Top 30 Sports Teams on Facebook

Top 30 Teams on Facebook  Activ8Social  Like Activ8Social on Facebook  Follow Activ8Social on Twitter

Selection & Rating Criteria
• Only official Pages were considered for this assessment, meaning the team has
some type of direct affiliation with the Facebook Page

• Only team Pages over 300k fans (Likes) were evaluated

• Teams from all sports and countries were eligible

• Activ8Social clients were not eligible

• Each team’s Facebook Page was rated on a scale of 1-10 by the following criteria
with the highest total score winning:

Size: Total number of “Likes” (or fans)*

Frequency: Regularity and consistency of updates

Engagement: Authenticity and overall level of team/fan interaction

Promotion: Sponsor activation, contests, and links to digital assets

Content: Variety, originality, and quality of media uploads and updates

• Tiebreakers given to team with highest “Engagement” score

*Fan data courtesy of AllFacebook.com and current as of 4/10/11

Top 30 Team Facebook Pages  Activ8Social  Like Activ8Social on Facebook  Follow Activ8Social on Twitter

#1 FC Barcelona
www.facebook.com/fcbarcelona
Fans: 12,281,734 Sport: Soccer (Football)

League: La Liga (Spain)

Breakdown: With stars like Messi, Xavi and Villa and
the support of all of Catalonia behind them, no team on
Facebook has as many fans as the reigning La Liga
champs. This Page offers fans a steady stream of updates
and incorporates sleek design on several custom tabs.
Notable: The “Fan Map” application highlights the
ubiquity of FC Barcelona’s fan base by allowing you to
drag and drop your photo on an interactive global map
and send messages to other fanatics.

Size Frequency Engagement Promotion Content TOTAL
9 8 9 9 8 43


#2 Real Madrid
www.facebook.com/realmadrid

League: La Liga (Spain)

Breakdown: Slotting in right behind Barcelona, just
like in the league standings, are their arch rivals, Real
Madrid. Led by Cristiano Ronaldo featured on a clever
default landing tab, this Page is rich with engaging
apps and links to player social media accounts.
Notable: With over 14,000 fan photos, it is very
clear how supportive this club’s fans are. There is
also a custom tab that allows fans to create their
own Real Madrid avatar, a very unique option.

9 8 9 7 8 41


#3 Arsenal
www.facebook.com/arsenal

League: English Premier League (EPL)

Breakdown: Nobody knows how to entertain like
Arsenal with their beautiful passing and exciting
style of play. In similar fashion, their Page offers
sleek options like Arsenal TV and a team store. The
Twitter tab with all the teams tweets is a nice touch.
Notable: One of the cooler features is the “Welcome”
tab that links to information on every single player and
allows fans to “Like” individual players such as
Fabregas or Arshavin directly from Arsenal’s Page.

8 8 8 8 7 39


#4 Galatasaray
www.facebook.com/galatasaray

League: Super Lig (Turkey)

Breakdown: The club of Turkish soccer star, Arda Turan,
is very active on Facebook. Updates are primarily fed
from the team site, but arrive often and include media that
fans respond to. The Page is heavily customized with more
custom tabs and activations than you can shake a stick at.
Notable: The “GSTV” tab features video content from the
Galatasary Sports Club and a programming guide for
upcoming features so fans can plan ahead to watch on
Facebook.

8 8 6 9 8 39


#5 Chicago Bears
www.facebook.com/chicagobears

Fans: 1,468,624 Sport: Football (American)

League: National Football League (NFL)

Breakdown: “Da Bears” have a very active and
engaged Page triggered by frequent posts, fun contests
and unique content. The team goes so far as to comment
on fan content. The “Fan Zone” tab allows Bears fans to
interact, while activating Motorola and Toyota.
Notable: The Bears “Fan of the Week” tab highlights the
photo and story of one crazy fan each week. Tying
Chicagoland Toyota to the emotional stories of Bears fans
makes for a solid season-long sponsor activation.

6 7 8 9 8 38


#6 Liverpool
www.facebook.com/liverpoolfc


Breakdown: Liverpool’s Page is pretty simple, but
the power of the brand is undeniable with over 5
million fans. “You’ll never walk alone” on this
Facebook Page. A team store, Twitter feed and
clever “Welcome” tab offer some customization.
Notable: The Page is rich with media, including
17,000 fan photos, and enables fans to shop directly on
Facebook. It’s solid, but limited unique content holds
this Page back from topping the previous spots.

