Many sports teams have embraced social media not only to sell tickets and merchandise and disseminate news, but also to make more direct connections with their fans. "They're doing it, generally speaking, because it works," said Joe Mahan, an assistant professor in sport and recreation management at Temple. "It's not something that is a turn-off or something that is shunned by any particular group. Across every age group everybody is doing social media in some way, shape or form. For teams, it's a way to reach out to fans quickly, and it's cost effective because it's free."