Social media in sport: The most loved and divisive stars online
‘Perfect Pat Cummins’ was a winner on and off the field riding a seemingly endless wave of popularity - until this happened.
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While Ash Barty stands alone as the most popular athlete on the planet right now, cricket captain Pat Cummins has discovered the perils of rolling a coach.
Negative sentiment towards Cummins has quadrupled on social media since the resignation of coach Justin Langer.
Even after his impressive press conference on Thursday, in which he addressed Langer’s departure for the first time, Cummins received further increased criticism on Twitter, dousing the glow he enjoyed in the aftermath of Australia’s 4-0 Ashes win over England.
American-based data analysis company Semrush has the capacity to not only track how many Tweets there are about a person, but also whether the sentiments are positive, negative or neutral. The overwhelming responses to athletes are neutral, so these are the anomalies.
In conjunction with News Corp Australia, Semrush assessed athletes and sporting identities across the globe and the fascinating results show how quickly reputations can change.
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Little more than a week after Australia’s emphatic Ashes triumph, Cummins had among the lowest percentage of negative criticism of any athlete, just 6.6 per cent.
Yet from January 25 to February 10, negative sentiment rose to 26.10 per cent, with many cricket fans blaming Cummins for Langer’s resignation.
But Langer (42 per cent negative) received far worse, and is only behind brash-talking champion boxer George Kambosos Jr (42.5 per cent) for negative comments among Australian sporting identities.
Twitter is also quick to move on, however.
A fortnight ago, in the midst of the NFL playoffs, Tampa Bay defender Ndamukong Suh was the most divisive athlete on the planet, with 59.1 per cent of Twitter mentions being negative after his on-field dust-up with LA Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Yet this week, Suh didn’t have enough mentions to warrant statistical analysis.
The most Tweeted about sporting identities this past week were, in order, Justin Langer, Tyson Fury, Kurt Zouma, LeBron James, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ben Simmons, Mason Greenwood and Neymar.
Three Australians sit in the top five most popular athletes on Twitter this week; Barty, cricketer Marnus Labuschagne, and Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo.
Barty has an extraordinary 63.5 per cent positive reaction – no other athlete has breached 60 per cent.
The world No.1 is riding a wave of global support since claiming the Australian Open title, and a lack of off-court controversy and her down-to-earth demeanour
NFL legend Brady, who announced his retirement this week after an incomparable 22-year career, failed to get the same love as rival quarterbacks Rodgers (44.8 per cent positive) and Jimmy Garoppolo (46.7 per cent).
Brady received 43.9 per cent positive mentions on Twitter, despite being widely acknowledged as the greatest American football player of all time.
Combat sports have the most divisive figures, with six of the top 10 most unpopular either boxers or UFC fighters.
Here are the most hated divisive athletes in the world today:
MOST DIVISIVE ACTIVE ATHLETES
1. Deontay Wilder
The former world heavyweight boxing champion has struggled to salvage his reputation since February 2020 when he lost his title to Tyson Fury and then blamed everything from a heavy ring-entrance suit to Fury’s allegedly “loaded gloves” for his defeat. He was subsequently knocked out by Fury in their third fight last year. Wilder is now being linked to a bout against Kiwi Joseph Parker, but the hate keeps coming, with some social media followers labelling “The Bronze Bomber” the “Bronze Bummer”, with 56.6 per cent of his mentions being negative.
2. Kurt Zouma
Sickening video emerged this week of French international and West Ham footballer Zouma kicking his cat this week, leading to public outcry. Zouma was allowed to play in West Ham’s Premier League match against Watford on Wednesday and was roundly jeered by home and away fans, and the Twitter reaction has been scathing, with 54 per cent of mentions negative.
3. Tyson Fury
The heavyweight boxing king is preparing for a title defence against English countryman Dillian Whyte in April, yet remains one of the most mentioned athletes on social media whether or not he has a fight on due to his controversial posts. Recently Fury has been insulting not only Whyte but rivals Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk, leading to a backlash, with 49.4 per cent of mentions negative.
4. Mason Greenwood
The Manchester United footballer is on bail after being arrested on suspicion of rape. The scandal has seen Greenwood stood down from the team, he has been dumped by sponsor Nike, and he’s also been removed from e-Sports games. Naturally, the reaction to the news has been heavily critical, with Greenwood copping 48.6 per cent negative mentions.
5. George Kambosos Jr
The outspoken Aussie won global acclaim for his hug upset victory over Teofimo Lopez last November to claim the unified lightweight championship, however Kambosos Jr still has plenty of knockers. In recent days he’s taken aim at American rivals Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia, leading to a storm of negative comments, making up 42.5 per cent of his mentions.
6. Jake Paul
The YouTuber turned boxer deliberately provokes in order to boost his notoriety and fame, so it’s little wonder he features on this list. Paul has been highly critical of UFC boss Dana White and is a champion of wage growth in MMA and female boxing, but his own glorified boxing career is what irks most pundits. Paul has fought MMA fighters in the boxing ring and while so far undefeated, receives savage commentary for failing to fight anyone with established boxing credentials. All up this week, 34.5 per cent of his mentions have been negative.
7. Jon Jones
The bad boy of the UFC, Jones has had multiple run-ins with the law including being arrested for drink-driving and suspicion of domestic violence, though was not charged for the latter. Jones proved an unstoppable force in the light-heavyweight division, but after a two-year absence has now turned his attention to becoming the UFC’s heavyweight champion, and with his bitter enemy Israel Adesanya fighting this weekend, the hate rhetoric ramped up for Jones this week with 32.7 per cent negativity.
8. Logan Paul
The older brother of Jake Paul fought boxing legend Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition last year, but it was recently revealed Logan is now suing “Money” Mayweather for failing to pay him. That has put Logan’s name back in the spotlight – though he does boast more than 6 million Twitter followers. Footage of a monkey stealing Paul’s backpack and drink this week also drew some nasty comments, and he has 31.8 per cent negative feedback.
9. Nick Kyrgios
Australia’s divisive tennis star won over many fans during his successful doubles campaign in the Australian Open with partner Thanasi Kokkinakis, but had even more people off-side with his post-victory comments about rating better than Ash Barty. Kyrgios is particularly disliked by overseas fans – no surprise considering the blasting he has copped from international opponents. While Kyrgios has just a quarter of the mentions of rivals Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, his 29.1 per cent negative comment ratio is the highest of any tennis player.
10. Marcus Rashford
While Manchester United and England star Rashford has been a tireless campaigner and fundraiser to end child poverty and improve literacy, his uncompromising attitude towards ending racism in football has made him a regular target for hate online. Now he is mocked for the clothes he wears, his style of play, and even supporting teammates. Rashford received 28.7 per cent negative feedback this week.
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