8 7 6 9 7 37


#7 New York Knicks
www.facebook.com/nykicks
Fans: 619,580 Sport: Basketball

League: National Basketball Association (NBA)

Breakdown: The Page posts videos to pump fans up
before games and promotes Knicks pride. They
keep fans involved and do a great job playing on the
“Like” term. One of the most visually appealing
Pages of the Top 30.
Notable: The interactive schedule allows fans to
post their thoughts on each game, purchase
tickets and RSVP. “Like” everything else on the
Page, it’s also easy on the eyes.

4 8 8 8 9 37


#8 New England Patriots
www.facebook.com/newenglandpatriots


Breakdown: The Patriots Page is one of the
better ones from an American team, fueled by a
ton of content with clever gimmicks like
“Flashback Friday” and “Video of the Day” to
keep the fans engaged.

Notable: The Patriots “Fan Zone” tab draws fans
in to listen to live radio from Patriots.com, answer
polls and trivia, send Patriots gifts and engage
with several other sponsored features.

6 8 8 7 7 36


#9 AC Milan
www.facebook.com/acmilan

League: Serie A (Italy)

Breakdown: The Page boasts tons of news, photos
and videos with text in both Italian and English. They
integrate the team store and include the ability to
create a jersey with your name and number, then
share it with friends on Facebook.
Notable: The Italian team has a custom “Milan
News” tab that provides team info in an impressive,
visually pleasing manner. It has scores, standings
and player news all in one easy-to-read format.

7 7 7 7 8 36


#10 New York Jets
www.facebook.com/jets
Fans: 730,522 Sport: Football (American)


Breakdown: The Jets Page recently saw a surge
with the teams playoff run. They do a great job of
activating sponsors and creatively engaging fans via
multiple contests and promotions. The Jets are
definitely one of the most “social” teams in the NFL.
Notable: The Jets spearheaded the “Ultimate Fan”
Facebook game that is featured prominently. It gives
fans different online challenges to become the ultimate
Jets fan, while mixing in a little sponsor activation.

4 6 8 9 8 35


#11 Manchester United
www.facebook.com/manchesterunited


Breakdown: A year ago nobody in the EPL was on
Facebook, but that has changed. The powerhouse of
English futbol, “Man Utd” is also a potential powerhouse
with over 11 million fans. However, we’re disappointed in
how the United activate their passionate global fan base.
Notable: It would serve the United well to provide more
interactive content and engagement rather than
redundantly using every tab to “Like” the team or
purchase a new red Nike jersey.

9 8 7 5 6 34


#12 Dallas Cowboys
www.facebook.com/dallascowboys


Breakdown: Fitting that one of the first American
teams on our list is “America’s Team”. The Cowboys
churn out a lot of content, including a “Deal of the
Day” on team merchandise or memorabilia. Their
massive fan base also puts out its fair share of content.
Notable: The “Welcome” tab offers Cowboys fans
access to exclusive content including videos,
merchandise deals, and virtual gifts. It also includes a
Cowboys Twitter feed, but no sponsor activation yet.

7 9 5 6 7 34


#13 Vancouver Canucks
www.facebook.com/canucks
Fans: 348,386 Sport: Hockey

League: National Hockey League (NHL)

Breakdown: The Canucks provide more video and
photo content than almost any other team on
Facebook and their fans contribute well. The
“Welcome” tab is sleek and they do a phenomenal
job of activating sponsors through engaging apps.
Notable: We don’t know which is cooler - the
“Fountain Tire” game where you shoot a puck on
goal or the “Playoff Suite Contest” where you play
arcade games to win playoff prize packs.

1 8 7 9 8 33


#14 Denver Nuggets
www.facebook.com/denvernuggets


Breakdown: The Nuggets are one of the more social
NBA teams. The Page utilizes custom tabs, including one
that gave fans the opportunity to vote for the Nuggets
players to be All-Stars. They also donate money to local
charities for “Likes” and sharing of Page content.
Notable: The Nuggets ongoing “Facebook Fan of the
Game” photo contest is a phenomenal concept and
activation. The winning fan gets a pair of tickets to the
next home game and is featured on the Jumbotron.

