Many sports teams and athletes have social media accounts to promote events, communicate with fans, and share sports content. Whether it’s announcing a game lineup or highlighting a player’s performance, the ability to instantly create and distribute content is one of the most valuable aspects of social media in sports.
Athletes, teams, and sports business professionals have found that social media is a powerful tool to boost their public image and increase market value for endorsements and other career opportunities. However, it can also be a double-edged sword: use it poorly and you can ruin your reputation and future earnings.
In fact, a recent study on social media and sports found that nearly half of all respondents reported using a mobile device while watching a sport event. While TV broadcast revenue, sponsorships, and ticket sales still make up the majority of a team or league’s revenue, social media is growing rapidly and providing new opportunities for teams and their fans.
As the number of social media users grows, consumers’ consumption behaviors change and become more impulsive. Specifically, when curiosity is stimulated by external stimuli—such as news or social media updates—sports fans tend to engage in more impulsive buying behavior than they otherwise would (12). This research supports the S-O-R theory (13), which explains that internal psychological responses, like curiosity, lead to purchase intentions and brand identification (19). For example, researchers found that fans’ curiosity positively predicts Social Media Use Intensity during sports events (20).