept of communication online in a third place has given sports fans a sense of belonging and inclusiveness, which helps with social interaction and building communities. Both platforms have had a significant role in the popularity of fan channels, which have positively promoted the concept of community. The impact of YouTube and Twitter overall has been a major positive on sports fan engagement, allowing them to foster a relationship with other fans, the media and the sport itself.

References

AFTV (n.d.). Home [YouTube Channel] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBTy8j2cPy6zw68godcE7MQ

Burgess, J., & Green, J. (2010). Entrepreneurial vlogger : participatory culture beyond the professional amateur divide. In P. Snickars & P. Vonderau, The YouTube Reader (pp. 89-107). Wallflower Press.

Cleland, J. (2013). Racism, football fans, and online message boards. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 38(5), 415–431.

Delanty, G. (2018). Virtual community: Belonging as communication. In Community (3rd ed., pp. 200–224). essay, Routledge.

Gilbert & Tobin (2022) New approaches to combatting online hate speech. https://www.gtlaw.com.au/knowledge/new-approaches-combatting-online-hate-speech

Hampton, K., & Wellman, B. (2018). Lost and saved . . . again: The moral panic about the loss of community takes hold of social media. Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews, 47(6), 643–651. https://doi.org/10.1177/0094306118805415

Immersiv (2021). Gen Z & Sports Media Consumption: Why Sports entities need to innovate. Immersiv.io. https://www.immersiv.io/blog/gen-z-sports-media-innovation/

Lyle, R. [@AFTVMedia]. (n.d.) Tweets [Twitter profile]. https://twitter.com/AFTVMedia

Soukup, C. (2006). Computer-mediated communication as a virtual third place: building Oldenburg’s great good places on the world wide web. New Media & Society, 8(3), 421-440. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444806061953

Wang, Z. (2020). The Complicated Digital Fandom: Empowerment and exploitation of fans in digital media era. Humanities and Social Sciences, 8(2), 45–50. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20200802.11

Woods, J., & Ludvigsen, J. (2021). The Changing Faces of Fandom? exploring emerging ‘online’ and ‘offline’ fandom spaces in the English premier league. Sport in Society, 25(11), 2234–2249. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2021.1904902

Xhaka, G. [granitxhaka]. (2019, November 1). Message to the fans; [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/B4S0q45HTAL/?hl=en&img_index=1

Yeskhozhina, A. (2024, February 21). The New Third Space: How Social Media Is Replacing Real Life Communication. Mass Media and Culture. https://massmediandculture.com/the-new-third-space-how-social-media-is-replacing-real-life-communication/

Communities and Social Media

#Socialmedia, #Sports, #Sportsfans, #YouTube, community, English Premier League, EPL, Football, Infuencers, Online Community, Social Media Influence, sports fans, Sports Media, Third Place, Twitter

Comments

15 responses to “The rise of sports fan media – How YouTube and Twitter have helped change how fans experience sports”

ezra.kaye

29/04/2024

Hi Lewis!
Thanks for your article, it was really well written!

I’m a big fan of the Premier League so it was a fun read for me. I totally agree with you that social media has led to a big shift in the way fans interact with each other, and has created an alternative option to the mainstream media.

One thing I’ve noticed is that some mainstream channels have actually started to cross over into the social media sphere as well. For example, Gary Neville hosts a YouTube show called the Overlap, where regular Sky Sports pundits such as Neville, Carragher, and Keane have a discussion with popular football YouTubers.

Why do you think Sky chose to do this? Could it could be because they are concerned about the increasing popularity of fan-based channels at the expense of the mainstream media and want to try and get a foot in the door of that industry?

Thanks,
Ezra

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1. Lewis Moss
  
  30/04/2024
  
  Hi Ezra,
  
  Cheers for having a read of the article and thanks for your kind words, I really enjoy the overlap as it gives perspective from the fans and the players themselves.
  
  I think initially the mainstream media distanced itself from social media for a number reasons:
  
  – Mainstream media like Sky Sports had a monopoly of sports coverage and discourse and could control the narrative, so why would they encourage anything that may challenge this?
  
  – Social media is not a controlled environment, and therefore aligning with it could reflect negatively and potentially break broadcasting ethics.
  
  But, these media outlets are there to make money right, so realizing how fans were now engaging with each other, it had to embrace the change. So, I think you are right in saying Sky were concerned about the increasing popularity of fan-based channels, but rather than trying to ignore it they have recognised the potential that social media and fan channels have. Have a look at the below link, about social media and fan engagement, probably proves why mainstream media embraced social media…. it’s quite interesting.
  
