Football Fandom in the Internet Age

By Todd L. Frank  |   Thursday, May 20, 2010  |  Comments( 0 )

Washington Redskins
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We’re taking a look at how football fandom has changed in the internet age. For part 1, we talk to Thomas Threlkeld of DC Pro Sports Report and Kevin from Hogs Haven.

Real Football 365: How would you best sum up the biggest difference in football fandom in the internet age vs. the old days? Or even in 2010 internet era vs. just several years ago when the internet existed but wasn’t yet being leveraged in such a revolutionary way by social media and bloggers outside of the mainstream sports media?

Hogs Haven: The biggest difference is simply the wealth of information. Before the internet, the only information was really the newspaper and radio, which spoon fed you a handful of knowledge based on a few people’s opinions (the sports writers and radio hosts). Today, with blogs and podcasts, everyone is a journalist, so you get more angles than you could ever imagine.

It’s changed immensely for the players as well. With Facebook, Twitter and camera phones, the personal lives of the players are brought to us real close. Anything a player says or does is caught on video, which is instantly on a blog and interpreted.

DC Pro Sports Report: These days, if you want to know a lot more about the sport, you can. Information is much easier to consume and disseminate and statistics are available for in-depth analysis. Basically, if you want to have a deeper understanding of any major sport, you don’t have an excuse for not getting it.

RF365: The Washington Redskins have always had a passionate fan base. While they’ve certainly struggled over the last decade or so and the Wizards had some moments a few years back and the Capitals have been the best team lately, this is and always be a Redskins town. How have you seen that passion come through online?

DCPSR: There is no comparison between the traffic on a Redskins discussion forum and the traffic on a Capitals or even Wizards discussion forum. Whether they deserve it or not, the Redskins get coverage and attention from the sports fans and sports writers of this area that the other teams can only envy.

HH: The passion comes through in the amount of traffic we’re seeing. Statistics don’t lie. Whenever there’s a major news announcement such as the McNabb trade or the NFL draft, both the traffic and number of comments on Hogs Haven quadruple. People care about the team and chime in with their thoughts to make sense of this situation. Before, people could call others, but the web offers a forum to talk to thousands of fans instantaneously.

RF365: Blogs and message boards have changed how sports fans “meet up” and interact. How would you say that affects (positively and/or negatively) the fan experience?

HH: Well, the negative experience, like any website, is that people are cloaked in anonymity. This means they can be as crude as they want since no one will ever know their identity. For the large majority though, it’s a positive experience. You genuinely get to know other people and their preferences, and it almost becomes like a live conversation. We’ve done some public events where members had a chance to meet in each other in person, and it was a great time.

DCPSR: I’m frequently astonished at the rudeness on online, no matter how often I witness it. Generally, I don’t see that level of rudeness among sports fans that are interacting in person unless alcohol is involved. Then all bets are off. But the internet seems to act almost like alcohol to some people. They become much “braver” (read: belligerent) than they would if they were talking to someone standing three feet away.

RF365: The internet makes it possible for a Redskins fan in Prague or Portland (Oregon or Maine) read the Washington Post and interact with other diehard Redskin fans on your site and others. What have you seen on your site that made you shake your head in amazement about how the internet can bring these people together?

HH: You gave the perfect example of demographics. I was amazed at how many Redskins followers there are on Hogs Haven that are not from the DC area. There are a couple regulars from Australia, the Middle East, and a large group from the West Coast. Most of them know more about the team than the locals. That speaks volumes of the power of the internet.

DCPSR: I knew a British Redskins fan who came to the U.S. just to watch Redskins games in person and he did this more than once. I can’t imagine traveling to Europe to watch a soccer match. I think people living a great distance from their favorite sports team can follow events just as closely as those living nearby, but they will, eventually, feel the urge to see that team in person, just as those fortunate enough to live in the neighborhood have done.

RF365: Anonymity on the internet can turn anyone into a tough guy or alleged expert. Now, instead of risking walking into a stadium in Dallas or Philly, Redskin fans can just hop over to a Cowboys or Eagles message board and mix it up with rival fans from the comfort of their own home. Has this altered the nature of sports rivalries and trash talk, and have you seen much of this as far as fans of other teams frequenting your site?

