Social media having a big impact on football is nothing new. The past 10 to 15 years have, on the face of it at least, brought fans closer than ever to players and teams. From the early days of Twitter and Wayne Rooney’s posts such as ‘Mr bean. Funny’, to the more recent and considered behind-the-scenes videos produced by clubs, we are given a window into a world that had previously remained behind closed doors.
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But while a social media presence has long been important for clubs, how they operate in the digital space continues to evolve. TikTok, in particular, has become a place where the usual rules do not seem to apply. Teams are bolder in the type of content they post, sometimes about opposing sides and their players.
One example made headlines last month. After Fulham beat Manchester United 2-1 at Old Trafford. Fulham’s TikTok account poked fun at United captain Bruno Fernandes after he fell to the ground and claimed he had been fouled…
@fulhamfc So glad he’s ok… 🙄 #fulhamfc #premierleague #brunofernandes ♬ sonido original – ♫ ♪ 𝒴𝒶𝓃𝒿𝓊𝓁𝓂𝒶𝓇𝓉 ♫ ♪
The video has been viewed more than two million times, has received over 165,000 likes, 6,000 comments and been favourited more than 8,000 times.
Despite it performing so well, United manager Erik ten Hag was not pleased when it was brought to his attention. “I didn’t know this, but if they did it I would say it’s not right,” Ten Hag said. “It’s absolutely not right that a club makes this statement, because it’s totally out of order and you are wrong. So they should apologise for this.”
No apology came from Fulham but they have reiterated no offence was intended.
Ten Hag not being aware of the video before getting asked about it was made clear by the seriousness of his reaction. But posts of that kind are par for the course on TikTok. They have been posted before and have continued to be in the weeks since.
Brentford posting a suggestive video about Arsenal’s Kai Havertz falling to the ground in the penalty area after their 2-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium is just one of many this month alone.
@brentfordfc😳♬ original sound – *ੈ✩‧₊˚
Another recent example includes League One side Wycombe Wanderers poking fun at Wigan Athletic goalkeeper Sam Tickle scoring an own goal, with a Mr Men-style voiceover of Mr Tickle accompanying footage of it. A division higher, Leeds United were similarly playful when they used a clip of Eric Cartman from South Park to celebrate coming from 2-0 down at half-time to beat Norwich City 3-2 in October.
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Those consuming the content via social media may not bat an eye, but why do clubs use TikTok so differently to other platforms and what is it that makes them feel liberated to do so?
The sports organisations contacted by The Athletic for this article explained how the demographics of their TikTok following is an important factor. Those audiences tended to be 60 per cent 18 to 24 years old, 75 to 85 per cent male and 85 per cent under 34.
That generation has grown up with social media and followers within it are felt to have different expectations for the type of content they will see, compared, say, to regular users of clubs’ official websites. Serving that audience in a tailored way makes sense.
“We’ve noticed several clubs dedicating teams to craft exclusive content tailored for our platform,” Sanjit Sarkar, strategic partner manager for sport at TikTok UK tells The Athletic.
“The most successful clubs on the platform have a TikTok-first strategy, blending official highlights with exclusive behind-the-scenes content. Teams sometimes edit in-app, utilising graphics and sounds to bring match footage to life on-platform. The Bruno Fernandes video is one example. It is a playful, entertaining approach that forges authentic connections with TikTok communities.”
Given TikTok’s algorithm leans more towards a curated ‘For You Page’ rather than focusing on who the user is following, sports organisations are likely to have greater impact if they can reach users who do not necessarily routinely engage with them.
“On TikTok, most of the people who view our stuff don’t follow us,” Sandro Gasparro, senior director of content for the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, tells The Athletic. “If we look at our top-performing posts, 98 per cent of the views come from non-followers, so we have to package team content in a different way because they’re not aware of the context of what’s happening.”
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The best-performing videos can often reach 200 to 400 per cent more people than already follow the team’s accounts.
This is why basketball’s Nets, and some football clubs, have opted for posts less concerned with moments in a game and more to do with relating to a wider TikTok audience.
