Major League Baseball?s tapping of Snapchat to bring video content to fans takes the game back to its 19th-century roots as a source for both bonding with heroes on the field and inspired storytelling as the mobile messaging platform continues to evolve into a go-to destination for live sports.

Fans at selected Snapchat geofenced ballparks will be able to add their snaps to the ?MLB Wednesdays? story, along with sending to their friends and adding to their own stories. As Snapchat curates content from fans at the parks to tell the best MLB story throughout the day, mobile is reconnecting fans with a disappearing piece of American history.

?Every game has a narrative,? said Matt Gould, vice president of communications with MLB Advanced Media, a technology provider to Major League Baseball. ?MLB Wednesdays will capture a fun, running collection of fans? narratives, creating an easily sharable way for fans to be part of those games and their own favorite moments.?

The initiative carries on MLBAM?s partnership with Snapchat that began in February.

In the latest MLB-Snapchat collaboration, Snapchat first will create a weekly geofence around selected ballparks.

Then, when fans at those games send a Snapchat, they will automatically be given the option to add their snaps to the ?MLB Wednesdays? story. Fans also can share with snaps with friends and add to their own stories. 

Snapchat then will curate the best submitted content from fans at all selected ballparks to tell the best "MLB Wednesdays? story throughout the day.

A typical story could see fan content featuring action on the field blended with video depicting fans? experiences in the stands. Behind-the-scenes footage submitted by MLB?s own social media correspondents also could be part of the narrative.

Focusing on fans? stories is a way for MLB to gain exposure and raise its profile with younger audiences amid criticism it is too slow for today?s sports fans.

MLB, whose core audience tends to skew older than other major sports, has leveraged a number of projects aimed at engaging younger audiences on mobile.

Last month, MLB.com At Bat added Apple Watch users to its target audience on Major League Baseball?s official mobile application for the 2015 season, providing fans with vital scores, statistics and content to enhance engagement with the sport.

Apple Watch users of the MLB.com At Bat app gained the ability to receive live scores, statistics, pitch tracking, player cards, notifications and news. 

Last year, MLB reached out to fans on the go everywhere with its first-ever provision of a live game stream and iBeacon-supported interactive ballpark attractions at the 2014 All-Star Game.

Fans with the MLB.com At Bat mobile app could receive live streams of the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game on Sunday, the Gillette Home Run Derby on Monday and the 85th All-Star Game on Tuesday. 

The MLB partnership points to Snapchat?s growing role in sports projects.

While Twitter typically dominates social media marketing around live sports events, marketers for this year's NCAA March Madness tournament paid closer attention to Snapchat.

Coca-Cola, Reese?s and other brands leveraged Snapchat and other social platforms to engage fans during the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament broadcast.

Snapchat also was prominent in Super Bowl broadcast jointly produced by CBS Sports and Turner Sports. 

The first MLB story on Snapchat began Wednesday with the Washington Nationals-Arizona Diamondbacks game.

 

?Last year, we worked with Snapchat on Our Stories for Derek Jeter?s final home game and the postseason, in addition to this year?s Opening Day,? Mr. Gould said of the now-retired New York Yankees shortstop and his fabled baseball club.

?Our fans loved sharing their own stories as part of the MLB stories. 

?MLB Wednesdays is a great expansion of those early efforts, chronicling and sharing the many ways our fans are personally enjoying the games,? he said.