DCPSR: I guess I was addressing that a bit earlier. Many sites are essentially full of idiots who are 10 feet tall when using an internet connection. When building two DC sports websites, we have made a conscious effort to create an environment that discourages belligerent trash talk and profanity. I like to say there is place for that nonsense – the ESPN message boards. Go forth and pollute! It is easy to find places to discuss sports online. It’s not as easy to find places to discuss sports online intelligently. We’ve wanted to create a refuge for the thinking sports fan. It’s okay to admit the other guy’s favorite team is better this year. Seriously, honesty like that will not cause something important to fall off your body.

HH: As I see it, there’s constructive trash-talking and then there’s trolling. Opposing fans come on to our site, but for the most part, they give logical explanations to back their talk. If a person comes on the site cursing a storm or continually leaving jabbing messages, we’ll ban them (regardless of affiliation). There’s no need for it when we’re all on the blog for the same reason, to have a good talk.

RF365: Beyond interacting on message boards, fans now have unprecedented access to information about the Redskins. Just like any other subject, more information doesn’t mean that all of it is accurate, reliable, or even entertaining. How have the Redskins as an organization utilized new technologies to their advantage and would you say they are ahead or behind the curve on that compared to other sports organizations?

HH: In terms of technology, I’d say they’re behind since the media box at FedEx Field was still on dial-up internet access last I heard. But the Redskins are ahead of the curve when it comes to blogging. When we first took over Hogs Haven, I had the chance to meet one of the Redskins PR reps, and he immediately gave me media access to OTAs and training camp. A lot of the NFL teams ban all bloggers given the trust issue, but the truth is bloggers are a major aspect of pushing their product. The Redskins get it. And Roger Goodell gets it, too.

DCPSR: The Redskins have a good blogger [Matt Terl], but Dan Snyder’s strategy has been to replace what he doesn’t like and he pursues that strategy with the media as much as he has with head coaches and quarterbacks. The Redskins have been a bit more aggressive than some teams, but basically they’re all trying to control the message coming out of their practice facilities. The Redskins try to use the internet to communicate directly with their fans, bypassing the “old media” who might tend to ask uncomfortable questions. I don’t really have a problem with that strategy [I expect it], I just don’t ever want it to be successful. To me, the key to having an interesting fan site is to be just as critical as anyone working for the Washington Post. In fact, we can have more freedom than a Washington Post beat reporter because we generally don’t have to worry about burning any bridges with sources. If the game plan is horrible I can write that explicitly and not worry that the head coach will cut me off and make my job miserable.

RF365: You happen to have a site dedicated to a team in the Redskins that has an owner who’s received a large share of much deserved criticism over the years from both the local and national media as well as the fan base. He’s also someone who owns radio stations and likes to control the message.

DCPSR: Media is so diffuse these days that controlling the message is virtually impossible. Snyder proved that himself with his clumsy attempt to banish protest signs from Redskins home games last year. In retrospect, I’m sure he now wishes he’d never tried to suppress free speech at the stadium because it made him look bad and it didn’t work anyway. Hopefully, he’s learned something from that experience, but even if he didn’t, it wouldn’t be difficult to teach him that lesson again.

HH: Owners who control the media are a recipe for disaster, especially when there’s a product as bad as the Redskins. When ownerships paint a pretty picture despite a team that is clearly under-performing, a trust is broken with the fans. Anyone watching the games knew the team was a mess from the top down; so pretending it’s not, though it will make some fans believe, can have an exponential affect the other way. Google “Burgundy Revolution” and you’ll see the results.

RF365: In politics, sports, and entertainment, more and more blogs and independent websites have started to be recognized and granted press credentials. Has your site been granted access to the Redskins like a legitimate news organization or do you feel you are still marginalized for not being “mainstream” since you don’t have the official backing of ESPN, or one of the major TV networks and/or news organizations?

