The Role of Social Media in Sports Streaming

With sports, we are constantly seeing a cycle of innovation and change. Sports by itself is a largely social activity. While you can enjoy watching sports by yourself, it's better to enjoy it with other people, even if it's with thousands of strangers in a packed stadium. Technology has only increased the reach of sports through various technological advancements. The first leap was made through print media, particularly newspapers, although magazines played a huge part, too. Writers describe the events of a game in great detail and fans read them the next day on their way to work or while they're at home. Next came the radio. With radio, people not in the stadium get to enjoy the sporting event in real-time. They mostly rely on the comments of the sports anchor so they know what's happening in the stadium. For years, sports radio broadcasting was a huge hit and it was accepted as the norm. Then came television. Television redefined what it means to enjoy sports. Even to this day, a good number of fans are still watching major or minor sports events through their TV screens. But a new player has just arrived and it's predicted to, once again, upend people's notion of sports entertainment. I'm talking, of course, about the internet. The internet is a whole new space for media to take over. And because it's a relatively new invention with almost limitless possibilities, the younger generation is claiming it as their own. Realizing this, the major sports association are keen on grabbing the huge opportunity the internet is offering. It's common to see nowadays sports updates posted online and players interacting with fans through their social media accounts. And speaking of social media, it is one avenue that the sports world is exploring in order to tap younger fans. What was once a way to connect with people has now become a huge platform where information is shared across thousands of individuals. The latest trend is to broadcast live sports events on social media. Now, broadcasting a sporting event was largely understood to be the dominion of television. Networks show sports events, people watch them, and advertisers pay for airtime in between halftime. That model was how everyone was able to take a piece of the cake. With live streaming, however, the old ways were essentially thrown out the window. Because users don't have to pay to sign up for Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, many people think that live streaming sports events on social media mean someone is losing money, either the networks or the teams. That's not the case at all. In fact, social media platforms who are streaming major sports events take in millions of dollars in revenue through advertisements as well. Whether it's streaming the Superbowl or smaller sporting events hosted by smaller companies like 꽁머니토토 (Bag Toto), we are seeing a new age of sports appreciation. Only time will tell what the next big leap will be. I'm thinking it might have something to do with virtual reality.