Lost But Never Forgotten.
Authors: Brennan Schmidt & Janeth Sierra-Rivera
Whether it be yelling out “Kobe!” as trash is being thrown into a nearby trash can or having followed his incredible basketball career and knowing all of his NBA achievements, the name “Kobe Bryant” has become a well-known name to all those who know a thing or two about sports. As a result, the world was shocked when they learned that retired NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, 41 years old at the time, had lost his life in a helicopter accident in Southern California on the morning of Jan. 26, 2020. During this time Bryant was accompanied by his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, Christina Mauser, and Ara Zobayan, who were also all killed upon impact.
“LEGENDS ARE FOREVER” mural in Downtown Los Angeles
On the one year anniversary of Kobe and Gianna’s death, also referred to as the 2020 Calabasas Helicopter Crash, social media was flooded with thoughtful messages, tributes, and support for their surviving family: Vanessa, Natalia, Bianka, and Capri Bryant.
Between the dates of Jan. 24, 2021 – Jan. 28, 2021, there were over 1.4 million mentions of the keywords “Kobe”, “Kobe Bryant”, “Black Mamba”, “Gianna”, “Gianna Bryant”, or “Gigi” – with the peak of almost 1 million mentions taking place on the anniversary of the crash, Tuesday, Jan. 26.
Many of the posts made honored Kobe and Gianna Bryant, as well as the lives of the other victims, and demonstrated grievance for their sudden deaths.
1.26.2020
We lost a legend. I lost a superhero.
I spent the entire day next to my wife, crying, just hoping I was gonna wake up from a nightmare. It still doesn’t and never will feel real.
Love and miss u Kobe, hope u and Gigi are smiling and happy wherever u are
💜💛🤍💛💜 pic.twitter.com/Yiuj2EIagH— Sullivan King 🩸 (@SullivanKing) January 26, 2021
Today and every day, the world remembers an icon. We honor your life, your legacy, your forever. Kobe ♾ Gigi 🙏 pic.twitter.com/QqoV2YiPQU
— Roc Nation Sports (@RocNationSports) January 26, 2021
1 year ago today, the world lost Kobe & Gianna Bryant. Rest in Peace 💜🕊 pic.twitter.com/NJSwtgakdi
— Hot Freestyle (@HotFreestyle) January 26, 2021
However, there were those who held a differing point of view in regards to the remembrance of late basketball star. One account tweeted about the manner in which many “hype” the death of Black people while they disregard the deaths of white people. Meanwhile, another account tweeted about a rape case against Bryant and how his lawyers were trying to cover it up:
https://twitter.com/aryangoddess_/status/1354093080190840832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1354093080190840832%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2Faryangoddess_2Fstatus2F1354093080190840832widget%3DTweet
https://twitter.com/shroudeaters/status/1353126746543984640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1353126746543984640%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2Fshroudeaters2Fstatus2F1353126746543984640widget%3DTweet
While these tweets all demonstrate a varied array of emotion, audience engagement on the one-year anniversary of the tragic helicopter accident shows that social media users continue to be profoundly impacted by this sudden and tragic loss. It is clear that the memories of Kobe, Gianna, and the other victims will live on in the hearts and minds of people across the country. #MambaForever
Full Analysis:
Purpose:
- To analyze social media users’ thoughts and sentiments surrounding the one-year anniversary of the death of retired NBA star Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant.
Analysis Time Frame:
- This social media analysis was conducted using a January 24 – 28 2021 timeframe.
Overall Trends:
- Overall mentions were low two days prior to and two days after the anniversary of the crash, with approximately 41 K mentions on Jan. 24 & Jan. 28.
- There were between 165 K – 158 K mentions on Jan. 25 & Jan. 27.
- The highest number occurred on Jan. 26 with 988 K total mentions.
- The top hashtag surrounding this event was #mambaforever
Sentiment:
- The overall social media sentiment was 71% neutral, 15 % negative, and 8% positive.
- However, the social media responses demonstrate that users had nice things to say about Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and the other lives lost as a result of the helicopter accident.
- While there were some negative comments made about the character of Kobe Bryant, fans quickly responded to honor his death and preserve his legacy.
Popular Keywords:
- Surprisingly, the top keywords used did not include the names “Kobe Bryant” or “Gianna Bryant.” Instead, the top keywords that honored their memory were “legend”, “legacy”, “rest in peace”, and “daughter”.
