Fan Spotlight: Michael Hart
If there’s sports involved, Michael Hart (@mjhart) is probably tweeting about it in some way, shape or form. Whether it’s the Miami Dolphins, Florida Panthers or Florida State Seminoles, Hart is relentless in his passion and in his tweets.
Whether he’s taking a shot at another team: @mjhart Of course the Flyers would need a rolling puck/deflection to score a goal, or getting excited about his team: @mjhart CODY!!!! TIE GAME!!!!, Hart enjoys sharing his sports feelings with the Twitterverse. His favorite team to tweet about (by far, especially judging from his Twitter background) is the Marlins.
“I decided to become a full-time Marlins fan just before the 2003 season after being a Braves fan since childhood,” said Hart. “I got tired of the Braves always falling on their face in October.”
From a timing standpoint, Hart picked the right season to switch allegiances as the Marlins won the 2003 World Series. In fact, he said that was his favorite moment in Marlins History. “I went to Game 3 and 4 of the Division Series vs. the Giants, Game 4 and 5 of the NLCS vs. the Cubs, and Game 3 of the World Series,” Hart said. “I hate the Yankees, so beating them in their stadium in Game 6 to win it all was extra sweet.”
Hart said his favorite Marlins player is Cody Ross, whom Hart defined as “a scrappy player with a deceptively strong bat.”
Hart said he started using social media during the 2009 season as a way to root for the team and vent during games. He said through that, he discovered a small community of Marlins fans on Twitter that he started talking to and getting to know. In addition, Hart said, “I also started following various Marlins beat writers to get the most current information. Also, my follower count started going up as other Marlins fans and baseball fans followed me. It was gratifying to know that other folks wanted to know what I had to say.”
Hart enjoys talking to other fans while the game is in progress. He said whether it’s discussing certain plays and managerial decisions, celebrating victories or venting about losses. He also said if it’s a home game, there are always at least a couple of people tweeting from the stadium.
“The hashtag #Marlins is like our own chat room that never closes,” Hart said. “I’m also thinking of folks who may not be watching the game and want to keep tabs on what’s going on. Also, because I work for CBSSports.com (I’m a Producer for live data entry, which means I watch over all the live scoreboards.), I get to watch virtually every other game going on, and I like to pass along information and discuss what’s going on elsewhere.”
Hart said he has interacted about 25 Marlins fans this season on a regular basis, and has met some in person. He would love to meet more because he loves talking baseball. Hart has attended a few Marlins games on weeknights when he’s usually off from work. “I do tweet and twitpic from games, and check my Twitter feed to see who else is at the game,” Hart said.
Speaking like a true fan, Hart said if he could speak to the Marlins front office directly, he would ask them to get bullpen help since the team is not having trouble scoring runs.
In terms of social media from a team standpoint, Hart said the team needs to do more with their Twitter accounts (@Marlins and @Marlins411) than just posting links to stories on their website. “They need to get fans talking and coming to games. The crowd at the game on Memorial Day, which is a day off for most people, was absolutely pathetic!” Hart said.
In addition, Hart said he would love to see the Marlins do what the San Francisco Giants did on April 30 and what the Chicago White Sox are doing on June 8 – host a tweetup. “I would definitely try to attend a Marlins-sponsored tweetup,” Hart said. “They should really do one. A series of them.”
When asked about some of the other sports fans he has met on Twitter, both Marlins and otherwise, Hart mentioned a few favorites. “It’s been really great to meet so many passionate sports fans like me on Twitter,” Hart said. “Cameron (@camdoug1) is a huge Marlins, Dolphins and Seminoles fan that I talk to quite a bit. He always has strong viewpoints. And it’s great to have found knowledgeable female Marlins fans like Sarah (@Sarah2713) and Soraya (@saltiels). They really know their baseball!
Hart also cited two non-Marlins fans he speaks to regularly. “A great all-around sports fan I’ve met on Twitter (and in person) is Dodgers & FSU fan Lauren (@lgoddard), Hart said. “Lauren is so passionate about FSU football that she and another fan Regie (@FSUROCKER) created their own FSU sports website (www.plantthespear.com). I also get great information from and enjoy discussing various sports-related subjects (like Australian football) with @FangsBites, a sports media blogger.”
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