The End of Athlete Blogs? (Part 2 of 2)

Posted by Octagon Digital on January 21, 2009 – 2:52 pm

In our last post we discussed whether athlete blogs really were worth the effort, given an athlete’s demanding schedule and the competition from pro or semi-pro bloggers to build an audience.  The answer, we decided, was “It depends.”  For some athletes, like Gilbert Arenas, it makes sense (please start posting more Gilbert!), but for most others, blogs are just not worth it.  This does not mean athletes should not try to develop an online presence.  Given that online platforms provide athletes a chance to control their message to the fans, and provide an online marketing and PR channel, today’s athletes must look at their online options beyond blogging.  One option that athletes are starting to embrace is Twitter.

By now, it is well-known that Shaq is on Twitter, and sending out some classic tweets.  (One of our favorites: “Its co sold in porltand i catn even tpye straight”).  But other athletes are getting in on the act now too!  Golfer Natalie Gulbis, New Jersey Devils player Patrik Elias, and Lance Armstrong are all on Twitter.  Even Britney Spears (granted, not an athlete, but more famous than all athletes except a few) created a Twitter account.

It is easy to see why athletes would use Twitter instead of blogging.  It’s faster, easier, and cheaper (i.e., the same reasons everyone else is starting to use it).  For sports fans, Twitter is a godsend.  Freed from the burden of drafting a longer blog post while in front of a computer, athletes can now shoot from the hip, telling their real feelings about a topic as it pops into their head.  Even better, because all an athlete needs is a cell phone, athlete tweets provide an immediacy and intimacy that blogs (even those written by pro bloggers) cannot match.

For example, imagine your favorite player tweaks an ankle and is carted off the field.  Would you rather read a blog post the next day about his or her status, or have that athlete send a Twitter message from inside the locker room (“Don’t worry, the ankle is going to be OK!”).

I’d say Twitter wins over blogs, and it’s not even close!


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