Case Study:How Sports Leagues and Teams Utilize TikTok
I chose this topic for my final project in my Sports Communication class since I thought I could apply this to my current role as UGA Hockey's Marketing Manager. I compared the top American sports leagues and the teams that perform best within each league to see what they do to be successful on TikTok.
TikTok Background:
First, let’s get into how TikTok has become the social media platform it is today. In 2014, an app called Musical.ly was launched in Shanghai, attracting a lot of young users who would mouth the words of the provided audios. Many of these audios were songs, but some were also sound bites from pop culture moments. Similarly, ByteDance, a tech giant from China, launched Douyin in 2016, a booming short-video sharing platform that gained over 100 million users in China and Thailand. ByteDance knew the platform was successful but wanted further growth under a different brand. In 2018, the company acquired Musical.ly, combining the two platforms into TikTok.
First, let’s get into how TikTok has become the social media platform it is today. In 2014, an app called Musical.ly was launched in Shanghai, attracting a lot of young users who would mouth the words of the provided audios. Many of these audios were songs, but some were also sound bites from pop culture moments. Similarly, ByteDance, a tech giant from China, launched Douyin in 2016, a booming short-video sharing platform that gained over 100 million users in China and Thailand. ByteDance knew the platform was successful but wanted further growth under a different brand. In 2018, the company acquired Musical.ly, combining the two platforms into TikTok.
After expanding into new countries, the app quickly gained popularity. From January 2018 to July 2020, TikTok’s global user base had a 1157.76% increase. Currently, TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users and is the most downloaded non-game app in the first six months of 2021.
I found it extremely interesting that one-third of all smartphone users in India have the app downloaded. In the United States, the app has taken off within Generation Z, with 47.7% of active users being between 10 and 29 years old. Overall, it is estimated that Americans over the age of 18 have spent 1.43 billion hours on TikTok in March 2020, most likely due to the pandemic.
The algorithm TikTok uses is what makes it truly unique in my opinion. TikTok uses an algorithm to decide what will go on each individual user’s “For You Page”. Though the platform hasn’t formally disclosed how the algorithm works, user interactions seem to be most important to the algorithm. This would include what accounts a person follows, posts they have commented on, videos they have shared, videos watched until the end, and more. Of course, the platform also considers account information. By looking at language preferences, country settings, and the categories of interest selected by new users, the algorithm can find videos right for each user.
While the algorithm obviously boosts influencers and celebrities, utilizing hashtags, captions, and trending sounds also place videos on people’s “For You page” or the Discover tab. TikTok also stated that using built-in features like effects, adding text to videos, speech-to-text functions, and more increase your odds of reaching more people’s feeds.
Sports & TikTok:
Sports leagues and teams have found great success on TikTok, increasing their fan base, and creating a more personal connection between the team and fans. When comparing leagues, the NBA has had the most success on the platform with over 13.9 million followers and 340.5 million likes. The next most successful league on TikTok is the NFL with over 7.1 million followers and 252.8 million likes. Following these two leagues are the MLB, NHL, MLS, and NWSL.
Within each league, individual teams outshine others in terms of popularity. For the NBA, the Golden State Warriors have a much stronger following compared to the other teams with 3.5 million followers, followed by the Dallas Mavericks and the Milwaukee Bucks whom both have 1.3 million followers. For the NFL, there is not a team that stands out drastically in regard to follower count. The Kansas City Chiefs have the largest follower base with 1.8 million followers, followed by the Dallas Cowboys with 1.6 million followers and the Philadelphia Eagles with 1.5 million followers.
Conversely, when you look at MLB, NHL, MLS, and NWLS team account they have a lesser amount of followers. When comparing the top team for each sport’s popularity, it seems that basketball fans might be more active on TikTok compared to other sports since The Golden State Warriors have the most followers out of the teams and the NBA has the most followers out of the sports leagues.
The NBA and Golden State Warriors:
The NBA has had the most success on TikTok by far compared to other leagues. Unsurprisingly, they have shown more success than individual teams within the league since they are able to highlight all of the teams’ best plays, reaching basketball fans for every team. The following viral posts are the top 3 best performing content for the NBA from November 2021 until December 6th, 2021.
