NFL, ESPN, the All Blacks and Melo’s new shoe

Best of Digital Sports World #13

With @SportsGeekHQ firing #BODSW back up again last week, it's time for issue #13, where we'll look at the best stories from this week in the digital sports world. Here goes:

As well as being a worldwide trendsetter on-field, the National Football League is quite the trailblazer in the digital world. The NFL's official Facebook page has seen a ridiculous 474% increase in active users since the 2010 season, and continues to be a major leader in the digital world. For more information, check out Lauren Drell's interview with NFL Digital GM, Jeff Berman for Mashable.

We'll continue to pump up the NFL here by taking a look at another Mashable article about how social media is changing the NFL, which is another great read about a sporting league fully embracing the power of social media to build their image.

In terms of sports broadcasting, ESPN is making a splash in the digital world, as senior director Noel Nash told Forbes' Jessica Hirshfield.

Still not convinced by the power of social media? Well, maybe you should be, as Forrester Research recently reported, approximately $77 billion will be spent on digital marketing by 2016. That's roughly the same amount of money as what is being used in television today, the world's most-accessible medium.

Best on Ground

The best on ground this week is a two-way tie between the Rugby World Cup, which concluded last night with the All Blacks holding on in a tough-fought victory over France, and New York Knicks franchise player, Carmelo Anthony.

The Rugby World Cup was a tremendous world sporting event that lived up to the hype on the field and in the digital world, as Natalie Sisson breaks down the social media campaign the Rugby World Cup administrators implemented nearly flawlessly throughout the lead-up and duration of the event.

The New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony also gets the nod for best on ground this week with his thinking outside the square pop-up concept shop in an abandoned warehouse in New York City, to promote his new Jordan brand basketball shoe, the Melo M8.

The interesting thing about Melo's temporary store is that you can't buy the shoe there, you can just look, with the exhibit creatively showcasing both the new shoes and Melo's own personal brand. It's a very clever buzz marketing technique, indeed.