SOCIAL MEDIA IN GLOBAL SPORT – Strategies and Practice
We are pleased to congratulate our member, Emilio Fernández-Peña, on the publication of his new book, Social Media in Global Sport, co-authored with Andrew Billings.
The book examines communication practices and content management strategies on social media platforms used by major stakeholders in global sport. Across ten chapters, it brings together the work of twenty authors, offering a comprehensive and international perspective on the evolving role of social media in the sports industry.
Drawing on data analytics and a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods, the book presents case studies of iconic global sport organisations and stars, from the Olympic Games and Lionel Messi to the Superbowl and the LA Lakers, illustrating the complexity of the sporting social media ecosystem. Presenting a multi-level analysis, from the brands of individual athletes through to the use of social media by national leagues and international sport organisations, the book underscores the central importance of social media in contemporary sport business and offers key insights and questions that will shape future research in this area.
This book is a fascinating reading for all students, researchers or industry professionals with an interest in sport media, sport management, sport marketing, sponsorship, fans or new media. Its first edition has just been published in January 2026 (First published in 2026 by Routledge).
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Editors:
Emilio Fernández-Peña (Ph.D., Basque Country University, 2001) is the Founder and Director of the Sport Research Institute of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
Andrew C. Billings (Ph.D., Indiana University, 1999) serves as Co-director of the Beyond Sports Initiative and the Ronald Reagan Chair of Broadcasting at the University of Alabama.
