While he is prepping for a challenging game against the Atlanta Falcons this weekend, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson picked up the distinct honor from 120 Sports and MVPindex as the most valued athlete on social media in 2016.
New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was second, and Houston Texans star defensive lineman J.J. Watt came in third in the ranking that included professional athletes.
These athletes had their value on social media determined in collaboration with the digital sports network 120 Sports as well as social measurement and valuation platform MVPindex. They ranked athletes based on a proprietary algorithm that evaluates social activities throughout the past year. The ranking included three combined scores based on reach (fans, followers, impressions), engagement (likes, comments, shares, retweets, favorites) and conversation (positive/negative mentions).
At 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, 120 Sports will reveal its full Top 25 list and take a look at the top valued athletes in social media with its new digital show The Rally, a two-hour show exclusively on Twitter. 120 Sports works with users to get instant insight from consumer trends and shapes the on-demand programming from real-time data based on the conversation and stories that are resonating most with sports fans.
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The NFL had nine players within the Top 25, and the NBA was a close second with five athletes. Wilson claimed the top spot for the second straight year, with an overall ranking of 0.983 due in large part to his continued strong play and recent marriage to singer Ciara.
“We produce and deliver sports content based on whatever is the hottest story as indicated by what is trending on social media and what sports fans are talking about on social platforms,” 120 Sports president Jason Coyle said in a statement. “MVPindex helps us to quantify the commanding voices and influencers on social media from the past year so we can continue to relate with our fans by showcasing the athletes that matter most to them.”
Two impressive climbs on the list were MMA fighter Conor McGregor, who jumped 33 spots to claim the No. 5 spot this year. Five women were represented on the list including Alex Morgan (No. 15), Serena Williams (No. 16), Ronda Rousey (No. 18), Hope Solo (No. 22) and Kerri Walsh Jennings (No. 25).
The top athletes in each sport include:
- Robinson Cano (MLB)
- Conor McGregor (UFC)
- Russell Wilson (NFL)
- Rory McIlroy (PGA TOUR)
- LeBron James (NBA)
- Alex Morgan (US Soccer)
- Serena Williams (WTA)
- Jeff Gordon (NASCAR)
- Kerri Walsh Jennings (AVP)
“For years, the yard stick in determining social media value was based solely on the number of followers someone had. But at MVP we know that quantity does not mean quality,” MVPindex co-founder Kyle Nelson said in a statement. “With our sophisticated Engagement Value Assessment tool, we look at social media impressions, engagement, virality and social authority to help figure out what it’s all really worth.”
The top portion of the list is as follows:
- Russell Wilson (NFL)
- Odell Beckham Jr. (NFL)
- J.J. Watt (NFL)
- Rory McIlroy (PGA TOUR)
- Conor McGregor (UFC)
- LeBron James (NBA)
- Tiger Woods (PGA TOUR)
- Richard Sherman (NFL)
- Tom Brady (NFL)
- Rob Gronkowski (NFL)
- Stephen Curry (NBA)
- Antonio Brown (NFL)