Exec: Some Owners use Forums/realGM/Reddit to gauge fan reaction to moves

[CelticsElite]

Ownership will also consider the reactions from fans before signing off certain moves.

"One NBA executive told me a few years ago that he’s heard of owners lurking on RealGM and Reddit to take the temperature of their fan bases before finalizing trades," writes Kevin O'Connor.

 trade rumors/ articles suggesting a course of action for a team are often posted as a thread on RealGM and Reddit forums where a discussion then begins on its merits amongst fans.


http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/245897/Exec-Some-Owners-Lurk-On-RealGM-Reddit-To-Gauge-Fan-Reaction-On-Pending-Moves

We always see trade proposals in here , wonder if any front office posts them lol

[mr. dee]

Bad decision if you ask me. Draft night reactions is one of an example not to take fans seriously.

[JSD]

Those realgm forums are probably celebrating right now. Celtics fans over there should know, Wyc is reading this right here, and not RealGM! 😜

[obnoxiousmime]

That's smart. I'm sure that teams have employees whose job it is to monitor fan opinion and message boards are an easy and probably pretty accurate way to do that, as long as you remember that most boards probably skew a little negative.

[RockinRyA]

Bad decision if you ask me. Draft night reactions is one of an example not to take fans seriously.

I think this applies more to teams not in contention. They have to sell tickets, and this is a perfect way to to gauge that.

[Roy H.]

Bad decision if you ask me. Draft night reactions is one of an example not to take fans seriously.

I think this applies more to teams not in contention. They have to sell tickets, and this is a perfect way to to gauge that.

I don't know about "perfect". Blogs, forums, Reddit, etc. aren't a representative sample of a fan base. For instance, many folks on here were against having a dance team, but we now have dancers to appeal to a more casual crowd.

It's a tricky thing. A team should use whatever resources it has to gauge fan engagement. At the same time, if a franchise is letting fans decide moves, all hope is already lost. The great GMs are the ones who can make a move even though the fans won't like it.

That said, it's probably always good to have another source

[RockinRyA]

Bad decision if you ask me. Draft night reactions is one of an example not to take fans seriously.

I think this applies more to teams not in contention. They have to sell tickets, and this is a perfect way to to gauge that.

I don't know about "perfect". Blogs, forums, Reddit, etc. aren't a representative sample of a fan base. For instance, many folks on here were against having a dance team, but we now have dancers to appeal to a more casual crowd.

It's a tricky thing. A team should use whatever resources it has to gauge fan engagement. At the same time, if a franchise is letting fans decide moves, all hope is already lost. The great GMs are the ones who can make a move even though the fans won't like it.

That said, it's probably always good to have another source

What I mean is, if you want to get an idea about how fans feel for certain things, blogs will help you get that. Even if general sentiment varies from blog to blog, from medium to medium, there will always be varying opinions, and even just viewing a single blog will give you a couple of different mindsets regarding certain moves.

[Big333223]

Makes sense to me. Message boards make for a nice focus group.

I just hope they aren't making decisions based on what yahoos like me write while I'm bored at work.

[mgent]

Makes sense to me. Message boards make for a nice focus group.

I just hope they aren't making decisions based on what yahoos like me write while I'm bored at work.

Exactly.  I'm sure they lurk to get the information, but I doubt they put any stock in it.

[RockinRyA]

Makes sense to me. Message boards make for a nice focus group.

I just hope they aren't making decisions based on what yahoos like me write while I'm bored at work.

Exactly.  I'm sure they lurk to get the information, but I doubt they put any stock in it.

Maybe one of our top posters is Wyc himself.

[Big333223]

Makes sense to me. Message boards make for a nice focus group.

I just hope they aren't making decisions based on what yahoos like me write while I'm bored at work.

Exactly.  I'm sure they lurk to get the information, but I doubt they put any stock in it.

Maybe one of our top posters is Wyc himself.

Wyc was LarBrd.

[tarheelsxxiii]

Doubtful.  There's probably am intern that uses computer science algorithms to gauge fan reaction via social media platforms, and no one ever asks that kid what he has learned.

[action781]

Guys, trust me, I SWEAR I'm not that plant

[bdm860]

The Grizzlies admitted to this when they signed Gilbert Arenas back in 2012.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

They better go to the DKC page.

If they need new GM's, that's the place to go.