duncan228
11-17-2009, 12:54 AM
Spurs going 1-on-1 with legion of fans (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Spurs_going_1-on-1_with_legion_of_fans.html)
Jeff McDonald
When Spurs guard Manu Ginobili found out his wife had become pregnant with twins, he did not deliver the news through personalized announcements to friends and family, nor did he wait to publish an old-fashioned newspaper birth notice.
He posted it on his Facebook page.
When teammate Tony Parker attended a U2 concert at the new Cowboys Stadium last month, backstage pictures did not first appear on the pages of Us Weekly.
They appeared on his Facebook page.
Taking a 21st-century approach to the fan-player relationship, Parker and Ginobili — like scores of teenagers, proud parents armed with cute Halloween photos and, yes, other professional athletes — have joined the Facebook revolution.
“It’s a new way to communicate,” Parker said. “I wake up every day and think, ‘What am I going to say on my Facebook?’ It’s really addictive.”
Facebook is an Internet site popular with Regular Joes and Joans that allows users to interact with friends via posted messages, photos, and videos. Only recently have pro athletes begun to use it as a tool to bypass the mainstream media and interact with fans directly.
Parker’s page, written in English and French, is a collection of random thoughts, injury updates and question-and-answer sessions. Every so often, he gives away a pair of shoes or a jersey.
Ginobili’s page, in English and Spanish, is similar, offering a potpourri of photos — behind-the-scenes at an H-E-B commercial shoot, or clowning around with former Spurs teammate Fabricio Oberto — and thoughts about his season.
Both players agree that Facebook has changed the fan-player dynamic for the better.
“The fans get to know a different side of you,” Ginobili said.
The number of those plugged-in fans is growing by the day. Ginobili’s page boasts 102,000 followers. Parker’s page, launched five months after Ginobili’s, attracts around 55,000.
Humble beginnings
Parker’s page began with an assist from gaggle of French grade schoolers. Each summer, Parker runs a basketball camp in Paris. He was looking for a way to stay in contact with campers once he returned to San Antonio.
Several of them suggested Facebook. Parker had heard of the site but had never considered using it.
“I didn’t need Facebook to stay in touch with my friends,” he said. “I’d just call them on the phone.”
Parker started his page in September with 260 followers, all of them kids from his camp. By the end of October, that number had multiplied by 200.
Ginobili’s page, meanwhile, sprung from his love of computers. He already maintained a personal Web site. He was on Twitter before anyone else knew what it was.
In April, as he prepared to return to Argentina for an extensive rehab on his injured ankle, Ginobili was looking for a better way to keep fans abreast of his progress. So he started a Facebook page.
A decade ago, fans in Argentina — or even Atlanta — would have had to scour their local newspaper for Ginobili news. Now, they can get updates from the man himself at the click of a mouse.
“I don’t go anywhere without my laptop,” Ginobili said. “I’m always connected. So it’s easy for me to post a comment.”
A global village
Two of the league’s most popular international players, Parker and Ginobili have put the “world” in worldwide web.
Ginobili is most popular in Argentina, the United States, Italy and Spain. Parker’s top two countries are as obvious — France and the U.S.
His No. 3 caught even him by surprise.
“I’ve got 5,000 fans from Turkey,” Parker said. “I don’t know anyone in Turkey.”
That’s nothing compared to the surprise Parker got early in his Facebook foray.
In September, Ginobili posted a notice on his own page urging fans to visit Parker’s corner of the Web. Among Ginobili’s countrymen, it amounted to the American equivalent of a recommendation from the Oprah book club.
Somewhere between 2,000 to 3,000 Argentines became Parker’s Facebook fans that day.
“For a week, the most people on my Facebook were from Argentina,” Parker said. “Everybody was speaking Spanish. It was funny.”
A brave new world
As more players are dipping their toes into the Internet pool, the NBA has begun to wrestle with this brave new world of social media.
Before the season began, the league issued an edict barring players from using any form of electronic communication during a game. Outside of that, it is up to teams to monitor and regulate online content.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, a self-professed Luddite when it comes to Facebook and Twitter, says the team has instituted no firm rules beyond what the league has established.
“The players know how to conduct themselves and know what’s professional,” Popovich said.
Parker and Ginobili don’t aim to be controversial. Their goal is to give fans a peek behind the curtain, a safe glimpse into their lives.
For them, Facebook is an easy way to relate to fans, to shrink the gap between the bleachers and the court.
