2010 was a big year in the world of sports and social media, as leagues, teams, individual athletes, and sports fans alike began to truly understand and harness the power of social platforms. For me, 2010 was the year when social media went mainstream in the world of sports. There were many highlights, too many to name. But when I thought back on this year, these five moments stood out (in chronological order):
Pepsi Decides Against Ads in Superbowl 44
Earlier this year, Pepsi decided against running ads in the Super Bowl, instead putting the $20 million towards social media, specifically the Pepsi Refresh Project. It was the first time in 23 years Pepsi did not have an ad featured in the year’s biggest game. They were not alone, as other major brands such as FedEx opted out as well. This year, Pepsi and other advertisers are flocking back to take part in SBXLV, despite the $3M cost for a 30-second spot. So, while the big game might still be too hard to pass for major advertisers, last year is a sign that it might not be that way for long.
Bonus: “How Social Media is Changing the Super Bowl”
2010 Olympics
The Olympics games in Vancouver this year were deemed by many to be the first “social” Olympics. In ’08, when the Summer games were being held in Beijing, social media was not nearly the monster it was as of earlier this year. Medal-winning athletes like Shaun White and Lindsey Vonn actively used social platforms over the course of the Olympics, and the games even had their own Facebook Page (now with 2+ million likes). The chatter on channels like Facebook and Twitter (along with hashtag #van2010) was insane because of the global magnitude of the event. I can’t wait for the 2012 Summer games in London!
The World Cup
This year’s second biggest Twitter trend? FIFA World Cup, and deservingly so. While it might not be too popular in the United States, soccer is the world’s biggest sport. Just a few impressive numbers and stats from the World Cup… The Vuvuzela app was the #1 downloaded app in the iTunes store in June. Coca Cola’s sponsored #WC2010 hashtag received 86 million impressions in 24 hours. While the official video appears to have been taken down, Nike’s “Write The Future” commercial (a must-watch) saw 19+ million views on Youtube. The world was watching soccer during June and July and using social media as an avenue to talk about their experiences.
LeBron James, “The Decision,” & “What Should I Do”
We all know about LeBron James and his decision to go to the Miami Heat. We all know about the prime time ESPN event he put on, and about the backlash he incurred. We all know about his “What Should I Do” video and some of the rebuttals he received for it. LeBron James was the top sports trend on Twitter this year, and for all the wrong reasons. While LBJ is still one of sports’ most well-known and loved athletes, he also happens to be one of sports’ biggest villains. His “What Should I Do” video has over 4.5 million views on Youtube. The highest rated comment?
“[explicit] YOU LEBRON YOU NO RINGED KING………CELTICS!!!!!!! 2010-2011 CHAMPS.“
It was quite the year for LBJ. And social media has allowed sports fans to tell the King just what they think about him.
Two of the World’s Biggest Athletes Join Twitter
On July 6th of this year, LeBron James sent his first tweet. Four months later, Tiger Woods sent his. Neither has done an extraordinary job with Twitter to this point, but the simple fact that they joined the platform was significant enough to make the cut. When two of the world’s biggest and most recognizable athletes join the world’s second most popular social network, it’s newsworthy.
In the four hours after LBJ joined Twitter, he’d already gained 25,000 followers. Now he has 1.14 million, while Tiger has a modest 361,000 followers. In the end, there’s not much to say, other than that two of the biggest athletes in the world decided to activate their social media presence, and that means a lot.
Thinking back on 2010, would your list be the same? Is there anything I missed that deserves to be in the top five? 2010 was full of many great moments in the world of sports and social media. Let’s talk about it below!
###
Image by taminator
https://indianmedsdelivery.com/# indian pharmacy online
Online medicine order: Indian Meds Delivery – pharmacy no prescription required
best online pharmacy india: Indian Meds Delivery – online pharmacy no rx
https://canadiantabs.xyz/# legitimate canadian online pharmacies
online pharmacy india [url=http://indianmedsdelivery.com/#]Indian Meds Delivery[/url] legal online pharmacies in the us
Canadian Tabs: Canadian Tabs – pharmacy in canada
reputable indian online pharmacy: Indian Meds Delivery – worldwide pharmacy online
http://canadiantabs.com/# canada pharmacy online legit
http://canadiantabs.com/# canadian online pharmacy no prescription
Canadian Tabs: online canadian pharmacy – Canadian Tabs
pharmacy mexico: purple pharmacy mexico – farmacia pharmacy mexico purchase online
bester neukundenbonus wettanbieter
Feel free to surf to my webpage: euroleague basketball wett tipps
http://canadiantabs.com/# best online canadian pharmacy
https://mexicanpharm.com/# mexicanrxpharm
online sportwetten startguthaben
Feel free to surf to my site wett tipps prognosen
buchmacher wetten
Look into my site; sicherste sportwetten strategie
https://mexicanpharm.com/# Mexican Pharm
indianpharmacy com: Indian Meds Delivery – reputable overseas online pharmacies
http://canadiantabs.com/# canadian pharmacy ltd
order antibiotics from mexico: Mexican Pharm – Mexican Pharm
online wett
my blog besten sportwetten tipps (https://divatkep.hu/)
reputable indian pharmacies: reputable indian pharmacies – trustworthy online pharmacy
https://canadiantabs.xyz/# legit canadian online pharmacy
https://indianmedsdelivery.com/# reputable indian online pharmacy
canadian pharmacy oxycodone [url=https://canadiantabs.xyz/#]legitimate canadian pharmacies[/url] safe canadian pharmacy
top 10 pharmacies in india: п»їlegitimate online pharmacies india – express scripts mail order pharmacy
dog medicine [url=https://vetpharmfirst.shop/#]Vet Pharm First[/url] Vet Pharm First
http://onlinepharmfirst.com/# medstore online pharmacy
ivermectin price comparison: ivermectin syrup – Ivermectin First
worldwide pharmacy: best mail order pharmacy – best online pharmacy no prescription
best pet rx: pet drugs online – Vet Pharm First
Vet Pharm First [url=https://vetpharmfirst.shop/#]dog medicine[/url] Vet Pharm First
https://onlinepharmfirst.com/# trusted online pharmacy
http://vetpharmfirst.com/# Vet Pharm First
stromectol ivermectin buy: Ivermectin First – ivermectin buy online
https://ivermectinfirst.com/# stromectol australia
Ivermectin First: Ivermectin First – Ivermectin First
pet meds online: vet pharmacy – Vet Pharm First
Vet Pharm First [url=http://vetpharmfirst.com/#]discount pet meds[/url] pet med