  Lewis
  
  https://www.greenfly.com/blog/social-media-in-sports/
  
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Dan

29/04/2024

Hi Lewis,

This was a fascinating read and you’ve highlighted some crucial shifts in how fans interact with sports through new media platforms. I’m intrigued by how these changes influence not just fan engagement but also how sports organizations conduct their business. For instance, major clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona are now launching their own cryptocurrencies. In your research, did you find any significant ways that online fan communities are impacting the business strategies of English Premier League clubs? Additionally, do you think these ‘third place’ communities might be diluting the authenticity of the sport by focusing predominantly on highlights and sensational moments?

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1. Lewis Moss
  
  30/04/2024
  
  Hi Dan,
  
  Thanks for your comments. Whilst researching my paper the main focus was how fan communities had changed mainstream media, but I did delve slightly into how the actual clubs as a business used social media and fan communities to enhance their brand.
  
  Fan communities have opened up teams to a global audience which prior to digitalisation would have been a much harder task. Football clubs now create content designed for fan communities such as one on one player interviews, training sessions and access to coaches to create a connection with fans which in turn promotes fan loyalty, which then creates further merchandise purchases and fan interest. So, although the premier league clubs do not really align themselves with Fan Channels, they realise the benefits.
  
  With regards to third place communities diluting the authenticity of the sport due to highlights and sensational moments, I can see what you mean as it does take away concepts such as sportsmanship, humility and fair play, but traditional fans who have a deeper understanding of the game understand that this is part of todays world. Fan communities are essential to premier league clubs, but the clubs need to find a balance between engaging fans whilst retaining integrity of the sport.
  
  Lewis
  
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Mishma Noyan

29/04/2024

Hello Lewis! I loved reading your paper!
In your paper, you mostly talked about fan interaction in the third place, on social media platforms like Twitter and YouTube. I know that on Twitch there are many e-sports channels where they would play online with their friends, and it is broadcasted online.
I follow the channel “Quadrant”, where they would different sports game that varies from racing to soccer. I also follow other Twitch channels, such as FerrariEsports and mattp1tommy, which are mostly about racing.
What are your opinions of e-sports in general? How does it contribute to the third place?

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1. Lewis Moss
  
  01/05/2024
  
  Thanks Mishma for your reply
  
  I am not really familiar with Quadrant or the Twitch channels you have mentioned but I will be sure to have a look. With regards to my thoughts on E-Sports, I think they play a similar role as fan channels in that they both allow like-minded people to engage with each other and regarding a common interests and help forge communities.
  
  There Is no denying that E-sports has seen monumental growth over the past few years becoming a multi-million-dollar industry, I never would have thought that online betting agencies would allow betting on online video games.
  
  From the research I have interpreted a third place in simple terms to be a place where a person can escape their normal life and E-sports is a great example of this. It allows a person through specific narrative, game play and immersion to become something other than themselves and experience this with others in the same community.
  
  Do you take part in eSports, If so do you feel like you are apart of a community?
  
  Lewis
  
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  1. Mishma Noyan
    
    05/05/2024
    
    Hi again, Lewis! Thank you for the response. I agree with you about the growth of e-sports in recent years. Especially since the pandemic, e-sports have gained much popularity.
    To answer your question, no. Unfortunately, I do not take part in eSport, but it is something that I want to get to it.
    The movie Gran Turismo, about esports and real racing, was released recently. I suggest you watch it in your free time. If I would take part in eSports, I would feel like part of the community because of the engagement of players on Discord and Twitch.
    
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niracaro

03/05/2024

Hey Lewis,

Great effort on the article! I thought this was really insightful and was able to capture various new point. Being an NBA fan learning more about fan engagement being a third place and the dark side was very insightful. I felt I could resonate some of my experiences to your points. Overall it was a really easy read and your points were very easy to follow.

I think you could even touch on more platforms its also been impacting, but overall you’ve written a great piece and it was really enjoyable. Well done

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1. Lewis Moss
  
  05/05/2024
  
  Hi Niracaro, Thanks for the kind words and feedback.
  
  It is true that I could have touched on so many more platforms that facilitate fan engagement as sites such as TikTok, Instagram and perhaps Facebook are all used extensively. As one of my angles of the article was the creation of Fan Channels I used YouTube, as this was the platform which Fan channels Initially utilised when they first began.
  
  Twitter gave the Fans a platform to chat and debate rather than share content so I thought these two were the best to highlight the change in fan engagement. I think If I was to have focused on too many platforms it may have diluted the essay, but I really appreciate your comments.
  
