Sports fans react on Twitter to ESPYs, MLB All-Star, and Wimbledon
Between the ESPYs, Wimbledon, the MLB All-Star Game, and a big UFC card, last week was a sports lover’s dream – hence, it was a reaction-filled week on Twitter.
The ESPYs, which continues to grow in popularity year after year (and which got a boost in its move from ESPN to ABC) drove 435,257 (19%) of the 2,353,469 reactions last week on Twitter, according to Canvs. Caitlyn Jenner accepting the Arthur Ashe Courage Award was the show’s biggest moment, driving 102,186 reactions.
A fantastic end to Wimbledon also stirred the conversation, with the women’s final driving 88,605 reactions. Compare this to the men’s final, which drove ‘just’ 66,826 reactions.
Below, additional insights from Canvs, followed by an infographic reviewing the social TV week that was:
· Despite losing in the NBA Finals, Lebron James won Best Championship Performance. He was mentioned in 29,275 reactions, with 65% expressing love and 11% expressing hate.
· MMA star Ronda Rousey received the Best Female Athlete and Best Fighter awards. She was mentioned in 26,298 reactions with 61% expressing love and 11% expressing beautiful.
· The ESPYs honored late college basketball player Lauren Hill by awarding her Best Moment. She was mentioned in 21,123 reactions with 58% expressing love.
Reaction Source: Canvs. Canvs analyzes Tweets about TV (as captured by Nielsen), identifies Tweets containing emotions, and arranges them into themes called reactions.
Tweet Source: Nielsen. Relevant Tweets captured from three hours before, during, and three hours after an episode's initial broadcast, local time.