NBA Viral Video #1
The top post for the NBA within that period features the Charlotte Hornet’s announcer reacting to the team blocking their component’s attempted shots. With this post receiving 6.9 million views, it seems to have blown up due to the crazy play and humorous host. As Tykera Carter, the former WNBA Social Media Coordinator, told me, plays that are out-of-the-ordinary tend to perform best. Following that, humor.
NBA Viral Video #2
The NBA’s second-most viral post within that time frame has 5.8 million views. The TikTok shows a clip from the Warriors game against Minnesota where Stephen Curry tossed up an alley-oop to Gary Payton II without even looking, ending in an insane dunk. I believe this post was successful due to the impressive play and the fact that it had already gone viral on other platforms.
NBA Viral Video #3
The NBA’s third most viral post, with over 4.5 million views, showcases the ending of the close game between the Heat and the Lakers with the score going back and forth, ultimately ending in a tie. I assume that this post did well because fans enjoy competitive games, which is exactly what this TikTok showed. The back-and-forth of the score keeps viewers on their toes and is very surprising.
Compared to the NBA, the Warriors most viral videos are less about basketball plays and more about humor. The following viral posts are the top 3 best performing content for the team from November 2021 until December 6th, 2021.
Warriors Viral Video #1
Warriors Viral Video #2
Warriors Viral Video #3
The team’s most viral video has 1.7 million views. Draymond Green is being interviewed with his bored son climbing all over the table. This video shows not only Green’s personality but also his son’s, making viewers feel as if they personally know his family better. They also used #NBA which could land the post on more people’s feeds. With the hilarious content and strategic hashtag, it makes sense that this is their most recent viral TikTok.
The second most recent viral video by the team shows some of the players chalking up before the game with a funny TikTok sound behind it. I believe a large reason this video reached 1.4 million views is because of the TikTok sound used. The sound was trending, with over 2,875 videos using it, which makes the algorithm put this video on more people’s feeds. With the humor in the video and the sound, I believe this is what caused the video to be as successful as it was.
Lastly, the team posted Stephen Curry, a player who already has a large fan base, making a shot with the “Holy Spirit Activate” TikTok sound. This sound was one of the top trending sounds in the month of November, being used over 466.9K times. This sound alone could cause any video to go viral with the right content, but with Curry being showcased making a shot, it is not shocking this TikTok performed well.
The NFL & Kansas City Chiefs:
The NFL has the most recent TikTok with the most views out of all of the leagues and teams since November 2021. The following viral posts are the top 3 best performing content for the NFL from November 2021 until December 6th, 2021.
NFL Viral Video #1
This TikTok received over 15 million views (which is more than the population of the entire state of Pennsylvania). The video shows Pete Carroll mic’ed up on the sideline of a game. This video performed well due to Carroll’s hilarious personality. As CBS Sports said in the comments, it’s “the perfect combination of anger, sarcasm, and comedy”.
NFL Viral Video #2
NFL Viral Video #3
The league’s next video shows a play that came out just a little short with Robert Hunt making an amazing run just to land inches from it counting as a touchdown. Even though he didn’t make the touchdown, viewers still acknowledged Hunt’s talent while also laughing at how close he was to making it, resulting in 5.3 million views. Again, plays that are out-of-the-ordinary tend to perform best.
The third recent, most viral post the NFL has put on TikTok shows a play that is less impressive but definitely funny. After the opposing player was already on the ground, Matthew Judon playing plopped on top of him. Receiving 3.6 million views, it is clear that viewers found this play humorous.
The Kansas City Chiefs is the second most popular team on TikTok following the Warriors. The following viral posts are the top 3 best performing content for the team from November 2021 until December 6th, 2021.
Chiefs Viral Video #1
Chiefs Viral Video #2
Chiefs Viral Video #3
The team’s post that has had the largest reach had 692.3K views. The team gave Willie Gay a 360 GoPro camera for the unveiling of their new locker room, which showed footage of him exploring his new surroundings in a comical way. On top of the video showing the new facility and his amusing responses, it also used the text-to-speech feature which increases the number of feeds the video shows up on due to its algorithm. The strategic use of the platform and good content is what helped the video reach such success.
