Amateurs

How Amateurs are Taking Advantage of Social Media




High School Player Makes ESPN Top 10

Thanks to social media platforms such as YouTube, amateur athletes now have the opportunity to make a splash in mainstream media outlets.  Take for instance Devin Thomas from Central Pennsylvania.  He made the ESPN top 10 when a YouTube video of him breaking a backboard surfaced.  He even received recognition from LeSean McCoy of the Philadelphia Eagles and the rapper Lil Wayne via Twitter.






Social Media to Stoke Recruiting Interest

High school football players are using social media to gain more public exposure.  Take for example Devin Butler, defensive back and wide receiver from Washington DC.  His YouTube highlight reel was recently included in a Harrisburg PA online newspaper.  Devin is considering going to school at Penn State. This type of media attention stokes interest amongst college football fans.  It will inevitably make Devin's freshman year more important, as many 'in the know' fans will have their attention on him.


Photographers Are Also Taking Advantage



Amateur sports photographers have formed their own group on the social media website Flickr.  The group has over 1400 members and contains over 52,000 individual photos uploaded by various amateur photographers. 









Unconventional Plays Become Viral


Amateur athletes can also make a name for themselves when creative plays go viral via YouTube.  Take for instance this ‘football-style’ play at a high school all-star basketball game.


Coach Uses Blog to Keep Parents and Fans Posted



Perry Hunter, a high school basketball coach from Indiana, uses his own blog to keep his fans posted and to express his die hard enthusiasm for the sport of basketball.  Social media provides coaches with a new median to keep interested parties posted on the news of amateur teams.

Trick Soccer Shots

The goalkeeper for the University of North Carolina Asheville Bulldogs has made a name for himself with videos of trick soccer shots.  The video below has reached almost 1,000,000 hits.  Not only does YouTube help spread his talent, but the 'blogosphere' perpetuates the dissemination of his video to even more interested web surfers.