Off the Court: Examining Social Media Activity and Engagement in Women’s Professional Sport

in International Journal of Sport Communication

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Megan C. PichéDepartment of Sport Management, Brock University, Saint Catharines, ON, Canada

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Michael L. NaraineDepartment of Sport Management, Brock University, Saint Catharines, ON, Canada

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsc.2021-0069
Keywords:
women’s sport; social media metrics; fan engagement; relationship marketing
First Published Online:
12 Jan 2022
In Print:
Volume 15: Issue 1
Page Range:
23–32
Restricted access

Sports organizations’ use of social media (SM) has become a key strategy in the coverage and promotion of sport. Although research has been done on the success of digital marketing for men’s professional sport, little is known about the impact of such in women’s sport. This study aimed to examine the SM activity and engagement with fans of the Women’s National Basketball Association. All posts from Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the 2019 calendar year were collected from all 12 Women’s National Basketball Association teams and analyzed, in aggregate, for their SM metrics. Results indicated that there was a high level of interaction on SM during the in-season competition months, whereas engagement during the off-season period declined. Given these results, the Women’s National Basketball Association should create strategies to increase fan engagement when there is decreased interactivity to perpetually promote women’s sport. This research provides a starting point for future research on women’s sport involving SM metrics.

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