Meltwater, a global leader in media and social intelligence, has released a new report based on Twitter data that highlights the key trends in the sports industry that marketers and advertisers should care about in 2022.

The report, released in partnership with Twitter, explores the conversation drivers around top-trending topics on Twitter in 2021— including cryptocurrencies, NFTs, esports, gender equality and racism— as well as ways that brands can stay on the ball when it comes to responding to these issues.

Using their industry-leading social listening and analytics solutions, Meltwater analyzed hundreds of millions of Tweets to understand the conversation on social media for the Birdseye Report | Industry Deep Dive: Sports.

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Key trends

The sports world embraces Cryptocurrencies and NFTs

Within sports-related conversations on Twitter, mentions of cryptocurrencies and NFTs increased 151% during 2021. With NFTs disrupting the age-old sports memorabilia industry, conversations around how sports teams and players are cashing on the popularity of these new asset classes have been on the rise.

The rise of the metaverse, esports and AR/VR

The definition of “live” sports is changing, as is the conversation around the future of esports and technology’s role in sports. Twitter conversations around the metaverse and sports rose by 6,024% compared to the first half of 2021.

The prevalence of diversity, equality & inclusion in the conversation

How the sports industry addresses major issues like racial equality is evolving, with players, teams, and organizations becoming more vocal in response to a changing world. Twitter conversations on equality in sports increased by 12% during 2021, and conversations on women in sports increased by 22% during 2021.

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