The 2021 NWSL draft was streamed live on Twitch on January 13th, 2021 continuing the league’s trend of using the streaming platform to extend reach and awareness. Another differentiator to leverage Twitch is the immediate engagement with viewers via chat messages to identify popular topics or analyze sentiment. In Stream Hatchet’s latest analysis, Sky Blue FC was the most talked about team during the 2021 NWSL draft with almost 200 mentions in chat. The New Jersey based soccer club may have the most engaged fan base or an audience more likely to be Twitch users leading to the increased chatter. The NWSL is one of the most innovative sports leagues and is setting an incredible precedent for other leagues to use live streaming sites to generate more viewership for drafts, games, and other events.
- Sky Blue FC was mentioned 194 separate time in chat during the NWSL draft, 21 more mentions than Orlando Pride at 173.
- Although Racing Louisville FC secured the #1 overall draft pick, the hype wasn’t enough to slot them in the top three most mentioned clubs.
- The Kansas City club has yet to finalize an official team name but still managed to reach 13 mentions in chat.
