Sports stars across the world continue to find new ways to amuse themselves during the coronavirus pandemic.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from June 6.
Cricket
Former England bowler Darren Gough is pessimistic about his chances during 'The Race: Wheels for Heroes' on Zwift on Sunday night.
Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome will set off last in the pursuit-style race, chasing down a host of sports stars and celebrities including Kevin Pietersen, England rugby union international Maro Itoje, golfer Lee Westwood, former Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs, singer Olly Murs and Gough to raise money for charity.
Pietersen and Froome came up with the idea as the pair aim to donate 1,000 bikes to NHS key workers.
Wheels for Heroes this Sunday evening at 730 @GoZwift @wattbike @BromptonBicycle @Wheels4Heroes Think I might struggle to keep up 😂 old man at the back pic.twitter.com/jv5Eiianqq — Darren Gough (@DGoughie) June 6, 2020
Ben Stokes has enjoyed working on his game while play has been halted due to the coronavirus pandemic. England are set to play the West Indies in a three-match Test series next month.
Another day, another David Warner TikTok...
TikTok baby woohoo #bhangra #family @CandyFalzon pic.twitter.com/t165HDg0hH
— David Warner (@davidwarner31) June 6, 2020
Stuart Broad enjoyed watching a compilation video of county cricketers bowling like amateurs.
34 seconds on bowlers blaming bad foot holes. Delightful & we've all been there ! https://t.co/NidvGEGiIP — Stuart Broad (@StuartBroad8) June 6, 2020
Meanwhile, Dawid Malan was reminded of his wild throw in the 2008 T20 Finals Day.
— Dawid Malan (@dmalan29) June 6, 2020
Football
England and Tottenham forward Dele Alli took on Juventus star Paulo Dybala in a FIFA20 tournament to raise money in the fight against Covid-19.
5pm kick off! @PauDybala_JR let's go 💪🏽💪🏽 We're playing FIFA against each other in the @gwbps COVID19 charity tournament. Click the the link to tune in! https://t.co/JFeHyCqF8O pic.twitter.com/KdeqgRZBMe — Dele (@dele_official) June 6, 2020
Manchester United held an inter-squad match at Old Trafford, with Marcus Rashford clearly delighted to be back after his injury lay-off.
— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) June 6, 2020
Tennis
Simona Halep reflected on her French Open win, two years ago today.
Two years ago today. Will never forget it! Thank you @darren_cahill for your support and for the fact that you always believed in me 🙌@rolandgarros pic.twitter.com/uSgQqwbLWV — Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) June 6, 2020
Golf
Ian Poulter has taken to TikTok. And the postman delivered.
Finally caved to the Tik Tok trend...but the Postman is ready to deliver My new Tik Tok page >> https://t.co/bgV4fpX9t0 pic.twitter.com/PH782iJkAw — Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) June 6, 2020
The New Sports Hype
TikTok's popularity peaks in the new normal and almost everybody's doing it. The newest sports hype plays around these 15-second videos from TikTok, bringing new life to the sports industry. Because of the COVID-19 health crisis, many sports enthusiasts find TikTok as a fresh platform to create and share sports-related videos.
TikTok is the Newest Sports Advertising Platform
TikTok refers to a popular, short-form (15 seconds), and interactive video-sharing app enabling users to create, publish, and share videos on any topic. TikTok has more than 300 million users worldwide.Thus, with its massive reach, it's not surprising why TikTok is the newest platform for sports advertising, with many sports businesses using it as an engagement tool.
Here are some good reasons why many sports personalities consider TikTok as an advertising platform:
- Easy to Generate Content: For many sports brands, content is easier to generate in TikTok because the platform provides eye-catching and fast-paced content. The sports sector can take advantage of using video creation features in-app.
- Make Fans a Part of the Team: TikTok is a popular destination where sports fanatics feel they're a part of the team, showcasing content from different sports organizations, such as the NFL.
- Easier to Go Viral: Gen Z, the youngest pool of people who can use mobile devices, are highly engaged using TikTok. Sports teams and businesses can leverage this to make their content go viral faster.
Conclusion
Sports stars are embracing TikTok as seen in the goodwill stories above. This video app captures the attention of sports fans and businesses. Football, golf, tennis, and other sports TikTok videos are in-demand during this pandemic, and they're likely to continue increasing in popularity in the new normal.
