Pittsburgh Pro Sports: Crunching The Social Media Numbers
By Larry Snyder
The tussle for the fan’s hearts in Pittsburgh among its Top Three sports teams does not end on the diamond, gridiron, or ice. In the 21st Century, it continues across the battleground we call Social Media.
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Which member of Pittsburgh’s trio of pro teams do we most pay attention to on Facebook and Twitter? It is time to let our fingers do the walking over the keyboard, and check out what the internet has to say about it. Our numbers are from Monday, July 20, 2015 at approximately 12 noon.
3) Pittsburgh Pirates: The crew of the Jolly Roger drops anchor in the No. 3 spot in our survey. Clint Hurdle‘s squad comes in with 379,019 followers on Twitter and 1,032,184 likes on Facebook for a combined total of 1,411,203. In comparison to the rest of the National League Central Division, the Pirates are fourth overall.
Here is the rest of the N.L. Central breakdown:
Chicago Cubs – 580,087 Twittter/2,399,127 Facebook for a total of 2,979,214.
St. Louis Cardinals – 674,277Twitter/2,295,923 Facebook for a total of 2,970,200.
Cincinnati Reds – 430,194 Twitter/1,167,832 Facebook for a total of 1,598,029.
Milwaukee Brewers – 289,626 Twitter/1,024,311 Facebook for a total of 1,313,937.
2) Pittsburgh Penguins: The Pens take the ice in the No. 2 slot here in the “Burgh. Mike Johnston‘s gang has 682,623 followers on Twitter and 1,843,195 likes on Facebook for a combined total of 2,525,818. Checking in around the rest of the National Hockey League’s Metropolitan Division, the Penguins are the Top Dog overall.
Here is how the rest of the Metro stacks up:
New York Rangers – 537,107 Twitter/1,497,151 Facebook for a total of 2,034,258.
Philadephia Flyers – 496,283 Twitter/1,163,985 Facebook for a total of 1,660,268.
Washington Capitals – 316,758 Twitter/662,202 Facebook for a total of 978,960.
New Jersey Devils – 256,128 Twitter/464,960 Facebook for a total of 721,088.
Columbus Blue Jackets – 232,595 Twitter/246,795 Facebook for a total of 479,390.
New York Islanders – 205,342 Twitter/255,508 Facebook for a total of 460,850.
Carolina Hurricanes – 171,259 Twitter/241,458 Facebook for a total of 412,717.
1) Pittsburgh Steelers It should come as no surprise that the Boys of Fall are the leaders in the Steel City. Mike Tomlin‘s group has 983,351 followers on Twitter and 6,063,872 likes on Facebook for a combined total of 7,047,223. Looking around the AFC North of the National Football League, the Steelers are the best overall.
Here are the numbers for the usual suspects:
Baltimore Ravens – 615,811 Twitter/2,266,494 Facebook for a total of 2,882,305.
Cleveland Browns – 459,552 Twitter/1,140,066 Facebook for a total of 1,599,618.
Cincinnati Bengals – 373,315 Twitter/1,080,237 Facebook for a total of 1,453,552.
It could explain why Pittsburgh travels so well to the away stadiums.
Before you take all of these numbers to heart, Kurt Badenhausen at Forbes has reported that the Barcelona soccer team has a social media total of 100.9 million. They have 85.4 million likes on Facebook and 15.5 million followers on Twitter. It helps to keep everything in perspective.
Which of Pittsburgh’s teams do you follow the most on Social Media? Do you use all of the team apps on your phone or tablet? Let me know in the comments section below.
Next: View From The Booth: Hounds stumble into July doldrums