Sports Teams Using TikTok

TikTok has become one of the most used apps across the world over the last number of years. The level playing field for all users makes it an attractive platform to post on. Its algorithm rewards good content rather than users with a large following and this is why we are seeing so many people using the platform, including sports teams!   

Younger generations are watching less and less live TV, aren’t reading traditional news or listening to the radio, they are spending a lot of their time on social media apps. Sports teams need to be present on TikTok in order to maintain their brand visibility, keep fans updated with news, announce transfers, fixtures, new kits and everything in between. With little crossover between the content consumed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, social media teams have had to get creative in order for their content to do well on TikTok. It has allowed teams to show off their authenticity and likeability while also making it much easier to reach new and international audiences.

Now we’ll look at 6 teams who are using TikTok and how they use the platform!

The Golden State Warriors

28 out of 30 NBA teams are currently using Tiktok to showcase players, behind the scenes, and even their fans. The leading NBA team on the TikTok table are the Golden State Warriors with 3.7 million followers. Most of their videos are simple but generate a huge amount of engagement for the team. Their content shows the Warrior fans how similar they are to them by showing off their personalities and the humour of the players which can be enjoyed by anyone who comes across their videos.

Liberty Baseball Team  

As well as showing off the teams personalities and the fun behind the scenes action, teams have also been using TikTok to reveal exclusive news such as new jerseys. I think we can all agree that the Liberty Baseball Team from Lynchburg, Virginia nailed the Celine Dion challenge which was circulating on the app around the time of the release of their new kit. This video was filmed by a group of teammates and was picked up by the top sports channels in the U.S. such as CBS Sports and TSN and went viral as TikTok users shared it across their accounts.

Irish Rugby

Tiktok’s recent partnership with women’s rugby has been monumental for the organisation. The goals for this partnership were to give the fans and teams a platform to engage with the tournament throughout the year. Within this partnership was an agreement to have a TikTok creator embedded on the team who would regularly post and catch all the behind the scenes action of the Irish women’s rugby team. They are using the platform to give the sport a global window and reach new and existing fans. 

Chelsea F.C.

Chelsea are using the platform to promote their men and women teams. They currently have a following of 7.4 million. They are tapping into trending sounds and using them over clips of celebrations, behind the scenes, or funny moments that occur out on the field. 

Derry F.C.

The current leaders of the League of Ireland have grown with the use of TikTok. Derry Fc have a following of 28.6k on the platform while their instagram following is only at 15k. The difference in followers between the platforms shows the level of reach tiktok can give sports teams. They focus on humorous content which can be enjoyed by even someone who is not a football fan.

Kansas City Chiefs

The NFL wanted to reach out to their younger fan base and the best way to do this was through TikTok. When sports pages first started using TikTok they were reusing funny moments which would do well on any platform. The NFL didn’t want to just post on TikTok, they wanted teams and players to be creating content for TikTok. The chiefs currently have a whopping 2 million followers. They have grown by focusing on the audience which is already on TikTok and tapping into what users are enjoying and what is trending. They do this by applying it to the players, the staff and even their mascot and cheerleaders! While sports fans love to watch the actual game take place, we do also like to see what goes on behind the scenes! 

TikTok focuses on content creation, creativity and fun! It’s marketing that doesn’t look like marketing. We’ve seen sports and company pages do well on the platform because it is less invasive and more engaging  for users as it doesn’t involve a lot advertising.

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– Fia O’Brien

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