Follow Me on Twitter? What is Twitter’s Importance to Modern-Day Athletes and Do These “Follower” Numbers Really Matter to Sponsors?

As of 12:38am on December 7, 2009 I have 425 followers on twitter. (2500 on Facebook, 15,000+ hits a month on this blog) and  I thought the number of twitter follows I had wasn’t a big deal until a publicist friend of mine over brunch recently told me sternly, “This is an unacceptable number Tim.”

“Why?” I responded naively. 

He told me I needed to get over 10,000 followers pronto if I was serious about getting sponsors and being a “player”.   He also said the fact that my last “tweet” at the time was over 22 hours ago was also not good.  

So, the past two days I’ve begun tweeting more (it’s also currently feeding directly to my FB status, but thinking that might be overkill), but I’m still wondering just how these hours spent tweeting away will be beneficial?

He swears it will be huge for me and he’s a smart, knowledgable and successful publicist so I’m listening to him,  but everyone is saying how powerful twitter can be to a business, but how important is it really going to be for a small sport athlete like myself trying to get a sponsor?

Are there concrete examples out there that you know where twitter has helped someone in a comparable position like my own to succeed?  

And, is part of being a modern-day small sport athlete going for sponsors going to require twitter and social networking?

I guess I just need to “see it”.   So, I’m gunning for 10,000 twitter follows and hoping to see that this makes a difference!!   I’d love to achieve this by the time the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver are over which is when the  Olympic sponsors will turn their sites to new potential summer athletes to fund.

So, I say to you HELP A SMALL SPORT ATHLETE! Follow me on twitter!

www.twitter.com/timmorehouse

And, if you have any advice on “tweeting” and “twittering” effectively, let me know!

Bode Miller, Grand Slam Tennis Player, Gossip Girl Heartthrob Sebastian Stan and Fencing Silver Medalist Tim Morehouse Face Off in the Hublot “Tennis Fusion” Celebrity Challenge

Is the tennis racquet mightier than the sword?

Tomorrow we will find out as I’m squaring off in a celebrity tennis match to support Bode Miller’s Turtle Ridge Foundation which will be donating $10,000 dollars to Harlem Youth Tennis.

Apparently, Bode Miller would have been a professional tennis player if he wasn’t a skier and this explains why an Alpine skier is doing a tennis clinic.  Also, would be hard to demonstrate Alpine Skiing at an event in NYC!

Justin Gimelstob, the tennis champion and Gossip Girl’s Sebastian Stan round out the doubles players.  Not sure who I’ll be playing with, but it should be interesting.  Its been awhile since I picked up a racquet!  

It’s for a good cause and hopefully the children attending won’t laugh at my skills! -Tim

Follow it on twitter! www.twitter.com/timmorehouse

Press Release:
The Hublot “Tennis Fusion” Celebrity Challenge will feature Bode Miller, Sebastian Stan, Justin Gimelstob and Tim Morehouse in a doubles tennis match. The players will gather to support Bode’s relationship with the Harlem Youth Tennis and Educational Program. Following the Celebrity Challenge, Bode will lead a basic tennis clinic with kids from the program.

Bode Miller and his family started The Turtle Ridge Foundation in 2005. It is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting health, diversity, and sustainable living through sports. In February 2009 Bode joined forces with Hublot to collaborate on design and development of the new Hublot Bode Bang Limited Edition watch. A portion of sales from the watch will go to the Turtle Ridge Foundation. At the Hublot “Tennis Fusion” Celebrity Challenge, Hublot and The Turtle Ridge Foundation will donate 10,000 to Harlem Youth Tennis and Education Program.