HH: Yes, we were credentialed by the Redskins last year. They asked us to post updates regarding one of their sponsors and to “make it look good,” but I never thought twice about posting what I saw. Like any team, the Redskins have to protect their best interest. They can’t just let anyone in who’d bash their product. That’s why I focus on being objective as possible and always pointing out the positives (with any negatives I see). Negatives are always better for instant traffic, but it makes for poor journalism. Hogs Haven is part of the SB Nation platform, so our content is fed to Yahoo Sports, CNNSi, USAToday, and CBS Sportsline. So that really helps give us legitimacy over other people. The NFL credentialed four of SB Nation’s bloggers for the NFL draft.

DCPSR: We have not yet tried to gain credentials, but that day is coming soon. I’ve noticed some reporters are eager to be involved with our site and other reporters basically ignore us. It’s not so much an age thing as a personality thing. I think some journalists like the new interactivity (or are at least cheerfully resigned to it) and others do not.

RF365: Have you had any situation where players came to your site to interact with fans? Obviously the active players are mostly in their 20’s and early 30’s and some are active on Twitter, Facebook, or their own blogs. How has this sped along the transformation of sports media and do you think that has pushed sports owners/management to get with the program sooner?

DCPSR: That has happened, as well as the relatives of players. My impression of players is that no matter how accustomed they are to booing, they still expect a significant level of deference. Some fans are happy with that. Some are not. I’m not. I don’t know if player interaction has sped along the transformation of sports media as much as just tried to keep pace with it. Players can and do take part in this transformation, but they didn’t create it and they don’t drive it or control it.

HH: I’ve had players mention they’ve read the site, but there hasn’t been interaction to the level of a Redskin commenting or posting, though that is a goal. It is a growing phenomenon though because this allows players to build popularity with their fans, which of course could helps in contracts and relationships. Chris Cooley is an example. His blog and interaction with fans has sky-rocketed his popularity and jersey sales.

RF365: There are several Redskins message boards and blogs. Do you see yourselves as rivals competing for active members and page views, or is it more like an extended family assuming their own personalities?

HH: It’s both. I have a great relationship with the other bloggers and forum members yet we’re all going after the same thing. It’s like boxing, you respect each other, but in the end, it’s a clean fight to do what it takes to get more traffic.

DCPSR: Yea, it’s a bit of both. Not all of us are working the same side of the street, but I’m sure all of us have, at some point, seen something written at another site and thought: “Dammit, I wish I’d written that yesterday.” Competition is inevitable even if it is mostly friendly.

RF365: Can you point to any particular moment, either on your site or perhaps something that you experienced, that made you feel like being a Redskins fan in the Internet Age was now drastically different and that things will never be the same as they once were?

HH: Well, Twitter and Facebook have changed everything. I’ve exchanged messages with Cooley, Terrell Owens, Darrell Green, Phillip Daniels…dozens of players. There was never a way for fans to interact with players except for hanging in the parking lots, and the internet era has changed that. It was a really cool feeling the first time a player responded to my message.

DCPSR: What strikes me as fundamentally different now is the immediacy of the Internet and the amount of information on it. Message boards light up when the team is bad because people want to vent. They don’t have to call up a local sports talk station and wait for an hour to hope to get on and talk for 35 seconds. Now they can write all they want. Much of it will be dreck, of course, but at least they got something off their chests. In that way a message board or a weblog is a superior experience for a devoted fan.

There is also so much more information, including statistical information, about sports and much of it is driven, disseminated, and consumed by fans. You frequently find devoted fans spitting out information that sports columnists do not have. The tendency of the columnist is to shrug that stuff off as fodder for weirdo obsessives. There might be a bit of truth to that, but a lot of that information is actually useful for understanding a sport and a columnist that wants to be authoritative (as opposed to just seeming authoritative) would do well to pay attention. Columnists and other “big media pundits” can’t be lazy anymore and get away with it. Their previous opinions are still around somewhere and the information to refute or confirm them is around, too. Inevitably, someone is going to put the two together. A lot of people in the media aren’t too thrilled about that, but some have no problem and those are the ones who will thrive. After all, this is the new reality. Going back isn’t on the agenda.
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