You Twit: NBA Players Make MLB Look Anti-Social
4th November 2009
Twitter can be both good and bad for businesses, and sports is no different. Athletes having an unfiltered line to millions of fans, media, and yes, their respective clubs, can have unexpected consequences.
But, Twitter is here to stay, and is being embraced in a big way by athletes from all leagues… just some more than others.
Case in point, MLB vs. NBA players. Below is a definitive list of verified MLB players, courtesy of the @MLB blog:
| Player | Twitter Account | Club |
| Jeremy Affeldt | @JeremyAffeldt | Giants |
| Coco Crisp | @coco_crisp | Royals |
| Carlos Delgado | @carlosdelgado21 | Mets |
| Chad Durbin | @ShowcaseU | Phillies |
| Curtis Granderson | @detroit_tigers | Tigers |
| Jason Grilli | @GrillCheese49 | TBD |
| Blake Hawksworth | @BlakeHawksworth | Cardinals |
| Dirk Hayhurst | @TheGarfoose | Blue Jays |
| Orlando Hudson | @orlandohudson | Dodgers |
| Matt Kemp | @mattkemp27 | Dodgers |
| Matt LaPorta | @Gator4God | Indians |
| Seth McClung | @73_MC | Brewers |
| Jamie Moyer | @moyerfoundation | Phillies |
| Joe Nathan | @JoeNathan36 | Twins |
| David Ortiz | @davidortiz | Red Sox |
| Roy Oswalt | @royoswalt44net | Astros |
| Ryan Rowland-Smith | @hyphen18 | Mariners |
| CC Sabathia | @cc_sabathia | Yankees |
| Joakim Soria | @joakimsoria | Royals |
| Nick Swisher | @nickswisher | Yankees |
| Mark Teahen | @ESPY_TEAHEN | Royals |
| Rich Thompson | @chopper63 | Angels |
| Todd Wellemeyer | @todalion | Cardinals |
| C.J. Wilson | @str8edgeracer | Rangers |
Also, the Reds’ Chris Dickerson co-founded @weplaygreen.
Conversely, the NBA has so many players using the micro-blogging, social network site that a comprehensive study has been released of 130 players on Twitter by Sysomos.
Key notes of the massive study:
- The most popular NBA players (having the most followers on Twitter) are the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Shaquille O’Neal, followed by the Boston Celtics’ Paul Pierce and the Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard
- The most active NBA players (having the most NBA friends) is the Phoenix Suns’ Jason Richardson, followed by the Milwaukee Bucks’ Andrew Bogut and the San Antonio Spurs’ Roger Mason Jr.
- The most active NBA player on Twitter (average number of tweets per day) is the Boston Celtics’ Marquis Daniels, followed by the Toronto Raptors’ Reggie Evans and the Washington Wizards’ Fabricio Oberto
- The most “dense” team (players following their teammates) is the Philadelphia 76ers
- The most “NBA social” team (players following players on other teams) is the Detroit Pistons
- The most popular team on NBA (having the most NBA followers from other teams) is the Cleveland Cavaliers
- The most “Twitter social” team (players following the most people on Twitter) is the Chicago Bulls
- The most popular team on Twitter (in terms of its players being followed by the most people on Twitter) is Cleveland Cavaliers, not surprising given the Cavs’ players include superstars LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal
Select the image below to see how NBA players on Twitter connect:
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown’s full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.
