Yearender 2020: How sportspersons set social media on fire in coronavirus-hit year

Yearender 2020: In what was to be the busiest year of sport, the coronavirus pandemic left the sporting calendar disrupted. The Olympics, Cricket World Cups, Euro, Wimbledon among other major tournaments and leagues suffered postponement and cancellation as almost the entire world spent weeks and months inside their homes. However, in a year where daily lives were disrupted, social media came as a boon for not only the fans of the sport but also for the athletes as they shared their daily routine, anecdotes from daily lives while also indulging in live sessions with other sportspersons. Interviews and media interactions were also held online - something which has become a norm even after the resumption of live sport. 

As Instagram and Facebook live sessions, Q & A sessions on Twitter grew on Twitter, fans engaged with their beloved athletes more and more to free themselves of the monotony of lockdown life. With the year 2020 coming to an end, let us take a look at how sportspersons took the help of social media during lockdown to interact with their fans and colleagues. 

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Sportspersons, who due to their hectic routine, don’t get to spend leisure time with their family for the most part of the year. They utilised the lockdown perfectly to spend time with their loved ones while also educating their fans and followers about the danger of breaching lockdown norms. Many urged their fans and followers to wear masks and follow government guidelines related to the virus. As weeks passed, athletes also shared their fitness routine, at home, with many starting or taking up new social media challenges and trends. 

Tennis legend Roger Federer was seen training his reflexes in a fun challenge in his garage. Whereas Novak Djokovic went with informative sessions with the likes of Maria Sharapova and Jay Shetty among others. 

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Indian cricket superstar Rohit Sharma went ahead with many Instagram Live sessions with his teammates as they chit-chatted about life during lockdown and how they are spending their time without going outside. Australian batsman David Warner became a TikTok sensation as he posted some fun videos to entertain his fans and continues to do so.

Social media also witnessed an epic collaboration between the captain of Indian cricket team – Virat Kohli – and the captain of Indian football team – Sunil Chhetri – as the duo discussed live during COVID-19 pandemic. Former Indian cricketer and an absolute legend of the game, Sachin Tendulkar also shared some fun posts to entertain his fans. 

While many athletes revived their lost hobbies or took interest in something which they always wanted to, but never got time for.

Social media engagement witnessed a sharp rise during the lockdown, not something anybody wanted at a cost of what the entire world experienced in the year 2020. But as life returns to normalcy with sporting activity back on track – some with fans inside the stadiums and many without – one can only hope that the new year 2021 will bring better real life experiences than the virtual ones on social media.