SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE CASE OF SPORT LEAGUES DURING COVID-19

Abstract

This study contributes to the existing literature on sports communication by providing evidence on how sports organizations communicated on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, a content analysis was carried out on the publications of the social networks Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram of five major competitions: Liga ENDESA ACB, TURKISH AIRLINES Euroleague), NBA, La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. In total, 2,425 publications collected over a period of two weeks (April 1 to April 15, 2020) were analyzed. The results showed that, despite the differences found from a descriptive perspective, after the statistical analysis, the sports organizations analyzed opted for a similar management strategy for their social media. These findings can help understand how sports organizations dealt with COVID-19 and help them face future crises with greater insight into their past actions.

Keywords
Social networks; COVID-19; Sports events; Education.