3 7 8 8 7 33


#15 Boston Celtics
www.facebook.com/bostonceltics
Fans: 3,837,128 Sport: Basketball


Breakdown: The Celtics feed their loyal fans video
and photo content with reasonable frequency, and
Shaq joining the squad this year has clearly
improved their Facebook footprint. The ability to
buy tickets on the Page is a cool feature.
Notable: The Celtics “3-Point Play” game pits fans
against each other as they pick the Celtics’ stats
leaders each game. Assists seem like a no-brainer
with Rajon Rondo on your team.

7 7 8 5 6 33


#16 Detroit Red Wings
www.facebook.com/detroitredwings


Breakdown: The Red Wings do a great job
keeping fans interested with unique content like
locker room footage and out of the ordinary
pictures. They post frequently and represent
charities well.
Notable: The Red Wings hold a “Social Media Fan
of the Day” photo contest where fans submit their
favorite Wings related pics to a Gmail account. The
winner gets a shout out on the team’s Page.

3 8 7 6 8 32


#17 Chicago Bulls
www.facebook.com/chicagobulls


Breakdown: The Bulls are great at revving up their fan
base through frequent posts of engaging media and
highlights. They integrate their Flickr channel regularly
and run a “Fan Appreciation Day” contest where fans
can comment to win a VIP tour of the United Center.
Notable: The “Live Bulls Chat” app, powered by
CoverItLive, is something more teams should consider
adding. It allows fans across multiple social media
channels to follow games and chat in one sleek interface.

6 7 7 5 7 32


#18 LA Lakers
www.facebook.com/losangeleslakers


Breakdown: The most popular team in Facebook’s
most popular league. Kobe and Pau help expand the
Lakers international appeal to over 7 million fans.
From podcasts to over 800 links, this Page has a
wealth of info but remains rather basic in nature.

Notable: The Lakers have a custom “Locker Room” tab
that links out to a Flash app on the team site featuring a
unique interactive tour of the locker room with the
players and links to share on Facebook and Twitter.

8 8 5 4 7 32


#19 Philadelphia Eagles
www.facebook.com/philadelphiaeagles


Breakdown: The Eagles ran a smart video series to
keep fans coming back last season featuring pre/post-
game shows, “Eagles in the Community” and “In the
Locker Room”. They post frequently and keep fans
updated on events at Lincoln Field via a custom tab.
Notable: The Eagles are one of the many NFL teams to
fan-gate with the “FANZONE” tab by requiring fans to
“Like” the Page to access exclusive content including
behind-the-scenes videos, polls, and other features.

5 7 6 6 7 31


#20 New York Yankees
www.facebook.com/yankees
Fans: 3,476,654 Sport: Baseball

League: Major League Baseball (MLB)

Breakdown: America’s favorite team, the Yankees,
unsurprisingly have over 3 million fans. While MLB
limits team social media initiatives, the Yankees do a
good of updating fans, providing a forum for
discussion and offering tons of photos.
Notable: Considering the Yankees don’t allow fans to
post to the Wall, the fan content is strong with over 3,000
photos, many of which prominently feature the Yankees
vast history, and over 800 discussion topics.

7 7 6 5 6 31


#21 Miami Dolphins
www.facebook.com/miamidolphins


Breakdown: The Dolphins Page is very fan
friendly and they do a good job of rewarding them
with prizes and exclusive content. Their video and
photo content is impressive, providing just about
any info a Phins fan could possibly want.
Notable: The Dolphins utilize Fan Appz for
engaging polls and quizzes, where fans can test
their team knowledge or vote on all things Miami
Dolphins. All results feed to fan Walls on Facebook.

4 8 7 4 7 30


#22 San Francisco Giants
www.facebook.com/giants
Fans: 891,434 Sport: Baseball


Breakdown: The defending World Series champs are
the gold standard for social media usage among MLB
teams. Their Page offers Giants fans captivating photo
and video content on a consistent basis, keeping them
engaged and active.
Notable: The Giants do a great job of captilizing on their
championship run, constantly exciting fans by filling the
Page with high quality images of the World Series Trophy
and rings that generate amazing engagement numbers.

