Harrison Butker’s Instagram Booms Amid Controversial Speech
- Over 85,000 Instagram users followed Harrison Butker as the NFL star’s controversial commencement speech sparked online debate, growing his total following by over one quarter (26%).
- Harrison Butker jerseys and t-shirts experienced a 10,316% and 3,821% increase in the relative popularity of searches in the past 30 days, respectively.
- Searches for Kansas City Chiefs tickets and jerseys rose by 2,995% and 851%, respectively.
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker gained over 85,000 new Instagram followers while facing backlash for comments made during a commencement speech to the Class of 2024 at a Catholic liberal arts school in Kansas. Search popularity for Chiefs tickets and jerseys rocketed in the days following.
Research conducted by CasinoAlpha analyzed the social media statistics of Harrison Butker to establish the change in followers since his comments drew widespread backlash.
Butker now has 411,000 followers on Instagram at the time of writing, after gaining 85,000 from May 13-20. Before the speech circulated online, he sat at 326,000, meaning his total rose by over one quarter (26%) in a week.
Almost all of those 85,000 (78,000) followed him after 16 May, when global media outlets picked up the story and the NFL distanced itself from the player in a statement, saying “his views are not those of the NFL as an organization.”
Analysis of Google Trends data reveals searches for “Harrison Butker jersey” and “Harrison Butker t shirt” experienced a 10,316% and 3,821% rise in relative popularity in the past 30 days, respectively. Interest peaked on May 17, representing an increase of 104 and 39 times compared to the average volume prior.
Searches for “Chiefs tickets” and “Chiefs jersey” also rose 2,995% and 851% in the past 30 days, respectively, spiking simultaneously with interest in Harrison Butker.
In his 20-minute address at Benedictine College, the NFL star said women graduating have been told “the most diabolical lies.” He said, “Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world,” emphasizing the importance of being a “homemaker.” Butker also criticized Biden’s policies and referred to Pride Month as a “deadly sin,” stoking reactions from internet users.
Benedictine College nuns released an online statement on May 16 denouncing the football player’s remarks. They said, “Instead of promoting unity in our church, our nation, and the world, his comments seem to have fostered division,” and that they “do not believe” his comments “represent the Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college that our founders envisioned.”
A spokesperson at CasinoAlpha commented on the findings:
“Despite the comments stoking a culture war on social media, Harrison has experienced a huge boost in his online following. Whether people agree with what he said or not, this event has benefitted his social influence, with his total follower count soaring by over one-quarter in a single week. It’s clear Butker’s attracting a new audience of people who agree with his comments. His comments might be seen as risky, but data shows he and the Chiefs experienced a big online boost as a result.”
Sources:
- Search interest data was gathered from Google Trends and social media statistics were sourced from Social Blade.
Link https://casinoalpha.com/blog/harrison-butkers-following-soars/