The summer games started today, and seemingly every website and TV station will let you know this. You’ll see medal tallies, rising flags, crazy fans and media sources giving you the insights you want.
Or you could just go right to the source—the athletes themselves. No one knows more about what’s happening than the men and women sent by their countries to represent them and compete for podium positions. These summer games are chock-full of athletes who know their ways around social media and regularly provide unique, influential content to their networks.
When it comes to ruling the the social media world, The King is king. LeBron James and his 89 Klout Score are the gold standards of influence for athletes. He regularly tweets and shares photos of his Team USA basketball teammates while they are out of the media’s eye; eating dinner, visiting tourist traps, or meeting their dopplegangers.
Klout has compiled a list of some of the most influential athletes competing these next few weeks. If you’re looking for the athletes with the best insights and content, this is a good starting point. Perhaps you’ll be able to feel a hint of what it must be like to prepare for a gold medal moment.
Note: The list was compiled from NBC’s top athletes to watch at this year’s summer games, then arranged by Klout Score.
Will Usain Bolt finally be eclipsed? Can Michael Phelps match his incredible ‘08 performance? And of course: Will we witness, for the first time in history, someone tweeting from the podium? We’ll put the odds at 2:1.
We’d also like to thank our friends at SimplyMeasured who helped us whip up the Twitter stats. Check them out at simplymeasured.com
Who are you rooting for in this summer’s games?
