The rise of social networks over the past few years has provided people with new ways to connect and interact around their interests. Social networks have also begun to appear in the sports world, as both a way for teams/leagues to provide a place for fans to connect and for general sports fans and athletes to share content and information about a specific sport or sports in general.
Mashable just released their list of 350+ social networking sites in categories such as books, business networking, family, friends, etc.
However, they left out social networks for one of the biggest passion points--SPORTS.
Here's a collection of sports-focused social networking sites. I hope it is useful for those of you who are interested in sports and social networking. I'm sure I probably missed some sites, so feel free to add more to the list in the comments. If you're new to the site, consider subscribing to Take A Peck so you won't miss any of the sports business-related articles, especially the Sports Business Carnivals.
Leagues
MyAFL - MyAFL is the official community of the Arena Football League. Allows fans to set up profiles and share videos, photos and blogs.
Fan Voice - Fan Voice is the NBA's official social network. It allows fans to create profiles, connect with other NBA fans and discuss players, fantasy teams and more
NHL Connect - NHL Connect is the official fan community of the National Hockey League and includes groups, videos and photos.
RodeoUp - RodeoUp is the official video community for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
Teams
I Am A Trail Blazers Fan - The Portland Trail Blazers were the first NBA team to launch a social networking site. The site allows fans from all over to connect with each other and includes a non-profit/charity element that allows people to volunteer for projects to help improve the community.
MyColts.net - MyColts.net is a community that allows Indianapolis Colts fans to connect and show their Colts pride. Includes blogs, photos, surveys, groups and Colts Cred, a points system that gives fans incentive to use the site and create good content.
HuskerSpot.com - HuskerSpot.com is a community for Univ. of Nebraska sports fans. Users can create a profile, watch videos, view pictures, write in personal blogs, and discuss Husker sports.
General
FanNation - FanNation is a general sports social networking site tha has a news and stats focus. Its partners include Sports Illustrated and CNN.
Fanspot - Fanspot is a sports social network that features fan clubs, blogs, team stats and photos. The site's design could be better.
iLovetoPlay.com - This site is a meeting place where sports participants and organizations can find each other, communicate. Users can organize sports activities, find a training partner, and find places to play.
FreetheFan.com - FreetheFan.com is a place for sports fans to create profiles and debate sports headlines, win prizes and share opinions and videos.
SportsMates - SportsMates is a global sports social networking site that includes 1000s of communities, blogs, fan directories and photos.
isporty - This sports social network is for general sports fans and is built on the premise that sports is a major force in connecting people.
Comenplay.com - Global sports social networking site Comenplay.com brings athletes together so they can improve their health and fitness, meet new friends and play more sports.
ZexSports.com - ZexSports.com is a community for extreme sport athlete and fans. It includes sports such as BMX biking, river rafting, rock climbing, wake boarding and kayaking.
Sk8site - Sk8site is a community for skateboarders to share videos and pictures. Includes skaters such as Jereme Rogers, Transworld's 2005 Rookie of the Year.
Surfspot - Surfspot is a yet-to-be-finished social networking for surfers. Coming soon...
Motocross.com - Motocross.com is a portal site that includes community elements such as video and photo sharing.
High School Sports
TAKKLE - TAKKLE is a high school sports social networking site where students, athletes, coaches, and fans can share their passion for sport. Sports Illustrated is an investor and offers its Top 100 High School Football Player Rankings on the site.
TRU Preps - TRU Preps is a social networking site for high school athletes that was started by MaxPreps in the summer of 2007 and gives high school athletes a profile page for their sports achievements, stats, photos and video highlights.
Skiing
SkiSpace .com - Founded by skier Bode Miller, SkiSpace.com provides members with the ability to share user generated content such as mobile photo uploads, skiing action videos and ski lifestyle videos. Site is coming soon (expected winter 2007).
SkiNet - SkiNet allows skiing enthusiasts to create a profile, upload pictures/videos and find other skiers to connect with.
Other Sports
FootyHeads FanSpot - FootyHeads FanSpot is a community for Rugby fans to connect and share content online.
Joga - Nike's soccer (football) social networking site where members can create profile pages, share photos and videos and access content from Nike-sponsored athletes.
UltimateFrisbee.com - This is a portal site for Ultimate Frisbee fanatics that includes videos, photos, groups and message boards.
SwimRoom - Launched in early 2007, SwimRoom is a online community for swimmers that includes swimming-related blogs, podcasts, photos and groups and support from athletes such as Katie Hoff and Michael Phelps.
Sports and Social Bookmarking
Ballhype - Sports community that pulls in content from thousands of sports blogs. Similar to Digg, users can submit their own stories or "hype up" other stories; if the story gets voted on enough, it will make it to the front page.