Twitter has been around since 2006, but it was last year when it really took off. And 2010 was the year I discovered the power of Twitter for us baseball fans.
It was early in the season when I started using the #SFGiants hashtag, and I unexpectedly found myself caught up in a loose-knit community of Giants fans. A motley gathering we were – a number of guys in San Francisco, fans scattered in the hinterlands like myself, a woman in Sacramento who seemingly spent half the summer on I-80 en route to or from AT&T Park.
I managed to listen to or watch most Giants games over the long, magical season, and Twitter enhanced the experience. I’d tweet here and there over the course of an inning or two. Early in the season, when seeing Dodger blue made me see red, I tweeted that — and it resonated with other fans.
As successful as the Giants’ championship season was, it almost seems as if we fans reveled more in the “torture” of the team’s losses. But Los Gigantes marched all the way to the World Series and won it. Twitter was part of the fun through it all.
Even better, following other baseball fans on Twitter has enriched my enjoyment of the sport overall. Twitter gives fans an insight into what fans of the opposing team are thinking – how they react to a controversial call by an umpire, for example, or the shock they feel on losing a close game.
The reactions are raw, entertaining (check the Phillies fans when they lose – they’re hilarious) and often clever.
I’ve gained new insights into the game through Twitter, and that’s awesome.
I tweet about the Giants, baseball in general and a bunch of other stuff. I invite you to follow me – @danielday – at this link.
The Ball Caps Blog 