Some background on Tumblr: Around the height of its popularity in 2013, Yahoo Inc. acquired the microblogging and social networking site for a whopping $1.1 billion. Its popularity has waned in recent years, however, and the platform was sold to WordPress owner Automattic Inc. in 2019 for a reported $3 million. Still, according to site traffic analysis company Alexa, Tumblr ranked No. 120 among all websites globally for traffic and engagement over the past 90 days, putting it in the same neighborhood as Pinterest. Tumblr said Generation Z accounts for 48 percent of its audience.

“People come to Tumblr to dive deep into the things we’re most passionate about,” said Cates Holderness, the site’s head of editorial. “It’s a place where they come to have intricate discussions, to connect with other fans, to talk about their theories, to talk about their hopes, or their disappointments. It’s a very community-driven space.”

So why have F1, women’s soccer and the NHL dominated conversation on Tumblr? After a bit of research, I’m still not totally sure (and neither is Holderness), but I have some theories:

First, “thirst” appears to be a major driver of sports-related conversation on Tumblr. I spend countless hours online reading about the New York Islanders, but I’d never come across erotic fan fiction about star center Mat Barzal until I went down the Tumblr rabbit hole. In fact, most of the NHL players toward the top of the list are the subject of similar literature across the site.

“They’re attractive young men, so there’s going to be a lot of interest both from the women on Tumblr, but also the LGBTQ community on Tumblr is huge and always has been, so I would not be surprised if there’s thirst regardless of gender,” Holderness said.

The LGBTQ community also appears to be a big driver of Tumblr conversation about women’s soccer, particularly U.S. women’s national team couples like Christen Press and Tobin Heath, as well as Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger.

Finally, F1 has done a tremendous job letting fans get to know their favorite drivers, to the point where Tumblr users seemingly view them more like characters in their favorite TV show than real-life athletes. The search results for McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, for example, feature elaborate GIF sets featuring fictional dialogue between the pair. Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” is certainly a major factor in this phenomenon, but F1 has also effectively shown its drivers’ personalities via social media.

I’ve only scratched the surface in exploring “sports Tumblr,” so if you have any thoughts or theories of your own, shoot me an email. 

Top stories from the week that was:

• Still unable to speak directly with Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai in the wake of her sexual assault allegation against a top Communist Party official, the Women’s Tennis Association announced an indefinite suspension of all competition in China, including Hong Kong, becoming the first major sports property to stand up to the country’s increasingly authoritarian government.
• MLB locked out its players following the expiration of their collective bargaining agreement and with little progress made in talks toward a new deal.
• Fenway Sports Group, owners of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC, announced its purchase of the Pittsburgh Penguins after the company signed a purchase agreement with owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle.
• Louisiana State University hired Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly to the same position under a 10-year contract worth at least $9.5 million annually. Kelly’s exit from Notre Dame was the second coaching bombshell of the week following University of Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley’s departure for the University of Southern California.
• Representatives for the Denver Broncos last month interviewed potential sell-side bankers, according to multiple people familiar with the meetings, the latest indication that the team is moving closer to an ownership change.