Previous leader AFL has now been overtaken by a surge in popularity for the NRL, as evidenced by newly released data by Twitter. An increase in popularity has also been noted in online pokies and bingo. With that in mind check also www.BonusesOnline.com to see other very popular and famous hashtags and sporting codes.

Hashtag King

Aussies are now seemingly more interested in the NRL, rather than the AFL. The data released by Twitter shows that #NRL finished second only to #Tokyo2020 when the information is being looked at for Australia. In third place is #AFL, while a somewhat surprising entry is at fourth - #F1. The rise in popularity for the #F1 could be attributed to Netflix’s Drive To Survive documentary series.

In the top 10 most tweeted hashtags in Australia for 2021, three were sports-related - #Tokyo2020, #NRL and lastly #AFL. The top three spots according to the data were taken by #auspol, #Covid-19. Fans of Korean boy band BTS were seemingly quite active on the social media platform as evidenced by the #BTS occupied the last place on the podium and rounded up the top three.

International Presence

Keeping up with the rest of the world, all of the top eight most popular athletes in Australia are also active on the international scene. Ben Simmons, the scorned NBA star, was at the top of the pack. Following behind is F1 driver Daniel Riccardo with Australia-born cricketer David Warner completing the podium?

Other entries in the top eight include: Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Nick Kyrgios, Patty Mills and Ash Barty.

Big On Instagram

While Twitter is one of the biggest and most influential social media outlets in the world, the same can be said for Instagram, perhaps even to a larger degree. Data shared by HypeAuditor places both Riccardo and Warner in the group of Australia’s top growing celebrities on Instagram for 2021. Figures for Werner are in the 2.5 million region for new followers, while Ricardo was just short of 2 million new followers.

Elsewhere on YouTube, Cricket Australia enjoyed a boom of interest with the channel clocking in at 1.5 million subscribers. This result is the best new acquisition of subscribers/followers for any Australian individual or brand for 2021.

The Popularity Lists

Here is the complete list of most popular athletes in Australia on Twitter for 2021:

1. Ben Simmons

2. Daniel Ricciardo

3. David Warner

4. Pat Cummins

5. Glenn Maxwell

6. Nick Kyrgios

7. Patty Mills

8. Ash Barty

 

Following up is the list for most tweeted sports-related hashtags in Australia for 2021:

 

1. #Tokyo2020

2. #NRL

3. #AFL

4. #F1

5. #Euro2020

6. #AusOpen

7. #Wimbledon

8. #NBA

 

As you can see most of the personalities are sports persons. Some of them are also faces of lots of sportsbooks, so you can also visit here the Australia top online sports betting sites, where these personalities appear.

A Huge Year for Australian Cricket

2021 turned out to be a hugely successful year for Australian cricket. Whether this success can be attributed to carefully thought out and executed digital marketing campaigns or sheer coincidence is debatable and the jury will most likely never settle on a concrete answer.

What is fact, however, is that Australian cricketers were dominant in the influencer space during 2021.The newly found surge in popularity is not relegated only to players - teams and governing bodies also made the lists across YouTube and Instagram for most gained followers. While scandals might reflect badly, they do also raise awareness and generate interest.

During 2021 there were certainly a series of high-ranking and much talked about scandals in Australian cricket? That combined with the highly anticipated summer of cricket are perhaps the main reason for the resounding success the sport has found in the social media space in the last year.

Sports Social Media

It has long been established that use of social media channels for marketing purposes in the sports industry has many upsides. From promoting teams, events, players, through engaging in positive relationships with fans and inspiring them to take action, to ease of sale for merchandise, the positives are many.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and the hars restrictions Aussies had to undergo, many sport fans in the country are turning towards social media to get their sporting fix. It has long been pointed out that amids turbulent and uncertain times, social media will be a cornerstone of any team, athlete or sports governing body seeking to retain valuable connections with fans and help drive positive connections with them.

During the past 2 years the influencing power of athletes on social media has been made noticeably clear, with some of Australia’s biggest sports celebrities paving the way to drive engagement with their fans. With Aussie love for sports being a well-known and firmly established fact, it is more than likely that the “current normal” proficient use of digital media and outlets, will be the bedrock for building future digital campaigns and main tool to help stay relevant.