From Longyearbyen to Ushuaia the world is filled with fans. They are the lifeblood of professional sports and the only reason why anybody in the industry receives a check. According to a recent A.T. Kearney study today’s global sports industry is worth between €350 billion and €450 billion ($480-$620 billion). In an industry of this size and scope connecting to and…
Thomas van Schaik
Author Archive | Thomas van Schaik
Social Media Changes Sports Photography
The world is changing rapidly and from now onwards the speed of that change is only going to further increase. We’re daily bombarded with thousands of images. Every photo can be worth a thousand words. But which images are the ones that stick and make a difference? Which (and whose) story is being told (and…
Movember: Athletes, Moustaches, and a Good Cause
Movember is here! ‘Movember’ (a portmanteau of “moustache” and “November”) is an annual, month-long event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November. It has become a global celebration of furry face furniture all over the world, and helps to raise money and awareness to combat one of the biggest killers of young…
Professional Athletes on Social Media: Why Some Get Fans and Others Fines
Professional athletes can use social media to connect with fans and share their personal lives in ways they never could before. An athlete used to be a number, position, weight class or title. Now, athletes, about whom fans only knew what they read in the papers, have become so much more accessible. Today even the…
Social Media Shakes up Key Sports Events in 2011
This blog is fully dedicated to covering the shift in consumption of sport (and therefore the way athletes, sports organizations, and sponsors choose to interact with their audiences). Globalization, digitalization, and individualization are changing our lives – and they’re doing it fast! The shift towards global – social – sports consumption is no longer ‘a…
The Press Conferences we will Never Forget
Organizing a press conference can be a great idea. It will allow you the opportunity to reach all media outlets at the same time and / or provide a personal perspective on a particular story. A press conference can also build excitement or anticipation about a particular event or idea. It arms you with the…
Super Bowl vs. UEFA Champions League
The NFL is doing well. The most recent edition of the Super Bowl (Super Bowl XLV) holds the record for total number of U.S. viewers, attracting an average audience of 111 million viewers, making it the most viewed television broadcast of any kind in U.S. history. However, the growth of its European equivalent, the UEFA…
Will Rose Become the Youngest NBA MVP Ever?
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.” The announcement of the 2010 – 2011 NBA MVP is eminent. The value of the election isn’t absolutely clear but it’s basically a popularity contest – first only amongst cranky sportswriters, now also (be it marginally) amongst…
The Biggest Grudge Match in Global Soccer
Competition is the very essence of sport. Every match, every team needs someone to beat. It’s just that some opponents you enjoy beating even more than others! This might be because of a long-standing animosity or a specific past insult to revenge. These “grudge matches” are amongst the most anticipated and best viewed games of…
The Top 10 Athlete Nicknames
What’s in a name? Nicknames have been around for thousands of years. Without attempting to make a deeply scientific claim about the psychology of nicknames – I assume the tradition of nicknames has a lot to do with possession and intimacy: ‘to name is to claim’ – which would explain why sports fans often come…
What every Sports Marketer MUST know about CRICKET
What kind of a sports marketer are you? The world’s third largest sporting event is currently being played and you didn’t even know it was on! Reach and Cash Granted, for most of the Sportsnetworker.com readers Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka are not exactly next door. However the ICC Cricket World Cup is televised in…
Who Are the All Time Basketball All Stars?
The very first NBA All-Star Game ever was staged in 1951. This year the game will be celebrating its diamond anniversary, which is why the uniforms feature an integrated diamond pattern. Sunday’s game will go straight into the rich history of the NBA. As players and fans are making their way to the Staples Center,…