Harrison Butker, an American football kicker for the NFL Kansas City Chiefs, has drawn the attention of not only football fans but international social media after his controversial speech at Benedictine College in Kansas. The NFL star’s comments have sparked significant debate, leading to both backlash and an unexpected surge in his social media following.
Our team at CasinoAlpha shall break down the details of Butker’s speech and analyse his social media outburst.
- How Harrison Butker’s Instagram following reached a new high
- Insights on Butker’s views
- What did Harrison Butker say during his speech?
- Reactions to Butker’s Speech Are Divided
- Benedictine College & The NFL Stance On Harrison Butker’s Speech
- Will Harrison’s Speech Attract Repercussions?
How Harrison Butker’s Instagram Following Reached a New High
| Date | Followers | Total Followers | Following |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-07 | – | 326488 | 248 |
| 2024-05-08 | -27 | 326461 | 248 |
| 2024-05-09 | -35 | 326426 | 248 |
| 2024-05-10 | -56 | 326370 | 247 |
| 2024-05-11 | -111 | 326259 | 247 |
| 2024-05-12 | +3 | 326262 | 247 |
| 2024-05-13 | -17 | 326245 | 246 |
| 2024-05-14 | +421 | 326666 | 246 |
| 2024-05-15 | +922 | 327588 | 246 |
| 2024-05-16 | +5339 | 332927 | 247 |
| 2024-05-17 | +35388 | 368315 | 249 |
| 2024-05-18 | +26297 | 394612 | 250 |
| 2024-05-19 | +10557 | 405169 | 250 |
| 2024-05-20 | +6081 | 411250 | 250 |
| Daily Averages | +2607 | – | – |
| Last 30 Days | +78210 | – | – |
CasinoAlpha experts analysed the massive response to Butker’s statements and revealed the boost in online searches on this subject.
Thus, Harrison Butker’s Instagram page gained over 85000 new followers from May 13-20. At the time of our study, Butker now has 411,000 followers on Instagram. Before the speech started trending online, he sat at 326000 Instagram followers, meaning his total following grew by over one quarter (26%) in a week.
Butker’s latest appearance also triggered a spike in the relative popularity of searches for Harrison Butker jerseys and t-shirts of 10,316% and 3,821% in the past 30 days, respectively. This can be considered a big sign of support toward Butker’s beliefs.
Our analysis also focused on Google Trends, and this data shows that searches for “Harrison Butker jersey” and “Harrison Butker t-shirt” grew 10316% and 38211% in relative popularity, respectively. Interest peaked on May 17, increasing 104 and 39 times compared to the average volume.
In the past 30 days, searches for “Chiefs tickets” and “Chiefs jersey” increased 2995% and 851%, respectively.
Insights on Butker’s Views
Harrison Butker is known for his devotion to Catholic beliefs and has always expressed his faith strongly. Thus, over the weekend, he was invited to speak at Benedictine College’s graduation ceremony.
Butker’s public dedication to these beliefs, coupled with his high-profile career, likely influenced Benedictine College’s decision to invite him as a commencement speaker.
What Did Harrison Butker Say during His Speech?
During his commencement speech at Benedictine College, Harrison Butker turned into polemic territory, sparking widespread reactions. Initially focusing on the resilience shown by graduates during the pandemic, Butker soon shifted to expressing views on traditional gender roles, criticising leadership, diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. He went on to express his anti-abortion beliefs and anti-LGBTQ ideas.
He addressed himself to women graduates, who he shared that he hoped would adhere to their “vocation” of becoming mothers and homemakers rather than chasing a career. Therefore, we can all understand why these statements caused such a massive response among all social media platforms.
Reactions to Butker’s Speech Are Divided
Even though Harrison Butker’s speech seems controversial, Butker got support from several public figures and gained a massive Instagram following.
For example, Mayor Quinton Lucas defended Butker’s right to free speech but faced backlash for seemingly endorsing hate speech. Also, figures from far-right circles praised Butker for boldly expressing his beliefs.
Benedictine College & The NFL Stance On Harrison Butker’s Speech
Nuns from Benedictine College released an online statement on May 16 condemning the football player’s remarks. Their public statement clearly dismissed Butker’s views and unalignment with the school’s views: “Instead of promoting unity in our church, our nation, and the world, his comments seem to have fostered division,” and that they “do not believe” his comments represent the Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college that our founders envisioned.”
On the same day, after the viral news made it to international media, the NFL distanced itself quickly from Butker’s statements, insiders declaring, “His views are not those of the NFL as an organisation.”
Will Harrison’s Speech Attract Repercussions?
The opinions are divided after carefully analysing the response to Harrison Butker’s speech. Despite his comments causing an ideology war on social platforms, Harrison has experienced considerable growth in his online following. Therefore, it’s clear Butker has attracted the attention of people who agree with his ideas. His comments might seem outrageous, but our data shows he and the Chiefs experienced a big online boost.
