Sports teams don’t just have followers—they have rabid fans. After all, nobody is neutral about their favorite teams. And the big numbers in social media surrounding the top teams prove it. Research quickly shows that all the major professional teams are engaged in social media at some level. So how were we able to pick only 10? It wasn’t an easy job, but here’s how it went down: We started with a variety of professional teams across the various sports that listed highest on Rankopedia.com. We then looked at how many championships each team had won, and included several international choices for global flavor. Last, we pulled some telling online sentiment data using our monitoring tool, Sysomos MAP, and threw in a few surprises. Let’s play ball!

1. 10 Top Sports Teams
Doing Social Media Right

2. Goal! 10 Top Sports Teams
Doing Social Media Right
Sports teams don’t just have followers—they have rabid fans. After all, nobody is
neutral about their favorite teams. And the big numbers in social media surrounding
the top teams prove it. Research quickly shows that all the major professional teams
are engaged in social media at some level. So how were we able to pick only 10? It
wasn’t an easy job, but here’s how it went down:
We started with a variety of professional teams across the various sports that listed
highest on Rankopedia.com. We then looked at how many championships each
team had won, and included several international choices for global flavor. Last, we
pulled some telling online sentiment data using our monitoring tool, Sysomos MAP,
and threw in a few surprises. Let’s play ball!

3. 1. Manchester United
World’s Largest Franchise
Manchester is #2 on Rankopedia’s list of
most supportive fans. It has an estimated
500 million worldwide fans and 20 million
Facebook fans. Its forums are fully engaged,
although, admittedly, its Twitter accounts
leave a bit to be desired.
The breaking news on Nov. 2, 2011 was that
United intends to launch its own social
network! This is an heroic idea considering
that the team deleted all of its social media
accounts in 2010 and has only recently
reinitiated them. Over 500 million Red Devils
will likely appreciate the proposed exclusive
videos and behind-the-scenes content, so
we will watch and see. For guts and lots of
fans, Manchester wins the goal point.
Goal! 10 Top Sports Teams Doing Social Media Right

4. 2. FC Barcelona
Fan Pick for Best Ever
Coming in at #4 on Rankopedia’s Best
European Soccer Clubs Ever and #1 on its
Most Supportive Fans list, FC Barcelona
hosts 22 million Facebook fans. Soccer is
the world’s top sport (3.5 billion fans), so you
might say that 22 million isn’t much in
comparison, but the team’s fans certainly
speak out in many polls about their love for
this team. Vocal fans are engaged fans.
What grabs us is FC Barcelona’s deliberate
use of social media. The team has an
educational program to help staff “do social”
right. It has a liberal policy on posting,
exhibits a long-term commitment mindset
and is gearing up for mobile. For all that, FC
Barcelona is a winner in our book!
Goal! 10 Top Sports Teams Doing Social Media Right

5. 3. Los Angeles Lakers
Lockout Doesn’t Stop the Love
It’s hard to be a truly engaged fan when you
can’t watch your team play, so the lockout
makes this choice a bit controversial. But with
a healthy count of over 10 million engaged
and truly devoted Facebook fans, the Lakers
are still golden. Its positive blogosphere
sentiment is down from 86% to 77% (due in
part to last season’s finals showing), but the
fans are still with the team.
The Lakers’ social media is a brilliant mix of
old and new. It includes posts about the
Laker Girls touring China. It also presents the
world’s biggest memorabilia collection online,
and profiles the team’s history and the
coaches who have been leading the purple-
and-gold to victory through the years. For
knowing how to mix it up, we give it to the
Lakers.
Goal! 10 Top Sports Teams Doing Social Media Right

6. 4. Vancouver Canucks
Connecting Offline with Online
The Canucks take the top honor on
Rankopedia as the Best NHL Franchise
Ever. The team’s fans clearly adore the
franchise.
The Canucks are masterful at connecting
its offline fan base with its online fan
contingent. It is the only team featured here
that hosts Tweet-ups, bringing its Twitter
followers together in a real life setting. The
team’s Facebook fan base is around 600K
and its page is full of play-by-plays of the
games. The team asks questions, posts
videos of its philanthropy work with kids,
and opens itself to true conversation with
fans by actively asking for input. For
featuring its fan base and being hands-on
with social media tools, we pass them the
puck!
Goal! 10 Top Sports Teams Doing Social Media Right

7. 5. Green Bay Packers
Cheeseheads Unite!
Any team that can get fans wearing a
“Cheesehead Hat” enjoys some serious
fan devotion. With 2 million+ Facebook
fans, the Packers certainly feel the fan
love. Beyond rambunctious tailgate
parties and fans, the team also has “got it”
online. First, it exhibits a skillful use of
Facebook tabs, offers a blog (which not all
of the teams do) and mixes it up with
video, interviews and candid pics.
The Packers are also bridging the offline
and online worlds by hosting a free pep
rally for fans with social media
components. It features behind-the-
scenes commentary online with “Ask Vic”
segments and “Tuesdays with
McCarthy” (the team’s head coach). This
generous sharing of tasty online content is
something that fans crave.
Goal! 10 Top Sports Teams Doing Social Media Right

