For the first time ever, MLS fans have selected the captain of the 2015 All-Star Game through Snapchat.
To become eligible to vote via Snapchat, MLS fans simply had to add ‘MLS’ on Snapchat. By following and viewing the ‘my story’ posted on the MLS account fans could then see a few illustrations of players nominated by MLS All-Star coach Pablo Mastroeni.
Voting was made simple. The snap of a screenshot equals one vote.
Recently, Snapchat has been greatly involved in the sports scene. Just this past February marked the launch of Snapchat’s sports content service named Discover. This allows large sports franchises such as ESPN to engage with wide fan bases, which in turn provide real-time news to the casual or die-hard fan. Likewise, sports outlets such as Bleacher Report and Sky Sports also have been noted as being in a partnership with Snapchat. These collaborations provide a wider fan base for each sports domain, due to the fact that Snapchat holds a user base of 200 million.
By sports outlets using Snapchat as a form of interaction with fans, it turns a social media platform that was once mainly one-way communication into one that is now interpersonal between teams and fans. It is a great way for sports outlets to reach fans of the coveted millennial demographic. Smart move by the MLS. Expect more teams and leagues to follow suit.
