When you think of the most popular sports teams on social media, you would probably assume that we’d be talking about the teams with huge national followings – the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Yankees. Inter Miami of Major League Soccer would not immediately spring to mind.
And yet, when it comes to the TikTok social media platform, Inter Miami is king.
Of course, that’s pretty much due to one reason and one reason only – the presence of the world’s biggest global sports star in soccer GOAT Lionel Messi.
Sportico’s Lev Akabas published this chart showing teams with the biggest followings on TikTok. The future of the prominent social media platform is in doubt thanks to a ban approved by the Supreme Court. However, recently re-inaugurated President Donald Trump has signed an executive order placing a pause on the ban.
TikTok is a relatively new platform, so it’s not a huge shock to see some of these followings fall far behind what you might see on more established social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X. What’s most surprising about the list is just how far Inter Miami is ahead of the competition. It almost doubles the second place Golden State Warriors, more than doubles the third placed Kansas City Chiefs, and is more than three times ahead any other American sports team.
Given Inter Miami’s success on social media, it makes the troubled MLS-Apple deal all the more puzzling. While Lionel Messi has been a huge draw for his team’s brand and he obviously collects followers from around the world, the success has not been parlayed into any growth for Major League Soccer.
At least, it’s impossible to know if it’s led to any growth for Major League Soccer.
Neither MLS nor Apple will release any subscriber numbers for League Pass. And when MLS games are shown on linear television, the results are shockingly bad. Beyond subscribers and social media, the league is largely isolated in a bubble. The Apple paywall has severely blunted any hoped for impact with Messi’s arrival to America. But at least the league can tout Inter’s huge following on TikTok. For now.
About Matt Yoder