8. 6. Japan Women’s Soccer
Champions Set Twitter Record
We were disappointed by the lack of solid
online conversations surrounding women’s
teams in sports these days. We found lots
about the “sexiest women in sports,” but less
serious conversation about athletes. We
think the ladies of soccer deserve more than
a pin-up mention, with 29 million women and
girls playing the sport worldwide.
The Japanese Women’s team won the 2011
World Cup for the first time. Its engaged
fans set the record for most Tweets during
the final game, using the hashtag
#ladyballers. Women’s soccer dominated
the Twitter trending topics at the time—and
Solo, the U.S. goalie, increased her
following from a small 10K to over 200K with
the popularity of her account. To this, we say
Goal!
Goal! 10 Top Sports Teams Doing Social Media Right

9. 7. Dallas Cowboys
Everything Is Big in Texas
Dallas Cowboys fans paint their faces and
bodies to attend games and they live and
breathe the team’s every move. Some fans
even name their children after team
members (a trend we saw called out several
times in fans’ blogs). The team’s Facebook
fans number in the 4+ million range. Those
fans in Texas love their football!
When we pulled data on sentiment and
online popularity, the Cowboys ranked very
high. Over 69 million web hits were listed for
one week! The team enjoys a 75% positive
sentiment ratio and the blogosphere is alive
with conversation surrounding the team at
any given hour. The activity wasn’t just stale
news releases either, but was equally
distributed between traditional news and fan
generated content. For us, that’s worth
noting.
Goal! 10 Top Sports Teams Doing Social Media Right

10. 8. Montreal Canadiens
Popular with Away Fans
The Canadiens’ website and social
presence is an interactive social media
heaven. Contests, polls and more engage
the site visitor. The Canadian version of its
Facebook page boasts over 900K fans and
its Twitter count is almost 200K. The team
is ranked as one of the most engaged
teams in hockey.
What we found interesting from our data
pull was the percentage of U.S. fans that
this Canadian team attracts online.
Stateside fans like to talk about the team,
blog about it, and follow its games. In fact,
they drive more than 55% of the total web
conversation! For reaching out and
engaging fans worldwide, we salute
Montreal!
Goal! 10 Top Sports Teams Doing Social Media Right

11. 9. St. Louis Cardinals
Fun Is the Name of the Game
These 2011 World Series winners totally
leverage verbal engagement and
interactive fun. The team’s Facebook fans
rank near 1 million and the fans love
engaging. For example, the team posted a
picture of the packed ballpark during the
final World Series game and asked its FB
fans to tag themselves with the line, “Were
you there?” Fans did it. We think that’s
clever.
The Cardinals also know how to lighten up.
Here’s an example: You can create a Jib
Jab video of you and your friends’ faces as
part of the team. While serious devotion is
needed on the field, light humor only makes
the fan experience more fun. We like it!
Goal! 10 Top Sports Teams Doing Social Media Right

12. 10. New England Patriots
Maxing Out the Tools
The Patriots are rocking the Facebook space.
This team knows how to have fun. Its page
hosts 2.6 million fans and its tabs are expertly
used. The Fan Zone is full of interactive polls,
questions, and fun ways to engage. The team
uses real, candid pictures that add personality
and authenticity to its online interactions.
In addition, its Pick N Win tab not only includes
an email opt-in, but also a contest to pick the
next game’s winner for a prize. The team fully
incorporates the thrill of the game (and the bet)
with its online presence. For combining
marketing chops that further extend its brand
with play and fun, the Patriots earn a
touchdown AND extra point!
Goal! 10 Top Sports Teams Doing Social Media Right

13. Goal! 10 Top Sports Teams
Doing Social Media Right
Is Your Team Here?
Sports are enjoyed worldwide with nearly religious fervor. Social media is only
making it that much easier for fans and teams to connect. We think that’s a total
win for everyone.
We also know we didn’t get all the great teams with great fans. For example, we
researched cricket teams abroad (India and Pakistan were in close contention),
but they just didn’t make the cut in social media engagement. The result is that
while we’ve highlighted some winners here, we want to hear your team spirit.
Who isn’t on this list that should be? What is your favorite part of interacting with
your team online? What would you like to see more of when it comes to social
media and your sports teams? Shout it out in the comment section below and let
us hear you roar. We can see you doing the wave from here…

14. Goal! 10 Top Sports Teams
Doing Social Media Right
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