Major League Baseball fans already have their calendars marked for the July 10 All-Star Game taking place at 7:30pm eastern time (via FOX) at the Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

Kauffman Stadium (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

But instead of just tuning in on July 10, it’s time to login to Twitter and Facebook as well. Why?

The Major League Baseball Players Association announced that for the first time ever players will also be logging into their personal social media accounts to post status updates, shout-outs on Twitter, and even upload photos and videos captured from their devices.

In an announcement made on MLB.com, Executive VP for MLB Business Tim Brosnan stated:

We’re thrilled to expand this effort to include the All-Star Game. This initiative will bring fans closer than ever to their favorite players, resulting in what will no doubt be the most ‘social’ events in baseball history.

For the Fans: Engagement

Die hard fans no doubt already follow their favorite players’ social media accounts, yet this level of interaction during an actual game is unsurpassed. Who needs old-school fan mail when, via social media, fans get to sit on the bench with their favorite All-Star.

For the Players: Media Skills

It would be a grave mistake to call this type of interaction a ‘trend.’ It’s here to stay and it’s only going to get more intertwined with everyday life. Pre social media, players had to ‘field’ a few microphones every now and then with an occasional press conference. Now they’re logging in, snapping photos, and uploading videos.

Last year’s “Social Media Derby” in Phoenix was a harbinger of what athletes can expect when they engage with fans. @RobinsonCano’s Twitter following grew by a whopping 84% during the All-Star game alone.

So what’s next?

Just have a look at Google’s Project Glass in the video below and imagine what could be when intertwined with sports and social media.