Photo: thenickpantsshow.tumblr.com/
With Olympic fever well underway and all eyes on Sochi this week, social media has been abuzz both with excited fans and a wealth of new Russian experiences. According to topsy.com’s Twitter data, in the last 7 days, the hashtag #sochi2014 has brought in over 2.2 million tweets and that number is rising by the second. So I thought it would be interesting to look at the athletes who are not just medaling on the podium, but in the world of social media as well, building their fan bases and personal brands at a time when the world is most captivated in their sports.
1.
Shaun White – The
two-time gold medal reigning champion snowboarder failed to bring home the
grand prize this time around, but for a man who has crafted a brand so large he
has over 1.3 million Twitter followers and become the poster boy for his sport,
even on a night in which he’d wipeout and place 4th overall, his
event would rake in an average of 23.6 million viewers, up
16% from the 2010 Games (Los Angeles Times). His name alone
has generated over 200,000 tweets in the past week (topsy.com) and out of all
the athletes that came into the Olympics with strong followers the Flying
Tomato is my favorite, as everyone seems to have a comment or opinion to make
about him and his unique style. He might also be the only athlete who can
pull out of an event (slopestyle) and actually increase his Twitter followers
(another 10,000). While his Twitter has gone a little dark since the Olympic
loss, he was nice enough to share a video before his event even took place,
thanking his fans for supporting him along the way, as can be seen on his page
at: twitter.com/shaun_white
2.
Johnny Quinn – Johnny’s
headline making in the past week has been all about his athletic skill, but
more often than not he's showing off those skills in his Russian hotel rather than his bobsled. The so called #sochiproblems have blanketed
the web with over 300,000 tweets (topsy.com) addressing everything from
contaminated water to improvised bathrooms over the past two weeks, and Johnny
Quinn took to his Twitter account to drum up a unique situation. He tweeted out a picture showing the world the
remnants of a bathroom door he had punched his way through after been locked
inside, and cited his bobsled training as providing him with the tools to break free.
His tweet went viral with over 30,000 re-tweets and appearances on all the
major news outlets. Two days later he’d
find himself trapped again, only this time inside an elevator. You can join his 25,000 new fans and follow
the charismatic star thru his daring escapes, and maybe a little actual bobsledding at: twitter.com/JohnnyQuinnUSA
3.
Ashley Wagner – If
there were crowns for the queen of memes, the summer Olympics’ McKayla Maroney
might have to step down for the newest addition to the throne, winter’s ice
queen Ashley Wagner. Wagner’s shocked/angry/annoyed
facial expression after receiving a lower score than expected during a figure
skating competition set off like fire around social media with her expression
added to a variety of memes on every subject matter. Over 20,000 tweets later, Ashley’s twitter
following at: twitter.com/AshWagner2010 has grown to over 55,000, and she has
handed her new-found fame off the rink like the pro she is on it. Her presence on Twitter is filled with a
lighthearted humor surrounding the judging and finding fun in the unimpressed
facial expression and the parodies surrounding it, despite a serious time in her skating career. More
active on Instagram, Ashley has developed a social media presence with a
youthful energy behind the scenes at the Games, and gives audiences a chance to
connect with the young star before tuning into to see how she’ll do, and
perhaps more interestingly, how she’ll react, in the next competition.
4.
Julia Mancuso –
With Lindsay Vonn out of the winter Olympics this year, Julia Mancuso has been
looking to fill in as America’s sweetheart.
Julia has been one of the most active Olympic Twitter users, sharing constant
tweets both during her travels to Sochi and during her training regime, but
also finding the time to comment on the successes of other athletes. Rather than letting her channels go dark
after failing to take home a medal Wednesday in the downhill competition, Julia
actually took to the web offering glimpses into how she deals with defeat. Balancing her social media channels of heavily
used Instagram and Twitter, both topping off at well over 55,000 followers,
with an even mix of personal anecdotes and sponsorship/interview promotions,
Julia has what it takes to develop a personal brand and household name that
lives on long after the Games have left Sochi.
Find the rest of her views from the Olympic deck at: twitter.com/JuliaMancuso
5.
Bob Costas – So
he’s not technically an Olympic athlete, but sports personality Bob Costas has
become the story of the Olympics without having ever competed. The star broadcaster has hosted 157 consecutive
Olympic prime-time broadcasts going all the way back to 1988, that is until this week when a terrible pink eye infection forced him out of
his coveted seat. Every Olympics has a
story and, going into this one, many were focused on the threat of terrorism,
the gay right protests, or the poor accommodations, but it seems one legendary
broadcaster’s deteriorating eyes have taken over. Costas tried to go into work, switching to
studious glasses, and even taking a drink on air to ease the problem, but
eventually had to vacate his seat until his health improved, despite his
determined work ethic. Costas doesn’t
even have a Twitter, but with 131,000 tweets about him this week alone, his
career is in the spotlight, and so are those eyes. And if you really need an update, his eyes do
have their own Twitter following at: twitter.com/BobCostasEyes
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