  I am also a NBA fan and as TV coverage is not extensive in Australia I rely on social media for all the news and results. Have a look at the link below of a Fan channel for the LA Lakers, gives great insight into the team and it’s fans.
  
  Lewis
  
  https://www.youtube.com/@LakersNation/featured
  
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Caitlin

07/05/2024

Hi Lewis,

Thanks for sharing your essay; it introduced me to a topic I hadn’t explored much before. I appreciated how you illustrated the growth of digital media in a way that directly applies to the sports industry.

Your discussion on the dark side of fan engagement, specifically how it can foster racial hate, was particularly interesting. The example you gave of the 2021 European final and the subsequent hate and harassment really emphasises the risks that social media can pose within sports communities.

Given the negative impact of online hate, do you think social media platforms and sports organisations can tackle this harmful content without stifling the positive aspects of fan engagement? I’m also curious whether you think sports organizations should take a more active role in moderating fan interactions online. Could they collaborate with social media platforms to create safer environments for fans?

Thanks again for sharing your paper, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Caitlin.

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1. Lewis Moss
  
  10/05/2024
  
  Hi Caitlin, thank you for your response
  
  Sports leagues and organisations at this point are trying to minimise this sort of abuse, there are places where sports fans can report harmful behaviour to the club they are following, jail sentences have been handed to offenders. As for sports leagues trying to prevent online abuse, I know the premier league has started a campaign regarding online abuse.
  
  Lewis
  
  https://www.premierleague.com/news/3951198#:~:text=Did%20you%20know%20that%20fans,our%20efforts%20to%20stop%20it.
  
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Suhayl Judoo

07/05/2024

Hello Lewis,

That’s a lovely take on this topic and I enjoyed reading your paper. Especially since the pandemic where fans didn’t have access into stadiums, these two platforms became the primary source of engagement in this sport. You’ve mentioned how fan channels like AFTV has elevated sports fan engagement and experience on YouTube and Twitter. However this channel is often criticized for being bias towards Arsenal football club where they often make unrealistic analysis and predictions for the club. Even the channel ‘The United Stand’ which is owned by Mark Goldbridge often heavily criticize the players of Manchester United to the point that the club’s personnel were not happy when Rasmus Højlund recently gave an exclusive interview to the channel. It raises the question whether these channels should be given the liberty to criticize football clubs. What’s your opinion on this matter?

Overall this was an enjoyable read. Well done!

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1. Lewis Moss
  
  10/05/2024
  
  Hi Suhayl,
  
  I think any fan should be able to criticise a player, but it has its limits. When it comes to online personalities I do think it comes down to the saying that “with great power comes great responsibility”. These fans obviously will have their limits because of sponsorships, but you’re right by saying even the slightest bit of criticism can lead to other fans taking things to a new extreme (eg. Harry Maguire).
  
  In terms of the Mark Goldbridge interview with Rasmus, I think football institutions and brands try to keep away from anything like that from a PR perspective, just because they have freedom of speech. I remember when Arsenal reached out to AFTV to tell them to rebrand from Arsenal Fan TV.
  
  Lewis
  
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Chris May

10/05/2024

Nice article, Lewis! It’s interesting to see how social media has provided new opportunities not only for traditional media to engage with fans, but for smaller content creators and communities to spring up to discuss the sport more in-depth than what was previously possible.

It’s also interesting to me to see how the clubs themselves have embraced social media to engage with fans. For example, live goal and news updates on Twitter and Facebook, regular pictures of the players during training, or arriving at the ground, or other community engagements. These help fans become more familiar with the team… in a weird para-social kind of way.

I’ve noticed in more moderated communities, such as the comment section on The Athletic, the BBC, or even on certain channels like TIFO, engagement between users tends to be a bit more civil… or at least relatively so between rival fans. On more clickbaity Facebook “news” or fan pages, however, it appears that the banter can be a bit more… reminiscent of football crowds of the 70s. Is this something you’ve noticed too, or has your experience been different?

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1. Lewis Moss
  
  10/05/2024
  
  Hi Chris
  
  Thank you for the kind words, it was really interesting to look at fan media in more depth. In relation to your statement about clubs embracing social media, I think clubs interact with the creators that are more advertiser friendly for their brand (i.e. Arsenal don’t really interact with AFTV).
  
  I think you are spot on about helping fans become more familiar with the team, in terms of the training images they are usually uploaded to X in reply to a fan telling the social media Admin who they wanted to see pictures of.
  
  I don’t really have much experience with the more moderated communities, as my consumption mainly comes from X, Youtube and TikTok which is mostly banterish.
  
  Lewis
  
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