http://bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5463:infographic-social-media-checkins-and-the-engine-of-sports&catid=65:mobile-devices&Itemid=151

Two thoughts about this:

1) I'm absolutely astounded that hockey has more social media followers than baseball. I know I'm insulated by baseball, as I don't really follow any other sports, but hockey, really? I wonder if this says more about the age group that follows baseball than anything else (older fans who don't utilize social media). As a fantasy baseball enthusiast though, I find Twitter an invaluable tool for staying up to date on the latest player developments during the season. I also get all of my baseball information via the internet as I don't have cable, so I probably don't represent the average baseball fan.

2) with the NBA lockout, baseball has a golden opportunity to win over some younger fans who won't have basketball to follow. I know NBA is mostly going on in the winter when baseball is not going on, but if the entire season gets washed, that will be one less sport competing with MLB in the spring. Baseball needs to win back some of its fan base that it ceded to basketball and football during the 1994 strike.