Social Media Football: How Do These Platforms Affect Football?

No doubt the football industry has changed significantly since the rise of social media. In some ways for the better, in other ways for the worse.

Regardless, it is now an integral part of the game and affects the clubs, the players and the fans.

Today, on this website, we will discuss the positive and negative Social Media Football Impact.

Social Media Football Impact on Fans

More than half of football fans, follow the sports on social media. This has given them a great access to the following:

• Player and Team News like new signings, contracts, announcements and events
• Live Broadcasting Via Social Media
• Highlights of the game
• Sharing opinions about the club or player
• Influencing the decision making process in the club
• The opportunity to work for your club as a social media marketer. Social Media has paved the way for many new jobs in the football industry.

Social Media Football Impact on Clubs

Social Media Football impact on clubs is positive in general. It has paved the way for clubs to share all their news with their fans, especially those who cannot follow every game or every update.

They can simply check their club’s Facebook Page or Instagram Page and see all the highlights they need whether it is about a game result, a player injury, contract, transfers and basically, everything.

Another important Social Media Football Impact on Clubs is that the management of these clubs is resorting to social media to gather feedback from their fans.

On multiple occasions we saw fans influence decisions like firing a coach, or ticket prices, and even some club ownerships have changed due to the impact of social media on football.

It is also worthy to mention that through social media, Football Clubs can reach out to more fans all over the world and be engaged with them.

In addition to being a news center, Social Media can generate more partner revenue opportunities through targeted social media sports marketing campaigns using digital content.  

Football Teams With The Most Followers On Social Media

The below numbers include the number of followers of the teams on different social media platforms. Women’s Football is also included as the same football club as a whole includes both men and Women’s Football.

Social Media Football Impact on Players

Did you now that Cristiano Ronaldo has over 600 Million Followers on Instagram and Messi has over 500 Million?

So to what extent is the Social Media Football Impact on Players?

• Football players take great advantage of social media to do the following:
• Decrease the gap between the player and his fans by sharing professional and personal posts on social media which leads to more engagement.
• Football players can promote sponsors.
• Exposing the human side of the footballer outside of football like pictures with their families and their persona life. This allows fans to see the human sided of the player.
• Building a personal brand for the player whereby he can promote himself and get himself endorsement deals.
• Enhance their public image
• Getting donations or more awareness for a social cause.

Social Media Football Impact: The Negatives

The most prominent negative Social Media Football Impact is the hatred.

Just like there are many fans of the club or player, there are are haters who are not ashamed of saying harmful and racist words about the club and players.

This deeply affects the player and his psychology and his family as well with all the racist, homophobic and hateful comments for millions of people to see. Football mental health is deeply affected by social media.

In a study done by FIFA, over 50% of football players face online abuse.

In efforts to reduce these unnecessary comments, there will be scanning of recognized hate speech to identify them and prevent the comment from being seen.

The comment will only be visible to the person who wrote it.