Social Media Allows Fans to Have Voices Heard

In the spirit of full disclosure, I want to mention that VaynerMedia has been working with the National Basketball Association’s New Jersey Nets for almost four weeks. If it seems like I’m being harsh on my own client’s performance on the court, I’m not. I am simply stating facts.

As some of you may know, the New Jersey Nets are not having a great season. Through forty-six games, the Nets are 4-42. They are on pace right now to break the record for the most losses/least amount of wins (not good either way) in an NBA regular season. As a result, you can imagine how the fans are feeling at this point.

Remember this: winning cures everything. VaynerMedia also works with the New York Jets of the National Football League, whose season came to an end two weekends ago. The Jets had a great season, exceeding most people’s (apart from a few crazy and unrealistic fans) expectations, making it to the AFC Championship with rookies in many key roles, and two detrimental injuries early in the season. A majority of fans were very happy with the way the season went, and made their voices heard. However, despite the team’s success in the end, it wasn’t always pretty. When things were ugly, and the Jets looked to be out of the playoffs, the Facebook wall and Twitter feed were full of very negative comments. Just the way it is.

Anyway, sorry to go off on a tangent, but it’s all related. You see, the Nets aren’t winning at the moment. If winning cures everything, then losing just makes things that much worse. On Facebook and Twitter, many fans have understandably expressed constant disappointment in a team with a lot of young talent, but nearly nothing to show from it.

Last week, one fan left several comments on the Nets’ Facebook wall, explaining his frustration with an organization that, from his point of view, was failing to make the moves necessary to win games, and even worse, did not listen to the people who paid hard-earned money to support them: their loyal fans. For this fan, responses from the Nets’ Facebook account did not really count as listening, because he felt that whoever was in charge of the account was not in a position to make decisions. The real decision-makers of the organization, he thought, were unaware his complaints.

Bobby Marks, (decision-maker extraordinaire) Vice President of Basketball Operations for the New Jersey Nets, caught wind of the fan’s comments. He wanted to film a video for the frustrated fan, and all Nets fans, to let them know their comments were being seen and taken into consideration by high-level executives within the organization. The Nets may not be winning many games, but they care a great deal about their fans.

Sports fans complain a lot when things aren’t going well, and we are entitled to do so. Believe me, I’m a die-hard Philadelphia Phillies, Sixers, and Eagles fan, and Philadelphians complain more than anybody. Fans are also entitled to have their comments, questions, and concerns be seen by the decision-makers of the teams they support. The fans are the reasons professional teams and leagues exist, we pay a lot of the bills. Our opinions should count.

We now live in a world where brands (not just in sports) have a responsibility to listen to and interact with their fans. In sports, we have reached a point where the barriers between fans and teams/professional athletes have been broken down. It no longer takes a letter or a phone call to maybe receive a letter back or reach an answering machine. Twitter and Facebook allow for real-time commentary.

My message to fans: Speak up. You’re entitled and able to do so, now more than ever.

My message to executives and team personnel: If your fans matter to you, pay attention to social media.