Cedars, April 2019

April 2019 15 SPORTS College Sports and Social Media: An advantageous relationship by Tim Smith C ollegiate sports programs have been using social media since its incep- tion. Cedarville teams have been no exception. “Primarily, our social media presence is used to promote our team and create a positive view of men’s tennis at Cedar- ville,” said Ryan Cvammen, a sophomore and a member of the Yellow Jackets men’s tennis team. Being an athlete is not the only role on Cvammen’s resume. He’s also involved with the team off the court, running the team’s social media accounts. Nowadays, anybody and everybody has a social media account. The world is filled to the brim with tweets, Instagram posts and Facebook updates. It’s almost a necessity in today’s world, and sports teams are no ex- ception to this rule. But, for many, a social media account is used to post personal pictures, update others on their lives or rant to the general public. How does this translate for a college sports team? Aaron Horn joined the Cedarville men’s basketball program this season as a volunteer assistant. He’s taken on the role of social media director. “Our social presence gives students, fans, and recruits an inside look at our team,” Horn said. “The content we create is utilized to create engagement.” Sports teams must use their social me- dia presence to promote their team and give inside looks to the day-to-day culture of the team. They can post highlights, updates, statistics and other team information. Some sports teams, though, have to work harder than others. “Tennis is a sport that doesn’t have a cra- zy amount of fans, so our social media has to promote our team and keep followers updat- ed on outcomes and events,” Cvammen said. Using social media to this end is one of the best ways to increase popularity. Con- sumer insight service Experian Simmons reported in 2015 that 98% of all college-age students use social media. So, teams can easily increase their campus presence by creating and using a social media account, as Cvammen seeks to do with his usage of the tennis Instagram page. On the other hand, some sports do not need as much help increasing popularity for their sport, so their social media accounts are used for other means. “All of our social media platforms en- able us to produce content that highlights our program,” said Horn. “We try and make our content unique to the culture [head] coach Estepp has created.” The basketball team does not have to rely on their social media to increase popu- larity on campus, so they use their presence to promote the team’s focus for the year. For example, the Cedarville men’s bas- ketball team had a focus statement of “Fear One, Fear None” this year. Horn was able to emphasize this point through every post and update on their social media. A viewer could not leave the basketball social media without seeing the team’s focus in some way or form. The team also used the popularity of the CU Towel Gang in some posts during the 2018-19 season. Further, graphics and posts from inside the locker room was an- other outlet for the Yellow Jackets to show off their environment. Whether it’s increasing sport popular- ity or emphasizing team focus, one thing is clear among all the teams — social media is a necessity in today’s world. “Social media is important nowadays — everybody has one,” Cvammen said. “It is important to have a strong social me- dia presence in order for a team to stay relevant in the changing times that we live in.” The social media presence of a sports team is an important aspect of the team overall, and it is one that is often over- looked. Some teams are able to use a multi-tasker, such as Cvammen. Other teams must find help elsewhere, like the basketball team did with Horn. Nonethe- less, if a team wants to stay relevant and popular in the world today, using Insta- gram, Twitter and Facebook to their ad- vantage is a must. Tim Smith is a freshman journalism major and staff writer for Cedars. He loves foot- ball, 3 Musketeers candy and primarily speaking in movie quotes. Photo courtesy Cedarville Yellow Jackets Ryan Cvammen, a sophomore tennis player, runs the social media accounts for the men’s team. “Primarily, our social media presence is used to promote our team and create a positive view of men’s tennis at Cedarville,” Cvammen said.