Sports under Quarantine: A Case Study of Major League Baseball in 2020
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Sample
2.2. Coding Scheme
3. Results
3.1. Thematic Codes
3.2. Sources of Tweets
3.3. Exploratory Analyses
4. Discussion
#Mondaytoughts just stop the #NBA and #MLB2020 this #COVID19 has done some damage!
Hoping #MLB can withstand the #COVID19 related issues they’ve been having, but if nothing else, at least we got a few weeks of #sports. We’ll see what happens. Hope everyone is safe, staying well, and has a pleasant evening. #NHL #LGM #LetsGoRangers
My prediction for the #mlb 2020: the #worldseries will be an intrasquad event after all but one team drops due to #COVID19.
Phillies have 2 positive tests; series vs. Jays postponed - #mlb #COVID19 #Covid #Coronavirus #Trump #Biden #Pandemic #Virus #Mask #SchoolReopening #SocialDistancing.
New Podcast! “GSMC Baseball Podcast Episode 225: Cespedes opts Out, Cardinals COVID Outbreak, Weekend Round-Up” on @Spreake #americanleague #baseballnews #cardinals #covid19 #detroittiger #gsmcbaseballpodcast #gsmcpdocastnetwork #mlb #nymets
Derek Jeter denies Marlins players went to clubs before coronavirus outbreak #MLB #SPORTS #COVID19
#BreakingNews #MLB REPORTS 12 CARDBOARD CUTOUTS HAVE TESTED POSITIVE FOR #Covid19.
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Hashtag Sequences Used | Frequency |
---|---|
1. #MLB2020 AND #COVID19 | 29 |
2. #Coronavirus AND #MLB2020 | 75 |
3. #MLB AND #COVID19 | 396 |
4. #MLB AND #Coronavirus | 277 |
Categories | Clarification |
---|---|
MLB/League Officials | Officials associated with the MLB company. |
Player/MLB | Employed by the MLB as a player for one of the 30 teams. |
Player/other | Employed by a different national team (e.g., NFL and NBA). |
Media | Media outlets (verified by Twitter) such as ESPN and Bleacher Report. |
Celebrity | Celebrities that a verified by Twitter. |
Media Celebrity | Media account that is verified by Twitter. |
Company/products | Tweets that are selling products using the hashtag sequences (e.g., baseball themed masks). |
Layperson | The general user (unverified). |
Other | An account that does not fit under the previous categories mentioned. |
Categories and Subcategories | Code Frequency | |
---|---|---|
1 | Health Risks | 33 |
1a | Tweet expressed concern about the safety of MLB players, staff (coach, umpires, etc.) and families. | 9 |
1b | Tweet mentioned positive tests among MLB players and staff members. | 7 |
1c | Tweet referred to actions that would be seen as unsafe according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. Actions such as not wearing a mask, high fiving, and spitting. | 8 |
1d | The tweet mentioned cancelling or postponing the season for the health of everyone involved. | 3 |
1e | Other tweets that would be under ‘Health Risks’ code not mentioned in 1a-1d. | 6 |
Example | “As more @MLB players are testing positive for #coronavirus” we are finding it hard to believe that it’s safe for the season to go underway…” | |
2 | 2020 Major League Modifications | 34 |
2a | The tweet mentioned the cardboard cutout fans that filled the stadiums during the 2020 season. | 13 |
2b | The tweet mentioned the requirement for all 2020 MLB players, extended staff, and fans to wear a mask. | 2 |
2c | Tweet referred to new rules for the 2020 MLB season. These rules include but are not limited to the following: players wearing mask, social distancing during games, and regulation on players and staff spitting. | 14 |
2d | Other tweets that would be under the ‘2020 MLB Modifications’ code not mentioned in (2a–2c). | 5 |
Example | “Watching baseball with no fans and cardboard cutouts in the seats is bizarre but still baseball.” | |
3 | Positive Reactions | 107 |
3a | The tweet refers to missing sports or major league baseball specifically. | 15 |
3b | The tweet mentioned positive phrases or hashtags such as “baseball is back” or “play ball.” | 47 |
3c | Other tweets not included in subcategories 3a and 3b above. | 45 |
Example | “It’s that time of year again!!!!!” | |
4 | Negative Reactions | 106 |
4a | A tweet that favored the cancellation of the 2020 MLB season. | 20 |
4b | The tweet criticized the organization of the leaders (Rob Manfred) of the MLB. | 28 |
4c | Oher tweets that have a negative view that does not fit under subcategories 4a and 4b. | 58 |
Example | “Can the @MLB cancel the season already?” | |
5 | Propositions | 114 |
5a | Tweets that included a sale or charity proposal for the league. | 8 |
5b | A tweet that included bets or predictions for games or the season altogether. | 40 |
5c | The tweet refers to a conspiracy theory in reference to current events and the MLB season. | 4 |
5d | The tweet mentioned people or current events related to politics (#Biden, #Trump, etc.) | 33 |
5e | Other tweets that did not fall under the 5a–5d categories. | 29 |
Example | “@MLB teams should put up every homerun ball hit this year up for auction to benefit local #coronavirus efforts.” | |
6 | News Reports | 342 |
6a | Tweets that highlight official MLB news, such as game scores, team and individual players updates. This subcategory included tweets with any official MLB news. | 203 |
6b | A tweet that referred to other major league (NFL, NHL, and NBA) scores, and general news updates. | 65 |
6c | Other tweets that referred to game results and used the assigned hashtags. | 74 |
Example | “More MLB Covid-19 POSITIVE Tests—Cardinals vs Brewers Game POSTPONED.” | |
7 | Inquiries | 111 |
7a | Question asked about a current event (games news, games states, etc.). | 80 |
7b | Question asked about past role models and how they would have reacted to the 2020 MLB season. | 3 |
7c | Question does not fit subcategories 7a and 7b. | 28 |
Example | “Fanbassadors. Would you be willing to pay money to have a cardboard cutout of you attend baseball games?!” | |
8 | Other | 140 |
8a | Tweets that used the chosen hashtag(s) randomly. | 57 |
8b | A tweet that used the hashtags to sell a product such as masks. | 8 |
8c | The tweet referred to national and global news and referenced the MLB using the hashtags. | 14 |
8d | Other tweets that do not fit any of the previous codes. | 61 |
Example | “If you want to know more about God, if you want to know more about the Bible…” |
Category | Results |
---|---|
MLB/League Official | 0 |
Player/MLB | 0 |
Player/Other | 0 |
Media | 177 |
Celebrity | 8 |
Media Celebrity | 40 |
Company/Products | 14 |
Layperson | 477 |
Other | 63 |
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Goold, K.L.J.; Aniga, R.N.; Gray, P.B. Sports under Quarantine: A Case Study of Major League Baseball in 2020. Soc. Sci. 2021, 10, 5. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10010005
Goold KLJ, Aniga RN, Gray PB. Sports under Quarantine: A Case Study of Major League Baseball in 2020. Social Sciences. 2021; 10(1):5. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10010005
Chicago/Turabian StyleGoold, Kari L. J., Reynafe N. Aniga, and Peter B. Gray. 2021. "Sports under Quarantine: A Case Study of Major League Baseball in 2020" Social Sciences 10, no. 1: 5. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10010005
APA StyleGoold, K. L. J., Aniga, R. N., & Gray, P. B. (2021). Sports under Quarantine: A Case Study of Major League Baseball in 2020. Social Sciences, 10(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10010005