According to the Business of Sports Blog, all 146 professional sports teams in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and MLS have Twitter accounts. All of these accounts are tweeting sports news and information.
In some sense, Twitter has become the new online sports network, with information direct from the source.
Many of the accounts are highly active: @BlueJacketsNHL has tweeted 115,000 tweets. The @Lakers twitter account has 6.65 million followers. The @Rockies have liked over 124,000 tweets of other Twitter users.
Professional sports accounts don’t just have major followings. They are highly interactive as well.
We scored 18 runs, Nolan homered 3 times and we tweeted the game with meme photos. ? https://t.co/bc596oOSxD
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) July 20, 2017
But the Twitter sports frenzy doesn’t stop there. Each of these sports teams has multiple sports journalists that report on sports in their area, like Detroit Free Press writer @anthonyfenech, who covers the Detroit Tigers.
In the top of the sixth inning, Miguel Cabrera recorded his 1,600th RBI. He is the 36th player in history to reach that milestone.
— anthony fenech (@anthonyfenech) July 21, 2017
And then there are national network sports reporters like @AdamSchefter, who report on one particular sport as a whole.
Six first-round picks – including SF's Solomon Thomas, Tenn's Corey Davis and NYJ's Jamal Adams – remain unsigned.https://t.co/GZrxu5OTuP
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 20, 2017
Nearly all pro athletes are expected to be present on Twitter as well. An athlete’s Twitter account can include anything from comments missed by the press conference to behind-the-scenes looks into daily lives. And sometimes, athletes will let their guard down and entertain the Twitterverse.
Fultz got some ? with him. The hesi pull-up jimbo was smooth. Probably don't understand what I just said if u don't REALLY hoop
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) July 4, 2017
With so many sports-based accounts on Twitter, a user can get real-time information from teams, athletes, reporters, and fans alike. That stream means they’re getting it faster than any news network can process it and deliver it to them. And that is how true sports fans want to enjoy sports.
The New Republic Blog believes that the experience goes even further for fans than just receiving news in real time. From the site’s perspective, the NBA Twitter community is changing the way we watch sports. Fans are now watching sports with their Twitter account loaded so that they can tweet reactions and interact with other fans around the world in real time. And with nearly all NBA athletes on Twitter, the fans feel connected to the athletes on a whole new level. It blurs the barrier between fans and athletes, and creates a new community, even during the off-season.
ICYMI yesterday, #StephCurry is competing in the American Century Classic golf tourney in Tahoe and sported a new golf bag. ?? https://t.co/wOmY3mVTGD
— LetsGoWarriors (@LetsGoWarriors) July 14, 2017
The Twitter sports takeover isn’t complete, though. Last year, Business Insider reported that Twitter offered a new option that would take its sports-news presence into another realm. The platform landed a deal with the NFL Network to live-stream Thursday night NFL games. Each game averaged over 265,000 viewers each minute during the broadcasts. Twitter was one of the first social-media platforms to offer live-streaming access to sporting events, delivering content directly into the hands of fans subscription-free.
Twitter also found a way to keep die-hard fans sane when their teams aren’t doing well. Enter satire sports accounts like @NOTSportsCenter and @FakeMikeMatheny.
REPORT: Pablo Sandoval's new contract with the SF Giants will be the first in MLB history to pay a player entirely in Krispy Kreme donuts
— NOTSportsCenter (@NOTSportsCenter) July 20, 2017
Looking down at the bullpen like pic.twitter.com/paky2SiTaY
— FakeMikeMatheny (@FakeMikeMatheny) June 28, 2017
The Twitter sports world has provided fans with a new interactive viewing experience. Fans can combine stats, news, real-time updates, and live-streaming all through one source. They feel like a community connected to both the athletes and other fans. And they are able to cheer and/or cry in real time with other fans around the world. These elements combined allow fans to truly follow sports in a customized experience, unlike any other social-media platform.