Sporting Facebook: A Content Analysis of NCAA Organizational Sport Pages and Big 12 Conference Athletic Department Pages

Social-media Web sites provide a strategic means for college and university athletic departments to build and maintain a strong brand presence when cultivating relationships with Facebook users. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of social media as a brand-management tool in college athletics. Specifically, this study examined the use of Facebook in the NCAA (N = 10) and in the Big 12 Athletic Conference (N = 12) by content posted throughout the 2010–11 season. These Facebook pages were examined to determine how major college sport organizations were using communication tools, types of brand-management factors, and marketing coverage. The data revealed statistically significant differences in content posted by season, type of communication tools, and fan interaction. The results from this content analysis were used to conceptualize branding, marketing, and Facebook user behavior.