I agree with you entirely and I think the article provides an interesting case study of how different teams in one market have used Twitter/Facebook.

One point I especially liked was the issue of devotion — if I put the time into building a brand on Twitter and leverage it for giveaways to people who are, as you say, already committed fans, what have I done to build my fanbase? Have I just given diehards something for free that they would have paid for anyway? How do I ensure a word-of-mouth spread?

Conversely though, if I can build and galvanize a fanbase around freebies, will they then go out reach potential fans with my support as a team? I think that is the beauty of the Seattle Sounders marketing plan — you couldn’t escape them before they even took the field. If you didn’t see their promotional materials on a bus, television, or towel, you heard from someone in conversation.

As part of a bigger scheme, I could certainly see Twitter/Facebook enhancing a Sounders-style plan. But I would think that teams who think just being there is an inherent good, might be misleading themselves…

…but, I would also argue that the league has made some “marketing” strides if you consider the relationship with Bing and television contracts…

I personally think both MLS (again, thinking Sounders) and WPS have done a very good job marketing their respective “niche” leagues and wonder what the WNBA could borrow from some of those strategies. I was listening to Amanda Vandervort talk about the WPS and one thing she mentioned is something to the effect of WPS marketing their players as strong, tough athletes and being “unapologetic” about it.

http://www.womentalksports.com/items/read/4/437013

Personally, I think their commercials demonstrate that:
http://www.youtube.com/womensprosoccer#p/c/B1D478567B0DDC28/0/F9iIbnu5LyY

Also, here’s the WPS 2010 marketing campaign that Vandervort was referring to in the podcast…

http://www.swishappeal.com/2010/4/27/1446393/ive-seen-this-a-few-times-and

From the article:

That concern would be especially great, he suggested, with outright ticket giveaways like the Checkers used.

“Would you rather have an engaged fan, or a fan who just became one to get a free ticket?” asked Hussey, who oversees social media marketing for Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont.

Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/24/452282/teams-turn-to-social-media-to.html#ixzz0mKRKQLec

So it’s part of a bigger issue of not only using twitter as a medium, but exactly you provide fans through that medium..