Atlanta Braves ''Superfans'' Go Online to Build Fan Support with Help from Facebook...

Tue Mar 11, 2008 9:00am EDT
 
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Atlanta Braves ''Superfans'' Go Online to Build Fan Support with Help from Facebook and Watercooler

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
It's not everyday that you run into two Atlanta Braves fans who
have gone online in order to build a better fan community in the real
world, but that's exactly what Andrew Roden and Grant Crowe are doing.

   Using Watercooler Inc.'s Atlanta Braves Fans community on
Facebook, Roden and Crowe are reaching into their own pockets and
offering free Braves tickets to the fans who can recruit the most
friends to the Braves application.

   "It pisses me off how passive Braves' fans can be," said Roden.
"There's is a very real connection between how well a team does and
how much fan support they get."

   After joining the Atlanta Braves community on Facebook (the 4th
largest National League fan community, with over 44,000 total
members), Crowe and Roden realized they could build additional fan
support online. Their ambition? To build a fan community that
surpasses their biggest rival: the New York Mets.

   Knowing that two sports nuts can't reach this goal alone, they are
asking for help from their fellow fans. When the Braves pass the Mets,
or on April 2nd - whichever happens first - Crowe and Roden will give
the top recruiter two tickets to a future Braves game. To further
incent the fans, Watercooler will be matching this generous donation
by giving two additional tickets to the second place recruiter.

   "Andrew and Grant represent a new kind of superfan who not only
want to cheer their team from the stands, but use Web-based
communities like Watercooler's to connect with other fans to extend
the social experience of baseball," said Kevin Chou, CEO of
Watercooler, Inc.

   "If this promotion gets more fans involved with the Atlanta
Braves, both online and in filling the seats at Turner Field, then we
have succeeded," says Crowe.

   Facebook users can access the Atlanta Braves fan community at:
here. Within the community, fans
can come together and taunt their opponents, put their favorite photos
on their Facebook profiles, and take the Trivia Challenge to show
who's the biggest fan. Individuals can gain recruiting points by
engaging friends via sending messages, or else getting them involved
in a virtual cheering "wave".

   ABOUT WATERCOOLER, INC.

   Watercooler is the leading provider of the world's most
interactive and highly targeted television and sports communities. The
Watercooler social media platform encompasses Facebook, MySpace, Bebo,
Friendster, and other social networks.

Watercooler, Inc.
Justin Smith, Product Manager, 650-396-7492
Fax: 650-964-4924
justin@watercooler-inc.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008

 

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