More Than 1,000 Players Flock to Infield Chatter, the New Mobile Social Community That Brings Fans Closer to Major League Players

–Groundbreaking initiative from Major League Baseball Players
Association offers unique player-driven content, two-way player-fan
engagement, fan contests and experiential sweepstakes, among other
features in time for 2017 baseball season–

–Hosting company Honeycommb, which also partners with Lady Gaga,
hosts MLBPA’s new mobile social community, along with leading digital
storytellers Lineage Interactive–

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) today announced
that it will make the bridge from players to fans even shorter to cross,
by debuting the new Infield Chatter mobile social community. The
first-of-its-kind platform seeks to become the dedicated mobile
destination for players and their passionate fans, with more than 1,000
players already on board as registered users.

“Every player understands how important it is to connect with the fans,”
said Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs All-Star and reigning National League
MVP. “They’re the main reason this game is so special. The fact that Infield
Chatter
was built with this interaction in mind as the top priority
really helps us share and connect in ways that we haven’t been able to
anywhere else.”

Infield Chatter was created at the request of the players
themselves. They were looking for a more meaningful way to directly
connect with their fans – in the fun and entertaining environment that
baseball players have always fostered. Major leaguers, who come from
around the world – with differing interests, perspectives and insights –
will now be able to engage with fans on any number of subjects – about
baseball or not, all from the palm of their hand.

On a daily basis, players will share unique and vibrant content to their Infield
Chatter
accounts, including behind-the-scenes photos and videos that
offer fans a more in-depth perspective of the players they cheer for 162
games a year. Players will share snippets of who they are away from the
ballparks, taking fans inside their everyday lives by sharing interests,
hobbies, and personal stories.

MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark hailed the debut of Infield
Chatter
as a “groundbreaking moment” in the union’s more than 50
years of advancing the interests of major league players. “As a former
player, I know first-hand how essential it is to build an authentic and
lasting connection with the fans,” said Clark. “Unlike any other
communication tool, Infield Chatter opens up the world of major
league baseball’s devoted family of players; we are excited about its
potential.”

The launch of Infield Chatter will come with special features
designed to connect players and fans in a number of ways, including:

  • Regular video chats, where fans and players can conduct two-way Q&A
    sessions
  • Sharing photos, videos, and music, with the ability for fans and
    players to comment
  • Contests and competitions, where fans can compete against each other,
    or against the players, to win player-hosted experiences,
    player-autographed products, and other unique items

“Players are very excited about this,” said Baltimore Orioles All-Star
Adam Jones. “These are real fans on Infield Chatter who are
talking about what matters to them. I like being a part of that – and
being able to talk about what matters to me. Seeing fans react and get
into this is pretty cool.”

“They made it more than just a place to post pictures and videos. I can
go on Infield Chatter and talk about music and travel or anything
on my mind. It’s great to talk to fans in different ways – and feel like
I’m in control of what I want to share,” said St. Louis Cardinals
All-Star Yadier Molina.

To help the players enhance the Infield Chatter user-experience,
the MLBPA has put together an external partnership team of social media
experts and technology leaders who recognize the importance in the
platform and its role in the future of social media. Infield Chatter
is hosted on the Honeycommb mobile platform, with tools and features
unavailable on the most common social channels. Honeycommb also serves
as host to Little Monsters, the official social community for global pop
star and Honeycommb partner Lady Gaga. Compelling athlete-driven content
is the cornerstone of the new MLBPA mobile social community. Lineage
Interactive, a leading digital content production company that
collaborates with top athletes, musicians and major brands to develop
their online identities, will serve as Infield Chatter’s content
partner.

“This is a real opportunity for these major league players to change the
entire social media landscape,” said Scott Booth, founder of Honeycommb.
Infield Chatter enables players to take ownership of their
social identity while simultaneously creating a deeper and more
meaningful relationship with their most ardent fans.”

Lineage Interactive CEO, Anthony Rodriguez, added: “In the last 15 years
of working with professional athletes, I have never seen a group of
players more motivated to produce their own content for fans. In a
matter of days, hundreds of major-league players signed up on the app
with the genuine intent of communicating and bonding directly with their
fans.”

During Infield Chatter’s soft-launch throughout Spring Training
and the World Baseball Classic, player reaction – and that of tech
partners – was overwhelmingly positive. Former MLB star and current
MLBPA Special Assistant, Bobby Bonilla, said: “The power of the players
working together to engage with fans can be a game changer and make
baseball and the personalities that drive it that much more fun to
experience.”

Now available for download through the Apple App
Store
and Google
Play
, Infield Chatter is quickly becoming the talk of the
2017 season.

About the MLBPA

The Major League Baseball Players Association (www.MLBPLAYERS.com)
is the collective bargaining representatives for all professional
baseball players of the 30 major-league baseball teams and serves as the
exclusive group licensing agent for commercial and licensing activities
involving active Major League Baseball players. On behalf of its
members, it operates the Players Choice licensing program and Players
Choice Awards, as well as the Major League Baseball Players Trust (www.PlayersTrust.org),
a charitable foundation benefitting the needy that was established and
is run entirely by Major League Baseball players. Follow: @MLB_Players;
@MLBPlayersTrust; @MLBPAClubhouse.

About Honeycommb

Honeycommb Inc. is an integrated social platform for interest-based
influencers and organizations. The platform enables those who have
social scale and create the most engaging content to take ownership and
control of their social identity. The company gives fans and followers a
richer and more meaningful experience without the noise of aggregated
platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About Lineage Interactive

Lineage Interactive has specialized in brand management, social media
strategy, and content production since 2008. Lineage services a roster
of over 80 clients, including sports franchises, all-star athletes,
record labels, Grammy Award-winning musicians, and Fortune 200 companies.

Contacts

Media:
Major League Baseball Players Association
Greg
Bouris, MLBPA Director of Communications
212-826-0808
gbouris@mlbpa.org
or
Chris
Dahl, MLBPA Asst. Director of Communications
212-826-0808
cdahl@mlbpa.org

Recibe gratis todas las noticias en tu correo

Este sitio está protegido por reCAPTCHA y Google Política de privacidad y Se aplican las Condiciones de servicio.

¡Muchas gracias! Ya estás suscrito a nuestro newsletter

Más sobre este tema
Contenido Patrocinado
Enlaces patrocinados por Outbrain