National
#1 Sports Event
If the National Football League’s championship football game’s fans were seeking drama, Superbowl LI did not disappoint. Played by the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons at Houston’s NRG Stadium, the Pats came from behind to tie the game and then won in overtime. Lady Gaga’s halftime show began with her jumping off of the stadium and onto the field for a well-received performance. Beyond of the game, events included a festival called Super Bowl Live that included a virtual-reality attraction built in conjunction with NASA, while the annual N.F.L. Experience came to the George R. Brown Convention Center. An average of 111.3 million viewers tuned into the game, slightly down from last year. Next: February 4, 2018
National
#2 Sports Event (up from #3)
It was a dream season for the Chicago Cubs, who won their first World Series title since 1908. The team claimed the title over the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 at Cleveland’s Progressive Field. That final game brought in 40 million viewers for Fox, making the game the most watched Game Seven in 25 years. Back at home, the Cubs received a victory parade and rally, which city officials estimated were attended by more than 5 million fans—which would make the festivities among the biggest human gatherings ever. Next: October 24-November 1, 2017
National
#3 Sports Event
Becoming the second most-watched tournament of its kind in nearly two decades, the series brought an average of 10.4 million nightly viewers to CBS Sports and Turner Sports during the games. That’s a 14 percent uptick from 2016, and the second-highest viewership of the Final Four since 1994. The championship game, played at the University of Phoenix stadium, pitted the Gonzaga Bulldogs against North Carolina’s Tar Heels. The latter secured a win with a score of 71-65, and that game was viewed by approximately 23 million. March Madness social-media content drew 60 million impressions. Next: March 31-April 2, 2018
Daytona Beach, Florida
#4 Sports Event
Kyle Busch pulled out a surprise victory in Nascar’s marquee race after only holding the lead for one lap. That feat made him a record-holder as the driver with the fewest laps led to win the race. The contest was the start of the Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series, with the drink-maker replacing Sprint as the title sponsor. Ratings for the event scored high, with nearly 12 million viewers tuning in. Organizers also looked to social media to drive interest, building Snapchat content focused on behind-the-scenes action as well as a Facebook Live presence. Next: February 18, 2018
New York
#5 Sports Event
Top seeded Rafael Nadal secured his third win in the men’s singles tournament, while on the women’s side unseeded player Sloane Stephens won her first major title. Activations by a number of brands, such as American Express, Asics, Grey Goose, and Lavazza, as well as sponsors Chase and Mercedes-Benz, appeared around town during the two-week tournament. Television ratings for the championship spiked over last year, with a 36 percent jump for the final women’s game. Average viewership of the tournament was up 11 percent, to 952,000 viewers, compared to 856,000 for the first 11 days of last year’s competition. Next: August 29-September 11, 2018
Augusta, Georgia
#6 Sports Event
Sergio Garcia came out on top at Augusta National Golf Club after going shot-for-shot against Justin Rose for the last several holes of the match. Before the tournament, the Professional Golfers Association of America, which hosts the competition, launched an app for the occasion, which opens on an “irresistible” photo of the 12th hole and a countdown screen that would give users “palpable giddiness,” Golf Magazine stated. The app also included player trackers, Masters history, and more. Ratings weren’t as positive, dropping slightly from 2016. Next: April 5-April 8, 2018
Louisville, Kentucky
#7 Sports Event
The kickoff race to the Triple Crown saw post-time favorite Always Dreaming take the title at Churchill Downs, marking the fifth consecutive derby where the horse in that position prevailed. The race is the capper to the two week Derby Week festival, which included events such as the Unbridled Eve Gala, headlined by Sharon Stone, Selma Blair, and Beau Bridges, as well as a fireworks show and more. NBC Sports arranged a “social media blitz,” around the event, deploying Facebook Live with a phantom camera, a high-speed video camera to create slow-motion clips, and striking partnerships with BuzzFeed and Snapchat. Next: May 5, 2018
Boston
#8 Sports Event
Shorter races and a kids' relay, along with retail pop-up stores from Runner’s World magazine, athleisure makers who banded together to create an activation, and others dominated the weekend leading up to Marathon Monday. The race’s victors were Kenyans Geoffrey Kirui on the men’s side and Edna Kiplagat on the women’s. This year’s Patriots’ Award recipient was Meb Keflezighi, the 2014 winner of the Boston Marathon who came to the United States as a refugee from war-torn Ethiopia as a child and is retiring this year. Next: April 16, 2018
New York
#9 Sports Event
This year’s dog show marked the start of a 10-year partnership between the Westminster Dog Club and Purina, which made its Purina Pro Plan the exclusive pet food sponsor of the event. A few days before the show, which is held at Madison Square Garden, the American Kennel Club and Westminster hosted the fourth annual Masters Agility Championship and AKC Meet the Breeds, where pet lovers, the canines, and cats gathered. The week of events was taken in by some 45,000 fans, but a change in television networks covering the show may have prompted a dive in ratings. After moving to FS1 from CNBC and USA, the program lost 400,000 viewers. Rumor, a German Shepherd, won “Best in Show” at this year’s competition. Next: February 10, 2018 and February 12-13, 2018
