Updated with infographic: Major League Baseball told Lost Remote last month that the All Star Game would be the “most social event in baseball history,” and the league certainly lived up to its promise. After the first inning, MLB said it counted 290K social media comments — more than the entire All Star game last year. By the end of the game — despite the 8-0 final score — Bluefin Labs counted 808K social comments. Trendrr measured a social activity of 852,137, which nearly tripled the next closest show for the night, Pretty Little Liars.
And no wonder. For starters, the #ASG hashtag was everywhere. A bug burned into the screen. A sign directly behind the batter. And another sign above the batter, upper screen right.
Then players tweeted from the social media room near the clubhouse. And Matt Kemp was the first player to send a tweet during the game itself — setting a MLB/Twitter record.
First player 2 ever tweet during the 2012 #ASG!!! This experience is incredible!! Have fun watching the game. Go #NL
— Matt Kemp (@TheRealMattKemp) July 11, 2012
At one point, every worldwide trending topic was tied to the game.
Of course, Twitter hashtags are becoming increasingly commonplace among live sports broadcasts — and not just as a graphical bug. Remember those college football end zones that were painted with big hashtags? And the NASCAR vehicle with the hashtag painted on the back? But in our experience, the MLB All Star Game wins hands down for the most hashtags on screen in any broadcast to date.
Here’s an infographic from Bluefin Labs:
