Why Athletes Should Be On Social Media + Top 5 Baseball Players To Follow
1. It can get you recruited
Today, more coaches, players, and organizations are on social media. If you learn how to brand yourself as an athlete on social media effectively, it might just be the thing that gets you recruited! Social media is a crucial networking tool for helping athletes get recruited. Twitter, in particular, has become a sort of recruiting platform for baseball players. Athletes that can create a positive buzz around them attract more fans, making them more likely to be taken on by a distinguished team. Additionally, if you are a high-school student dreaming about college baseball and want to know how to get recruited for college, your social media presence can help you get there!2. You can interact with your fans
Fans love interacting with their favorite athletes on social media. As an athlete on social media, you are giving your fans access to parts of your life they wouldn’t have been able to get otherwise, which strengthens your connection with them. Today’s fans want an authentic and honest view of athletes to feel closer to the people they admire. Social media allows you to thank your fans, have conversations with them, and give them a glimpse of what your life looks like before you enter the field.
3. You can tell your story the way you want it to be told
Social media gives you the power to influence, facilitate, and protect your brand on your terms. It allows you to tell your story the way you want it to be told. It will enable you to remove the middleman and tell your story directly and unfiltered.4. You have unique world to share, and people want to see it!
The life of an athlete is sort of a mythical thing, and people love the idea of getting a sneak peek behind the scenes and into the world of professional athletes. The person with the most followers on Instagram today is the soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo. While this success comes in part from a great PR team, it also shows that people have a profound interest in knowing what the life of a professional athlete looks like.5. You can be a source of inspiration
Athletes are inspiring, and many people follow them because seeing someone putting in the hard work required to achieve greatness is hugely motivating. A freshman in high school who dreams of being recruited for college baseball will find your achievements inspiring because it reminds them that their dreams are possible.
How To Make The Most Out Of Social Media As An Athlete
Social media can help you create a great brand for yourself and potentially boost your athletic career, but a social media profile will not run itself. Here, we have included a couple of tips to squeeze all of the benefits social media offers.
1. Have a clear distinction between your public and private life
To limit potential media controversy and maintain your privacy, create professional social media accounts and use strict privacy settings on your personal accounts. Doing so will allow you to share content that your fans and potential recruiters will want to see on your professional account and posts meant for friends and family on your personal account.
2. Tell a story
Stories are the source behind every great piece of entertainment. There is nothing people enjoy more than listening to a great story. Use this in your favor by sharing stories about your life in sports, such as how you got recruited, a fun anecdote, or what you have learned throughout the years. Whether you are tweeting, live streaming, or blogging, sharing your story will make your audience feel more emotionally connected with you while strengthening your brand.
3. Show your life on and off the field
Sharing the highlights of a game is just as important as sharing what goes on behind the scenes when marketing yourself on social media. Many athletes on social media report that their most popular content is often showing mundane activities, such as training at the gym, hanging out with their teammates, or simply watching a movie.4. Be consistent
One of the biggest mistakes you can make if you want to grow your social media is inconsistency. Building a social media following is a slow process, and being inconsistent with your content makes it appear as though you are disinterested in updating your followers, which will make your platforms grow stagnant. So, try to post at least a couple of times a week.5. Keep it PG
You don’t know who is following you on social media. It might be a renowned coach or a twelve-year-old boy who looks up to you. Your professional social media accounts are not the place to get in a heated argument, share photos of a wild night out, or share any type of content that could be considered inappropriate. So, before you upload your content, remember that you represent your sport, and many people will be watching!Top 10 Baseball Players You Want To Follow
If you would like to see the power of social media in athletes' careers in action, take a look at what we’ve deemed the best baseball players to follow on social media!1. Kris Bryant
Kris Bryant is one of the leading figures of the contemporary American baseball world. A third baseman as well as an outfielder for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball. Bryant has earned a notable following on social media by creating the perfect balance between family life, professional highlights, humor, and activism. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter!
2. Anthony Rizzo
Anthony Rizzo is an excellent example of how you can use social media to boost your brand while also promoting what you care about. Rizzo runs the "Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation.” His social content focuses mainly on families of children who have pediatric cancer. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter to see more!
3. Miguel Cabrera
The Venezuelan Detroit Tigers' player maintains a high following and a strong sense of community through familial bonds and pride in his heritage. Cabrera is an excellent example of an athlete who knows how to remain faithful to himself while keeping his audience engaged. His approach to social media has amassed him over 1 million followers on both Instagram and Twitter.
4. Ryan Weiss
Ryan’s presence on social media is precisely what every athlete should aim for. He showcases his passion for the sport while also giving his audience a look behind the scenes of the life of a professional athlete. Follow him on Instagram and TikTok to find ideas on boosting your own social media presence and brand yourself successfully.
5. Blake Snell
The 28-year-old pitcher of the San Diego Padres is a perfect example of how you can use less traditional social media platforms to attract a bigger audience and showcase your personality as an athlete. Snell has amassed a large following on Instagram and Twitter, but he is also a Twitch streamer, where he showcases his fun, honest, and playful personality as well as his passion for gaming.
In Conclusion
Social media can help you boost your career as an athlete. Still, it can also help you form significant connections with your audience. These platforms allow you to show a side of yourself that people wouldn’t have otherwise seen and promote the causes close to your heart.
We hope you enjoyed this blog and that it helped you get some clarity on the importance of social media for professional athletes. If you would like to read more tips, information, and advice about baseball, check out the rest of our blogs.
Be sure to check out Ryan Weiss's coaching program and his other training programs to elevate your game.