Werder Bremen and St. Pauli are the first professional football clubs to leave the social media platform x. (picture alliance / dpa / Silas Stein)
Three German professional football clubs have said goodbye to X, the successor to Twitter, in the last few days. St. Pauli and Werder Bremen are the first two clubs from German professional football to leave “X” for clear reasons. Other clubs could follow their example.
First division clubs Werder Bremen, with over 600,000 followers, St. Pauli and third division club Hansa Rostock have all ended their activities on X (formerly Twitter) in the last few days. Already in 2023, the third division team 1. FC Magdeburg withdrew from X for similar reasons. There are also a few clubs that don’t have an account or don’t use it.
The reasons for the X-Aus vary: Werder Bremen criticized one Statement on the homepage the increasing radicalization on X and cited the toxic development as the main reason. “Almost nothing is sanctioned on the platform anymore. The algorithms and controls of Platform St. Pauli added in his Statement on your own websitethat US billionaire Musk converted Twitter into a hate machine after taking over. “Racism and conspiracy legends spread unhindered or are even curated.” The Bundesliga club is followed by 250,000 accounts there.
Hansa Rostock, on the other hand, saw purely practical advantages in concentrating on other channels and strategically decided to focus on platforms with a higher reach. 1. FC Magdeburg criticized the payment model around the blue “verification check”.
Werder Bremen and St. Pauli are moving their communication to Blue Sky. They are continuing to expand their presence there. In this still relatively young network, Werder Bremen also posted the reason for withdrawing from Platform X and thus officially launched the new account.
There are a lot of negative comments under the Werder Bremen posting on the platform, including a lack of understanding as to why Werder Bremen is also withdrawing from X. FC St. Pauli was also hit hard, experiencing a shitstorm that spread throughout the football bubble and spread among certain groups of people.
Mainly for economic reasons. For many clubs, X remains a central platform for achieving a wide reach and thereby attracting sponsors. Bundesliga clubs reach an enormous number of fans through such channels, often numbering in the millions. This reach is of direct financial benefit as it is an indicator for sponsors of how large a club’s following is on social media.
Foregoing a profile on X therefore also means foregoing potential income. However, some experts emphasize that a Bundesliga club that were to delete its account on this platform, for example, would not automatically end up in economic difficulties.
Communicating one’s own values on this platform also plays an important role, as VfB Stuttgart emphasized when asked by ARD-Sportschau: “VfB positions itself – especially on “X” – unambiguously in accordance with its values and actively stands up for them.”
One problem, however, is that not all content on X is treated equally, as Martin Fehrensen from Social Media Watchblock explained to the ARD Sportschau: “At X does not only belong to Elon Musk.
Another problem for clubs could be that it seems difficult to understand if a club enters into questionable sponsorship contracts with certain countries, but at the same time leaves platform X on the grounds that it is not compatible with its own values.
This is currently unclear. The discussion in Germany is still in its early stages, but some clubs are already considering this: in an SID survey, clubs such as German champions Bayer Leverkusen, runners-up VfB Stuttgart, 1. FC Heidenheim, VfL Wolfsburg and Hamburger SV expressed their views and 1. FC Kaiserslautern expressed their concerns about the development of the platform.
Although they continue to use “X” because of its high reach among their fans, many are showing a trend that – as with third division team Hansa Rostock – could result in the profile being decommissioned.
The German Football Association (DFB) told the SID that it was “monitoring the development of the platform very closely and with great concern.” The X channels for the 3rd league and the DFB Cup have already been closed in 2024 and the number of contributions on the main channels has been significantly reduced. The association, which has 3.2 million followers on the men’s national team channel, cited “political developments” as one of the reasons. Further measures would be examined and discussed.
The German Football League (DFL) also emphasizes almost word for word that it is following developments “closely” and with “increasing concern”. Nevertheless, she wants to remain present on the platform.
German sports associations have suspended X-Account
Some German sports associations deal with The German Ski Association (DSV) stopped “reporting on this channel until further notice” in November 2022. The German Table Tennis Association (DTTB) has also left its profile “quietly dormant”.
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What specific factors influenced Werder Bremen and St. Pauli to abandon X, and how do their motivations compare to those of clubs like Hansa Rostock and 1. FC Magdeburg?
1. What are the key reasons behind the decision of Werder Bremen and St. Pauli to leave X platform, and how does it differ from other clubs like Hansa Rostock and 1. FC Magdeburg?
2. As mentioned in the article, the high economic benefit of having a presence on X is a major concern for clubs. Do you think it’s worth forfeiting this benefit to uphold their values and avoid toxicity on the platform?
3. How does the new platform, Blue Sky, compare to X in terms of features and user engagement? Would it be a feasible alternative for clubs to migrate to?
4. How has X’s takeover by Elon Musk affected the content moderation policies on the platform, and what are the potential dangers for clubs and their fans who remain active on X?
5. What should clubs do to ensure they maintain their online presence while staying true to their values and protecting their players and fans from online harassment?
6. Should sports organizations have a greater responsibility in monitoring and regulating the content on social media platforms they use to represent themselves and their athletes?
7. Are there any potential risks for clubs that claim to promote certain values but engage in questionable sponsorship deals with countries or organizations contradicting those values?