The Chiefs took advantage of the #penchallenge that took over TikTok in November. The trend has people make statements and throw a pen into a cup, but if they miss then it won’t come true. While it was obviously not done in one take, the statements ranged from winning the AFC West to the Super Bowl, with the person making each pen into the cup. In addition to this already being a popular trend, it is unsurprising that fans liked the video since it calls their team winning the Super Bowl.
Lastly, within the past two weeks the TikTok sound “Original Sound – Sidetalk” has become increasingly viral, being used in over 73.3K videos. The Chiefs used this sound to promote Tommy Townsend being the AFC’s Special Teams Player of the Month. The popular sound adds humor to a video that would otherwise be quite bland. But with Townsend making an achievement and the use of the popular sound, it is not shocking the video reached 210.6K views and 23.3K likes in two days.
The MLB and Chicago Cubs:
The following viral posts are the top 3 best performing content for the MLB from November 2021 until December 6th, 2021.
With over 16.6K views, the MLB’s most recent viral TikTok since November 2021 shows Buster Posey throwing the ball to Jake Peavy, who was not paying attention, and still landing it in his glove. Not only was the throw impressive, but the sound the league used is trending, being used in over 81.2K videos. The combination of the crazy throw landing in the glove along with the sound most likely contributed to its performance. (This video is currently unavailable to embed.)
MLB Viral Video #2
The World Series is bound to go viral, especially when there is a home run involved. The MLB received 7.4K views for this video showing Dusty Baker score a home run for the Braves with a remix of “Careless Whisper” playing behind it. This sound has been used over 74.5K times, putting the MLB’s TikTok on various feeds including those who aren’t sports fans. With the importance of the game highlighted, the big home run, and the trendy song, this TikTok was bound to go viral.
MLB Viral Video #3
The MLB definitely takes advantage of TikTok sounds with the league’s third most recent viral video using Nic Teran’s original sound that has been used in 8,971 videos. It is used behind a video of an insane catch made by Mookie Betts. The league also used TikTok text over the video, further increasing its success with TikTok’s algorithm. Overall, the TikTok received over 6.8K views.
The Chicago Cubs do not post as frequently, so the following viral posts are the top 3 best performing content for the Cubs from August 2021 until December 6th, 2021.
Cubs Viral Video #1
Cubs Viral Video #2
Cubs Viral Video #3
The team’s most recent viral TikTok does not even revolve around baseball. In fact, the star of the video is the Phanatic who is messing around with Cubs reporter Taylor McGregor, ultimately receiving 547.3K views. Not only does the Phanatic bring her a stuffed Phanatic as a gift, but also gives her a kiss at the end. Mascots tend to perform well, with many of them having their own personal TikTok accounts. The team knew this content was humorous enough to blow up and utilized TikTok text over the video to increase their chances of reaching more feeds.
As mentioned earlier, out-of-the-ordinary plays perform well, which the Cubs took advantage of. Ian Happ’s unordinary first career walk-off received over 307K views due to the Pirates fatal mistake that lost them the game. Not only did the video perform well because the Cubs won the game from this play, but it also highlighted Happ’s feat.
The Cubs had Conor McGregor throw the first pitch for the game, which he threw way off target. Not only was his attempt at the pitch hilarious, but the sound the team used has been used in over 100.1K videos. This video reached mixed martial art fans, Cubs fans, and those who listen to that TikTok sound, resulting in a viral video.
The NHL and Detroit Red Wings:
The NHL primarily uses humor and crazy plays across their platforms. These are the top 3 best performing content for the NHL from November 2021 until December 6th, 2021.
