| Facebook to Change the Face of Sports |
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By: Cindy Wendland |
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 Sports fans, say hello to Facebook Sports Stadium! You’ve already used Facebook to share your life and stay connected with friends and family. Now Facebook is gearing up to be the channel to use to have those conversations revolve around sports.
Facebook tested the concept for two years during Super Bowl and had 65 million people follow the conversation called Trending Super Bowl. They realized they were on to something and went into development for Facebook Sports Stadium. They say that “users can conduct conversations with each other, get real-time stats, a live game clock, sanctioned photos and videos, team information and read commentary from media members.” Four of the tabs available for view are: Matchup, Friends, Experts, and Stats.
It’s really a great concept. Sports are about two things — skill (the athleticism of the athletes and strategy of the coaches) and fan involvement. The players and the spectators exist for each other. We are constantly looking for someone to say, “Hey, did you see that?” Facebook found in their research that “there is passion in the interaction. If you’re not watching the sporting event together, Facebook Sports Stadium allows people who are disconnected to interact as if they are watching together."
The NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl are the natural beginning for Facebook Sports Stadium. All the information you need surrounding the game is in one place, as well as the easiest way to comment on it and share with others. Facebook Sports Stadium is likely headed to cover the Final Four next and then there’s this little event this summer featuring five rings and torches of fire in Brazil. Facebook Sports Stadium could explode with that Olympic event. We’re looking forward to seeing how Facebook can enhance the sports viewing experience.
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Cindy Wendland has a background in marketing and finance. She is the creative director for an online men's health magazine, BrainBrawnBody.com, and she gets to write their leisure/travel blog. She is also a web designer helping her clients with online community engagement, websitesbywendland.com. Prior to her web years, she worked in pharmacy consulting.
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