An example would be the ‘real’ movement that has taken over TikTok in recent years and leads to posts like this one from the Nets, which was viewed more than 763,000 times and received more than 121,000 likes within 16 hours. Meanwhile, the video below, from leading Italian football club Juventus, was viewed 1.7 million times and received more than 335,300 likes:
@juventus #Juventus #Sad #Real ♬ Listen to Your Heart – Melodia Simples
The Nets have their own ‘Memes’ playlist on their TikTok account as a result.
“We do have a running gag that when we do post-basketball content, people say, ‘Wow, the Nets finally posted basketball’,” Gasparro says. “We’ve gained a reputation for showing up in these unexpected ways and we’re in on the joke. There’s a good amount of responses saying, ‘I can’t believe this is the Nets’, and other people who are like, ‘Wow, this is so real. Nets admin on a GOAT run’ (short for Greatest Of All Time). It’s a mix of support and fun bewilderment, because TikTok’s supposed to be fun at the end of the day.”
“Relatability plays a key role in the success of content on TikTok,” Sarkar says. “In recent years, clubs have embraced this, particularly when jumping on trends or crafting content that goes beyond official highlights. Our community come to TikTok for more than just (video of) goals and assists; they want to know their teams and players on a personal level.
“While seemingly simple, this type of content effectively breaks down barriers between users and superstars, fostering a more personal connection. This, in turn, sparks higher levels of engagement.”
Accounts belonging to Iker Casillas, Juventus, the Champions League, and many others have hopped on the recent trend of ‘Mewing’, as seen by the latter below:
@ikercasillas Jueves de #mewing 🤫😎 #deportesentiktok #ikercasillas ♬ sonido original – Iker Casillas
Casillas’ post got 46.2 million views and 4.2 million likes, Juventus’ 20.4 million views and 1.9 million likes, and the Champions League got 5.3 million views and more than 680,000 likes.
Despite all the engagement, there is a question of how much pushback clubs can receive when posting content that feels riskier — closer to the line of causing offence — than they would have produced previously.
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In English football, players are generally aware when something has been posted about them, whether it be from other clubs or their own.
Some may talk to their club’s social media team if they have an issue with what has been posted about them, which can happen by accident at varying levels of magnitude. It could be a video that shows a team-mate in a positive light after they made a mistake, or something much more serious, such as Victor Osimhen’s dealings with Napoli’s TikTok last year and how that affected his position at the Italian champions.
With posts such as those mentioned at the top of this piece, there are not too many issues between clubs.
From social team to social team, there tends to be an understanding that everyone is fair game on TikTok. At most, social teams may log when a post about them has gained traction and look to respond when their sides next meet, if the result of the game goes their way. Issues mostly come when people at the club outside the social/media teams become aware of slightly edgier posts, as they may not be accustomed to the tone these can take on the platform.
That does not happen too often, however, with there being a general understanding that TikTok is a place to be more playful and bold. While players may be aware of what is put on the app, football staff (who are usually older) at clubs do not tend to use it, so naturally are not bothered as much — a situation seen in the United States too.
“It’s a completely different place from Instagram and Twitter,” Gasparro says. “I’ve had staff come up to me and say, ‘My 14-year-old cousin loves your TikTok’ and that’s the age range we’ve cultivated for our audience. It’s truly teens who are into internet culture. It may not be somebody on staff paying attention to our TikTok, but a relative.”
TikTok itself has dialogue with sporting organisations which use the platform, but not in a way that controls the content. The communication is usually around strategy, informing them on product updates and discussing any opportunities for collaboration.
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With all that in mind, it’s unlikely the type of content clubs post on TikTok will move further away from ‘the line’. Largely, those who use the platform have accepted that is part of its ecosystem.
That is not the only part, with behind-the-scenes content from clubs and video edits/compilations made by fans also very prominent, but there is no doubt it can be the most eye-catching element of how TikTok is used by sporting organisations.
(Top photos: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)
