Jeremy Lin lights up NBA, online sales
By Jenna Sakwa, CBS This Morning
On January 4, 2012, Jeremy Lin tweeted to his more than 20,000 followers, "Everytime i try to get into Madison Square Garden, the security guards ask me if im a trainer LOL."Read more about Jeremy Lin
More than a month later, Jeremy Lin is a basketball sensation, and is sure to be recognized when he arrives at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Jeremy Lin lights up NBA, online sales
Lin on Twitter
As of Wednesday morning, Lin's Twitter account has more than 300,000 followers. That's almost 100,000 more than the New York Knicks' official Twitter account.
Another sign that the excitement has gone "Linternational," Lin's one million follower count on the Twitter-like micro-blogging site Sina Weibo, which is popular in China.
Jeremy Lin lights up NBA, online sales
Lin on Facebook
Lin's Facebook page has more than half a million fans and over 300,000 users talking about him.
Jeremy Lin lights up NBA, online sales
Lin trending, on YouTube
YouTube Trends reports that Jeremy Lin created a spike in searches again Tuesday night with when his game-winning 3-pointer defeated the Toronto Raptors. As of noon Wednesday, "Knicks," "Lin" and "New York Knicks" were three of the top 10 hottest searches on Google Trends.
Lin's highlights on the NBA's YouTube channel have been viewed nearly two million times this month.
Jeremy Lin lights up NBA, online sales
Lin merchandise
The fascination with Lin is also causing a spike in the online ticket marketplace. According to StubHub spokesperson Joellen Ferrer, they're seeing a ten-fold increase in sales and site traffic for the Knicks each day since the beginning of "Linsanity." Ferrer told "CBS This Morning" after Tuesday's win, they've seen prices go up 60 percent for the next three Knicks home games.
Sales of all merchandise at the Knicks' official online store and Facebook page are up 4,000 percent compared to the first week of February, according to Delivery Agent who operate the online store and Facebook e-commerce platforms. Most Jeremy Lin merchandise is sold out at the Knicks' official online store.
Fathead Wall Graphics had its fastest product turnaround in company history in order to meet demands for the Jeremy Lin Fathead. Brian Stevenson, Vice president of public relations at the company told "CBS This Morning," "We had to turn the image around in less than eight hours once we discovered the phenomenon, and that the demand was there."
Fathead is also looking to capitalize on the global enthusiasm for all things Lin. When fans in China, Taiwan and the Philippines go to Fathead.com they see the Jeremy Lin Fathead as the home page.
Jeremy Lin lights up NBA, online sales
Lin to continue victory streak?
While the world will have to wait until Wednesday night to see of Jeremy Lin can lead the NY Knicks to their seventh straight victory, odds are Madison Square Garden security will surely recognize his face.