“It’s pretty cool,” Parker said. “You get to interact with the fans. It’s fun for them, and for me.”
Jeff McDonald
When Spurs guard Manu Ginobili found out his wife had become pregnant with twins, he did not deliver the news through personalized announcements to friends and family, nor did he wait to publish an old-fashioned newspaper birth notice.
He posted it on his Facebook page.
When teammate Tony Parker attended a U2 concert at the new Cowboys Stadium last month, backstage pictures did not first appear on the pages of Us Weekly.
They appeared on his Facebook page.
Taking a 21st-century approach to the fan-player relationship, Parker and Ginobili — like scores of teenagers, proud parents armed with cute Halloween photos and, yes, other professional athletes — have joined the Facebook revolution.
“It’s a new way to communicate,” Parker said. “I wake up every day and think, ‘What am I going to say on my Facebook?’ It’s really addictive.”
Facebook is an Internet site popular with Regular Joes and Joans that allows users to interact with friends via posted messages, photos, and videos. Only recently have pro athletes begun to use it as a tool to bypass the mainstream media and interact with fans directly.
Parker’s page, written in English and French, is a collection of random thoughts, injury updates and question-and-answer sessions. Every so often, he gives away a pair of shoes or a jersey.
Ginobili’s page, in English and Spanish, is similar, offering a potpourri of photos — behind-the-scenes at an H-E-B commercial shoot, or clowning around with former Spurs teammate Fabricio Oberto — and thoughts about his season.
Both players agree that Facebook has changed the fan-player dynamic for the better.
“The fans get to know a different side of you,” Ginobili said.
The number of those plugged-in fans is growing by the day. Ginobili’s page boasts 102,000 followers. Parker’s page, launched five months after Ginobili’s, attracts around 55,000.
Humble beginnings
Parker’s page began with an assist from gaggle of French grade schoolers. Each summer, Parker runs a basketball camp in Paris. He was looking for a way to stay in contact with campers once he returned to San Antonio.
Several of them suggested Facebook. Parker had heard of the site but had never considered using it.
“I didn’t need Facebook to stay in touch with my friends,” he said. “I’d just call them on the phone.”
Parker started his page in September with 260 followers, all of them kids from his camp. By the end of October, that number had multiplied by 200.
Ginobili’s page, meanwhile, sprung from his love of computers. He already maintained a personal Web site. He was on Twitter before anyone else knew what it was.
In April, as he prepared to return to Argentina for an extensive rehab on his injured ankle, Ginobili was looking for a better way to keep fans abreast of his progress. So he started a Facebook page.
A decade ago, fans in Argentina — or even Atlanta — would have had to scour their local newspaper for Ginobili news. Now, they can get updates from the man himself at the click of a mouse.
“I don’t go anywhere without my laptop,” Ginobili said. “I’m always connected. So it’s easy for me to post a comment.”
A global village
Two of the league’s most popular international players, Parker and Ginobili have put the “world” in worldwide web.
Ginobili is most popular in Argentina, the United States, Italy and Spain. Parker’s top two countries are as obvious — France and the U.S.
His No. 3 caught even him by surprise.
“I’ve got 5,000 fans from Turkey,” Parker said. “I don’t know anyone in Turkey.”
That’s nothing compared to the surprise Parker got early in his Facebook foray.
In September, Ginobili posted a notice on his own page urging fans to visit Parker’s corner of the Web. Among Ginobili’s countrymen, it amounted to the American equivalent of a recommendation from the Oprah book club.
Somewhere between 2,000 to 3,000 Argentines became Parker’s Facebook fans that day.
“For a week, the most people on my Facebook were from Argentina,” Parker said. “Everybody was speaking Spanish. It was funny.”
A brave new world
As more players are dipping their toes into the Internet pool, the NBA has begun to wrestle with this brave new world of social media.
Before the season began, the league issued an edict barring players from using any form of electronic communication during a game. Outside of that, it is up to teams to monitor and regulate online content.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, a self-professed Luddite when it comes to Facebook and Twitter, says the team has instituted no firm rules beyond what the league has established.
“The players know how to conduct themselves and know what’s professional,” Popovich said.
Parker and Ginobili don’t aim to be controversial. Their goal is to give fans a peek behind the curtain, a safe glimpse into their lives.
For them, Facebook is an easy way to relate to fans, to shrink the gap between the bleachers and the court.
“It’s pretty cool,” Parker said. “You get to interact with the fans. It’s fun for them, and for me.”