Linsanity at fever pitch in social media, Jeremy Lin is here to stay
(CBS) - If you're a basketball fan, you've probably heard of Jeremy Lin and all of the puns that have been associated his name.
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The New York Knicks phenomenon took the National Basketball Association and the Internet by storm after Lin, who was then only known as a bench-warmer, scored 25 points against the New Jersey Net on Feb. 2. Since that game, Lin has gone on to start in five games - all incredible wins.
Immediately, commentators and fans began playing off of Lin's name and phrases like "Linsanity," "Linderella," "Linsane" and "Linferno" began popping up.
It's no surprise the Twitterverse has been buzzing, with some famous fans getting in on the "Linsanity."
"Jeremy Lin-Point God For The New York Knickerbockers," tweeted Spike Lee, who's been a supporter of Lin and frequently cheers him on via Twitter.
"Oh my goodness. I don't think Twitter can survive what Jeremy Lin just did," tweeted Sports Illustrated columnist Phil Taylor, after a win against the Washington Wizards Feb. 8.
Boxing champ Manny Pacquiao chimed in with "God Bless Jeremy Lin" Tuesday. This is a far cry from Pacquiao's nemesis Floyd Mayweather, who tweeted "Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise." Ouch!
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"Vatican has been looking for that second miracle to make John Paul a saint...cld it be #Linsanity???,"[sic] tweeted Bill Maher. Looks like the Internet says yes, Bill!
Actress Eliza Dushku tweeted, "All he does is #LinLinLin no matter what, & mind you I'm a #Celticsfan, but I don't give a fu*~! This kid plays to #winwinwin.. #LINNING."[sic]
The overall sentiment regarding Lin's rise to fame was summed up nicely by fan Joe Santagato. "If you're a fan of sports, there's no way you can't be a fan of Jeremy Lin. What a great story," tweeted @JoeSantagato. Indeed, Lin's story is compelling even to non-sports fan. Who doesn't love a Cinderella story?
In less than two weeks, the social statistics surrounding Lin has been "Linsane." According to the site Topsy, "Jeremy Lin" has been mentioned 146,000 times, "Lin" 530,000 times, "Linsantiy" 42,000 times, "Lin for the Win" 7,333 times, "Linferno" 3,580, "Linsane" 2,854, "ThrilLin" 2,020, and "Linderella" 1,350.The list goes on.
On YouTube, Lin's dunk against the Wizard's John Wall garnered over 2.5 million views. Highlights of Lin's 38-point career high, in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers has over 1.6 million views, so far. It's been reported that the Nielsen rating for the MSG Network, which airs Knicks games, has had a 130 percent growth in viewership. Pretty impressive considering a lack of referrals from Time Warner Cable. The two companies parted ways at the start of the year, after failed contract negotiations.
It's hard to believe it has only been two weeks since "Linsanity" has swept the nation, so we're sure there is more to come. We are definitely looking forward to the rest of the season.
