| In today's digital world, new marketing platforms have emerged that connect sport organizations with fans on levels beyond the reach of traditional media. Sport marketers are using the Internet, social networking sites, and mobile technology as the foundation of new marketing strategies, citing it as a cost-effective avenue for reaching a larger audience of sport consumers. Social networking sites, in particular, are rapidly becoming the most accessible channel for sports fans to communicate about their favorite teams, players, and coaches and as an outlet to express their enthusiasm. However, their impact on the industry has not been fully studied. Meanwhile, sport properties have becoming increasingly concerned about their ability to control their intellectual property in a digital environment that is constantly changing with each technological innovation.;The purpose of this study was to explore the use of new communication media in sport and to compare the phenomenon to the gradual evolution of trademark law. Professional sport is leading the way for the integration of social media and mobile technology into the sport marketing mix. The NFL and the NBA were the first leagues to utilize the enormous success of text messaging to provide score updates of games currently in progress to subscribing fans. Subsequently, both professional and collegiate sport properties have created fan pages on Facebook and MySpace to keep fans engaged. This explosion of new technology in sport creates a need for to sport marketers to fully understand how to use the medium to its fullest potential. As long as technology continues to outpace the evolution of trademark law, there also remains a need for sport practitioners to be able to adequately self-regulate their intellectual property and ultimately their brand. |
