Major League Soccer will provide some fans with a unique gift on Monday: a digital autograph. The league's top young star, Portland Timbers midfielder Darlington Nagbe, will host a Google+ hangout on Monday at 5 p.m. ET, complete with an autograph session during which fans will receive a signed digital photo.
Nagbe, who took the top spot in the MLS' "24 Under 24" list last Friday honoring the league's best players under the age of 24, will also answer fans' questions during the video call.
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After a fan asks a question, Nagbe will sign a photo of himself using a tablet. That digital autograph will then be emailed to recipients in the form of a PDF. The digital autograph isn't meant to replace the customary physical autographs that fans are accustomed to chasing, said Chris Schlosser, VP of MLS Digital.
But the digital version does make it easier to share with friends or family online. (The NFL Player's Association did something similar following April's NFL Draft, but the MLS is the first league to host a digital signing through Google+.)
The event is part of the league's continued efforts to reach out to fans using social media, Schlosser said. For the past week, fans have been submitting photos to the league's Google+ community page with a designated hashtag in hopes of getting picked to speak to Nagbe online. The MLS is not new to hosting Google+ Hangouts — the league completed one down on the pitch during the MLS All-Star Game in July — but Monday's hangout will be the first to feature digital autographs.
Nagbe scored the MLS Goal of the Year as a rookie in 2011

Schlosser says the MLS uses social media extensively to connect with fans, and part of the league's success comes from having higher-ups — like Commissioner Don Garber — on board. Some call Garber "Digital Don," a fitting nickname considering his tech-friendly approach to growing the country's professional soccer league. In many ways, Garber is leading by example. He has more than 30,000 Twitter followers and hosted a Facebook chat in June with MLS fans. He even gave his annual state of the league address on a Google+ hangout. Compared to commissioners of other sports leagues, Garber looks like a social media guru. The NBA's David Stern doesn't even have a Twitter account, and MLB's Bud Selig says he has never sent an email. (He doesn't have a Twitter account, either.) That may work for leagues with longstanding traditions. For a younger league like the MLS, though, which started in 1996, social media is a must. "We have the youngest fan base of any of the leagues here in the U.S. and one of the most tech savvy," Schlosser said. "So social media is really a natural way for us to reach out to our fans." Image: Rich Schultz/Getty Images Topics: Darlington Nagbe, google hangout, MLS, Social Media, Sports
Schlosser says the MLS uses social media extensively to connect with fans, and part of the league's success comes from having higher-ups — like Commissioner Don Garber — on board.
Some call Garber "Digital Don," a fitting nickname considering his tech-friendly approach to growing the country's professional soccer league. In many ways, Garber is leading by example. He has more than 30,000 Twitter followers and hosted a Facebook chat in June with MLS fans. He even gave his annual state of the league address on a Google+ hangout.
Compared to commissioners of other sports leagues, Garber looks like a social media guru. The NBA's David Stern doesn't even have a Twitter account, and MLB's Bud Selig says he has never sent an email. (He doesn't have a Twitter account, either.)
That may work for leagues with longstanding traditions. For a younger league like the MLS, though, which started in 1996, social media is a must.
"We have the youngest fan base of any of the leagues here in the U.S. and one of the most tech savvy," Schlosser said. "So social media is really a natural way for us to reach out to our fans."


Image: Rich Schultz/Getty Images