Sunday’s Showdown: Follow the action on & off the field

Thursday, 31 January 2013

Are you part of the @ravens’ lively #RavensNation, or are you on joining the ride for the @49ers#questforsix? Or maybe you’re more excited about the halftime show and the commercials? Whatever is bringing you to the TV on Sunday, you’ll find unprecedented access, entertainment, and team spirit on Twitter. With over 13 million Tweets during last year’s game, the Super Bowl is one of the biggest events on Twitter. Twitter shines most during unpredictable live events — and few things are as unpredictable as the Super Bowl. With dramatic plays on the field, superstar performances, buzzworthy commercials, and millions of passionate fans, Twitter is the place to be.

To get started, you’ll want to follow your favorite players and the team you’re rooting for: the @49ers roster is here; the @ravens team list is here. You can also explore and follow players, teams, and stars on the game’s Discover page.

Their performance on the field is one thing; players (past and present!) are just as exciting to follow on Twitter:

Who has louder fans on Twitter? It’s a tight race: since the conference championships, there have been just about the same number of mentions of each team, with a slight edge going to the @Ravens. The @49ers are winning another closely-watched contest: in the #HarBowl (or #BroBowl, if you prefer), there are three times as many Tweets about @49ers coach Jim as his brother John at the @ravens:

Of course, Sunday is about more than game itself: The commercials and the halftime show starring @Beyonce are favorites of millions. Our Twitter Ad Scrimmage is back for a second year to let you see and vote on your favorite ads running during the game. Follow @AdScrimmage to see Tweets with each of the ads appear in your timeline (which is great if you missed seeing any while you were making more wings) or visit our Ad Scrimmage page after the first commercial break, and then vote on your favorite ones with a Tweet using each ad’s unique hashtag. Voting closes Tuesday night at 11:30pm Eastern, so make your voice heard early and often.

Last year, Madonna performed at halftime, which generated more than 100,000 Tweets per minute. This year’s musical stars are already generating a lot of buzz:

Whether in joy or agony, join the chatter on Twitter this Sunday. (And speaking only for myself: Let’s go @49ers!)

Posted by Omid Ashtari (@omid)
Head of Sports & Entertainment