Connecting With Fans Is Not Always a Good Idea?

by Brian Reich | 21 Nov 2008, 1:52pm

The headline writers at the New York Times could not be more wrong.

According to today’s New York Times, Cleveland Browns General Manager Phil Savage provided sports teams with the latest evidence that “the send button might be the most dangerous thing in the minefield known as the Internet.”

What happened?  A fan sent the Browns GM an email criticizing the team’s play, following a loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.  Savage responded by encouraging the fan to root for the Bills, and included a profanity (use your imagination).  The fan then forwarded the email along to DeadSpin, a popular sports blog.  Savage and the Browns were publicly criticized.  The Browns later apologized.

Where is the story here?  This kind of thing happens every day.  Fans are encouraged to give feedback and teams should see the opportunity in responding.  But, the article suggests that in the fast-paced, highly-connected, boundary free world that the Internet has created, the risks for sports teams when engaging online is simply too great.  Teams can’t have it both ways — they can’t use the internet to generate billions of dollars through the sale of tickets, merchandise, and other things online, and not expect that fans will have something to say, and want a response. Moreover, sports teams can’t expect to control every aspect of their communications online (or at all) any more than they can expect to control how every ball bounces or play is executed on the field.

The Internet isn’t dangerous, and connecting with fans is not only a good idea - its a necessary element of running a professional sports franchise, or any organization, in the digital age.  What is dangerous is acting like a dumbass when you are communicating.  Phil Savage definitely learned that lesson.

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