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NBA 2020 Finals: Big Data Analysis of Fans’ Sentiments on Twitter

Sahasrabudhe, Aditya
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1619784186362291

Abstract Details

2021, Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, Journalism (Communication).
The NBA 2020 playoffs were unprecedented in many ways, courtesy of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participating athletes temporarily lived in the bubble , away from their families, and the games were played without the in-person audience. Since the players were in the bubble in Orlando, Florida, fans -- except for the teams’ staff and support -- watched the NBA finals virtually, mostly from the comfort of their homes. Twitter, a social networking site (SNS), was widely used as a source of NBA news and information and more importantly as a communication tool by NBA fans. This research examined fans’ tweets from Sep. 30, 2020, to Oct. 12, 2020, using verified Twitter handles of the NBA 2020 finalists - @Lakers and @MiamiHEAT. Sentiment analysis of fans’ tweets provided insights into fans’ indirect impression management tendencies. Theoretical frameworks used in the study were (a) basking in reflected glory (BIRG), (b) basking in reflected failure (BIRF), (c) blasting, (d) social identity theory and fan identification, and (e) disposition theory to evaluate fans’ tweets with varied levels of sentiments. The findings from the sentiment analyses showed a wide range of sentiments expressed in fans’ tweets based on factors such as game importance, team identification, result and a combination of result and game importance. This study offered a deeper understanding of fan behavior via Twitter conversations and instances when fans portray one sentiment over another in their tweets.
Hans Meyer (Committee Chair)
Christina Beck (Committee Member)
Roger Aden (Committee Member)
67 p.
Behavioral Sciences; Communication
BIRG; BIRF; Blasting; VADER Sentiment Analysis

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Sahasrabudhe, A. (2021). NBA 2020 Finals: Big Data Analysis of Fans’ Sentiments on Twitter [Master's thesis, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1619784186362291

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Sahasrabudhe, Aditya. NBA 2020 Finals: Big Data Analysis of Fans’ Sentiments on Twitter. 2021. Ohio University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1619784186362291.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Sahasrabudhe, Aditya. "NBA 2020 Finals: Big Data Analysis of Fans’ Sentiments on Twitter." Master's thesis, Ohio University, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1619784186362291

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ohiou1619784186362291
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© 2021, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.