The holidays are a time of rest, relaxation, and endlessly scrolling social media to avoid conversations with your weird cousin.
For sports fans, that endless scroll is likely to include a hearty helping of content from the teams and leagues they follow—or even some from the teams they hate, if the algorithm miscalculated.
This year, Marketing Brew spoke with 10 teams and leagues from around the world to unpack their social media playbooks. Based on those conversations, here’s what fans might expect to dominate their feeds in the future, plus lessons that other brand marketers can take away from the sports world.
Video killed the static sports post: In the words of Charlie Widdoes, VP of content for the Brooklyn Nets, “Let’s start with TikTok, because where else would we start in the year 2024?”
The Nets are the most-liked NBA team on the platform, and even have a dedicated TikTok content team, Widdoes said. They’re not the only sports organization prioritizing the short-form video platform: The Chicago Bulls, New York Liberty, Seattle Mariners, and Major League Soccer are among the others that focused on TikTok growth this year.
“We think our on-pitch product will go toe-to-toe with anybody in the world,” Zach Riggar, VP of digital marketing and paid media at MLS, told Marketing Brew. “Our players are amazing, and TikTok really lends itself well to that.”
MLS has also placed increasing emphasis on YouTube in 2024. Instagram Reels has driven much of Nascar’s recent social growth, but regardless of platform, it’s clear video content is a priority for teams and leagues headed into 2025.
Get to know you: Historically, sports organizations have relied on highlights to fuel their content machines. In the modern social landscape, though, player personality content now tends to take the cake.
That content includes off-court and off-field videos that give fans a glimpse of what players are like when they’re not competing, from short clips where athletes weigh in on topics like their favorite style of pizza or the right number of pillows to sleep with to documentary-style videos that dive deeper into their lives. MLS, Manchester City, and the Nets all produce ongoing behind-the-scenes series about their players.
“I look around the globe, and I look around at what our competitors are doing, and it’s all the same thing,” Michael Russell, Man City’s head of production, said. “We’re all trying to tell that story of players off the pitch.”
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Fashion show: Fashion and sports often go hand in hand, and fans are eager to see players’ fits. In some sports, like football, basketball, and soccer, tunnel walks featuring athletes’ game-day outfits are commonplace, and teams like the Washington Spirit capture those moments for social.
Even sports without tunnel walks have worked fashion into their social strategies. In the motorsports world, Nascar Director of Social Content Torey Fox said he’s interested in working with creators who might be more drawn to the fashion around the sport than the sport itself, and Formula 1 hasn’t shied away from posting the iconic outfits of soon-to-be Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton on its official account.
Long live the mascot: In some cases, team mascots have become known for their impeccable fashion sense. The Liberty’s Ellie the Elephant is renowned for her drip and is a mainstay on the team’s social profiles. She also has her own accounts, as does Benny the Bull, who has helped the Bulls reel in more than just die-hard fans, according to VP of Content Luka Dukich.
“Benny’s following on TikTok is very different from the Bulls’ following on TikTok,” Dukich said. “They don’t really care as much about the game the night before; they care about Benny and his hijinks and what he’s doing.”
In the minor league baseball world, the Hartford Yard Goats regularly post about their mascots, Chew Chew and Chompers. With brands like Pop-Tarts also embracing mascots, it’s possible that marketers outside sports might be lining up to work with Benny, Chew Chew, and Chompers—although it looks like McDonald’s and Grimace might already have Ellie’s number.
Meme(ento mori): Memes are a more divisive topic among sports social media marketers. Some teams, including the Mariners, the Yard Goats, and the Nets, are all for sharing meme content. Others, like MLS, generally “try to stay away from it,” Riggar said. Many agreed that meme content shouldn’t be forced, but when it’s relevant, engaging with broader cultural conversations can be fruitful.
“I’ve tapped into music heavily with my captions, and even with the content that we’re producing,” Liberty Social Media Coordinator Charlie DeSadier said. “I did the Drake versus Kendrick Lamar thing during our media day, which performed really well…It reached that pop culture fan base outside of just the Liberty fan base.”
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