As you have previously read a post about how the internet has transformed sports through streaming, I am going to dive a little further in to how social media specifically has furthered this sports transformation. Before streaming you could only access sports in two places: at the event itself or in front of a television. With the creation of internet, streaming has come about and likewise, the rise of social media has enhanced this process. The graphic below by Sports Business Institute shows us how two social media sites are the front runners for streaming live sports.
Facebook and Twitter have both recently begun offering sports streaming and it has taken off wildly. Bold Worldwide, an agency that focusses on social and digital media, blogged “While older generations may prefer watching sports on TV out of habit, evidence points to younger generations ditching TV for online streaming broadcasts.” For Facebook and Twitter to decide to join the sports streaming game they had to take the time to first, recognize who their audience was. Social media’s purpose is more than just community building, but it is widely used for information and entertainment as well. Capturing their young audience via sports streaming is just another way that social media’s functionality has expanded.
Demassification has largely enhanced this process. A survey done by Pew Research Center revealed that 6 in 10 Americans get their news from social media. This statistic includes news regarding sports and will only continue to increase with the rise of social media streaming. People have such easy access to news on the go, and as a result, watching sports has taken major steps forward. Convergence allows people to watch games on their phone in an easily accessible social media app anywhere they go.
In John Vivian’s book The Media of Mass Communication he addresses the two-way communication that social media offers. This idea in itself has impacted the sports industry in more ways that one, in terms of social media sports streaming. Primarily, fans can communicate with each other, during the game, even if they are hundreds of miles apart. Fans can watch a game and read a live feed of others who are making commentary on the plays all while streaming it off of a social media app. This allows people across countries to connect over a common bond, their sports team.
The benefits of streaming sports on social media will continue to influence the sports world for years to come. For now, you can thank demassification for allowing this to be possible. Enjoy your games!
Sources:
John Vivian’s The Media of Mass Communication
Media and Sports 
I appreciate your connection to, explanation of, expansion on the topic of demassification! It’s awesome to see how each medium has developed over the years. You make print in particular pretty interesting.
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