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Sophisticated statistical study deems Iron Bowl as ‘greatest rivalry in sports’
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We all know how much significance the Iron Bowl holds for those in the state of Alabama. However, there hasn’t quite been means to quantify the obvious importance.
Samford University’s Sports Business Report looked to change this. Multiple individuals and departments from the university completed an in-depth look at the rivalry using “big data.” The study was written by Darin White (@Sports_Biz_Prof) — the Chair of Entrepreneurship, Management, and Marketing at the Brock School of Business.
“Big data” is the analyzation of large sets of data to reveal patterns and trends relating specifically to human behavior and interactions.
Taking large samples of Auburn and Alabama supporters from social media platforms, Samford University was able to make some astute observations. There are 237,000 followers of Auburn football on Twitter, and 569,000 supporters of Alabama.
Both fan bases are heavily influenced by former players and coaches. For instance, Gus Malzahn is the most influential person on Twitter for Auburn fans. As for Alabama, former QB A.J. McCarron holds the distinction as having the most popular account for Crimson Tide fans to follow.
18 former Crimson Tide players are included within the top 40 most popular accounts followed by ‘Bama fans.
When comparing both fan bases, statistics show a commonality when it comes to politics. The social account with the highest shared influence is former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy.
A statistical study was done to compare the Alabama-Auburn rivalry with many other famous ones across the world (Yankees-Red Sox, Cowboys-Redskins, Duke-North Carolina).
Statistics show that the Iron Bowl rivalry is the greatest in all of sports, based upon the common ground shared by both fan bases.