5 8 7 3 7 30


#23 Phoenix Suns
www.facebook.com/phoenixsuns


Breakdown: The Suns were one of the first sports
teams on Facebook and know how to use it. Their
posts are entertaining and varied, they authentically
activate sponsors, and the “Suns Roster” tab is fun
for younger fans to play with.

Notable: The “Photo Pick-Up” app is pure marketing
genius. Roaming photographers at Suns’ home games
take pictures of fans, who are then directed to this tab
to pick them up and share with Facebook friends.

2 7 5 8 8 30


#24 Boca Juniors
www.facebook.com/pages/Club-Atletico-Boca-Juniors/71948513452


League: Argentine Primera Division

Breakdown: Based out of Buenos Aires, the Boca
Juniors publish content exclusively in Spanish and offer
a nice variety of club and player exclusives for fans to
digest on a daily basis. They also dedicated a custom
tab to their primary sponsor, Garbarino.
Notable: It’s shocking and unacceptable that an official
Facebook Page for a club with over 1 million fans does
not have its own vanity URL. This is a marketing failure
as there’s no hope for fans to remember the one above.

6 7 6 5 5 29


#25 Chelsea
www.facebook.com/chelseafc


Breakdown: The reigning EPL champions
resemble Manchester United with the simplicity
of their Page. Chelsea posts a good amount of
photo content though with 79 albums to this point.
A lack of customization still holds them back.
Notable: The “Fan Up” app activates fans in a
creative way. It allows them to show their pride
by sharing Chelsea Facebook gifts with friends
or posting them to their Wall.

7 7 5 5 5 29


#26 All Blacks
www.facebook.com/allblacks
Fans: 775,248 Sport: Rugby Union

League: International Rugby Board (IRB)

Breakdown: Being the world’s most recognizable
Rugby team, the All Blacks Page does a great job
representing the team, its sponsors and its country.
The amount of videos is astonishing between the
“Welcome”, “Video” and “YouTube” tabs.
Notable: The “Give Your All” tab, sponsored by
adidas, features video of the All Blacks giving
some fans the “shock of their lives” and links out
to a cool player/fan photo gallery.

4 4 5 7 8 28


#27 Montreal Canadiens
www.facebook.com/canadiensmtl


Breakdown: In French and English, this Page puts out
an enormous amount of content with some days of 10+
posts. The “Welcome” tab displays info on the next
matchup and they run creative fan photo contests like
“Put Your Game Face On” and “Canadiens Caption”.
Notable: The Best Buy sponsored “Fan Forum” tab links
out to the team’s discussion board where fans actively
discuss team news. It’s also a clever play on words
because the old arena was called the Montreal Forum.

4 8 5 3 6 26


#28 Boston Red Sox
www.facebook.com/redsox
Fans: 2,249,065 Sport: Baseball


Breakdown: MLB Pages are comprised mainly of team
website feeds. The Red Sox do a nice job of providing
more content than most, but we’re not big on the the
auto-fed posts. The “Welcome” tab prompts you to
“Like” the Page with a big red Red Sox graphic.
Notable: The Red Sox get a thumbs up for holding a
“Fan of the Week” photo contest that features the
winning picture as the team’s Facebook profile for
the week.

7 7 4 4 4 26


#29 Toronto Maple Leafs
www.facebook.com/torontomapleleafs


Breakdown: The last of three Canadian teams
represented on this list, the Leafs may have had poor
years on the ice but the Facebook Page tries to make
up for it. They provide a steady stream of content to
fans, but the amount of customization is limited.
Notable: The Page’s landing tab feature a Tylenol
activation where fans can vote for the Player of the
Week for a chance to win Leafs season tickets for
next season.

1 7 5 6 6 25


#30 Springboks
www.facebook.com/springboks
Fans: 316,896 Sport: Rugby Union

League: International Rugby Board (IRB)

Breakdown: The famous South African rugby
squad, which the movie Invictus was based on, has
tabs for both their “BOKzine” and “BOKtube” media
channels. The “Engage” tab shows a Twitter feed of
the club’s players and coaches.
Notable: The Springboks hold a daily trivia contest
for their fans featuring Rugby questions. They also
churn out an enormous amount of content and utilize
numerous custom FBML tabs.

1 7 5 5 6 24


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