NHL Viral Video #1
NHL Viral Video #2
NHL Viral Video #3
The most viral video shows stereotypical hockey culture. The video received 5.8 million views, showing Canadian Spencer Jenkin pouring syrup all over his breakfast and using a hockey skate to cut his food. Not only was this funny, but Canadians loved it and so did those from other countries. They utilized a viral sound that has been used over 1795 times that starts off by saying, “Tell me you’re Canadian without telling me you’re Canadian”, helping the video blow up further.
The NHL’s next most viral video is a repost of a viral video from a different account, already helping the odds of this TikTok blowing up. It shows a hockey player juggling the puck with his stick, hitting it into the goal at the end. While the sound they used over it wasn’t that viral, it still helped the odds of the video showing up on more feeds. Overall, the impressive tricks in the video were the primary reason it succeeded.
Lastly, the third most recent viral video posted by the league shows a child giving an inspirational speech, which at times doesn’t make much sense, to the Peterborough Pete’s team. No TikTok features were needed on this video since the content was adorable enough to blow up on its own, reaching 3.3 million views.
The following viral posts are the top 3 best performing content for the Detroit Red Wings from October 2021 until December 6th, 2021.
Red Wings Viral Video #1
Red Wings Viral Video #2
Red Wings Viral Video #3
The team’s most recent viral video is a little shocking. Instead of a humorous video or crazy play, the video simply shows a player having his blades changed. In my opinion, the reason this video reached 5.4 million views was due to the extremely viral TikTok sound used. The sound has been used in 3.2 million videos as a stock audio so there are no copyright implications. With the lack of real content in this video, the sound most likely made it go viral.
The team’s second-most recent viral post is responding to a comment on one of their past videos, working with the TikTok algorithm. It shows an excited fan with a lot of personalities whom they gave a ticket to for their opening night. This video creates a personal connection between the team and the fan, even using the fan’s original sound. It most likely blew up because other fans want the team to interact with them too.
Lastly, the team once again utilized a comment on a previous video in this TikTok. It shows the tear-jerking video of captain Dylan Larkin reacting to the team’s past captains receiving recognition by the team. On top of the sweet content, the team utilized a viral TikTok sound that has been used over 2.7 million times. With TikTok showcasing the team’s respect for their current and past captions, along with the viral sound, it makes sense that this video performed well with 406.3K views.
Takeaways and Trends:
Out of the 24 viral videos highlighted, it seems that shorter-length videos tend to perform the best with 13 of those videos being less than 20 seconds long. Medium-length videos, ranging from 20-40 seconds, perform the second best with 7 of those videos being within that time frame. Unsurprisingly, longer videos were the minority of the viral videos with only 4 of them being over 40 seconds. Overall, this makes sense since shorter and medium-length videos require a shorter time span viewers must focus.
In terms of content, the best-performing videos tend to be comedic or a play from a game. Out of the 24 viral videos, 16 of them were funny and 11 of them were cool or interesting plays. Keep in mind, some were also both funny and a play. With the short attention span of viewers, it is not shocking that the videos of plays along with funny videos tend to be short or medium length. Carter mentioned during our interview that plays and funny content tend to perform best, which is confirmed by this research.
Lastly, the use of TikTok features used in these videos was analyzed. It seems that using sounds provided by TikTok tends to help videos go more viral, with 14 out of the 24 videos utilizing TikTok sounds. It can also be seen that certain leagues and teams use them more than others. The Warriors, the MLB, and Detroit Red Wings had a TikTok sound used in all of their top 3 most recent viral videos. Conversely, none of the NBA’s top 3 most recent viral videos utilized sounds. Additionally, all of the teams and leagues excluding those in the hockey industry utilized the text-on-video feature through TikTok’s platform in at least one of their top 3 videos. To my surprise, only one of the 24 videos used the text-to-speech feature.
In conclusion, it seems that sports teams should strive to catch funny moments that show off player, coach, and fan personalities to increase success. On top of this, they should also use out-of-the-ordinary or impressive plays to catch viewers’ attention for further success. Videos that are less than 40 seconds tend to perform best as well. Utilizing TikTok features is useful with the platform’s algorithm but proves to not be necessary depending on the content. With this up-and-coming platform, it will be interesting to see the new ways teams and leagues utilize TikTok in the future.
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