Robbie Findley, Twitter, and Why This World Cup Will Be Different for American Fans

May 26th, 2010 | by: Daryl |

findley We’ve been told that World Cup 2010 will set social media records, and today we got our first taste of just how big this thing is going to be.

When the USA’s 23 man World Cup squad was announced today, big news was the unexpected inclusion of Real Salt Lake striker Robbie Findley (over the more experienced Brian Ching). A surprise to USA fans maybe, but not the sort of story that you expect to make a splash on Twitter. Surely there are too many tweets about Justin Bieber and Jersey Shore for an MLS striker to cause even a ripple the water.

Yet minutes after the USA roster announcement… splash. Findley became a global trending topic on Twitter. Don’t believe me? Check the screenshot (left) taken earlier today. (I see Pellegrini and Florentino in there too, which has to be Real Madrid related).

Findley’s global Twitter splash didn’t last long. But the fact that it even happened has become a small story in its own right. I first spotted the phenomenon via @kevinmccauley’s tweet “Findley is a worldwide trending topic. Wow.” and Tom Dunmore’s Pitch Invasion post The Twitter World Cup. And as WCB’s Ian noted, it’s a surprise it’s the not the whole phrase – “Robbie Findley wtf”.

But this is more than just another example of how dominant the World Cup will be on Twitter. This is also about soccer’s progress in America. Robbie Findley’s moment of social media infamy might not have lasted long, but it’s hopefully an example of how World Cup 2010 will be a bigger event in the USA than ever before, with fans driving the stories instead of mainstream media driving fans crazy.

International Football News – World Cup Blog RSS Feed

http://twitter.com/NickyButt Nicky Butt

Ibracadabra “likes this.”
http://twitter.com/worldcup2010___ FIFA WorldCupFanBoy

The progression of electronic and computer technology fueled with the need of our humanity connecting with each other, we see a path of artificial evolution emerging perhaps. A shared mass awareness by all, and in turn a new tool, a new angle in which influence can be dispensed. And as for our sports, and many others in which we share a motivating passion for, we witness media sensations of our own doings like never before, and much to become.
http://twitter.com/worldcup2010___ FIFA WorldCupFanBoy

The progression of electronic and computer technology fueled with the need of our humanity connecting with each other, we see a path of artificial evolution emerging perhaps. A shared mass awareness by all, and in turn a new tool, a new angle in which influence can be dispensed. And as for our sports, and many others in which we share a motivating passion for, we witness media sensations of our own doings like never before, and much to become.