Sporting events are notorious for attracting passionate posts on social media from fans of both sides. This year’s Super Bowl was no different as hordes of fans took to Twitter to post updates and responses to the game (and the halftime show).

The last minute touchdown by the New York Giants set off a firestorm on Twitter reaching a peak of 12,233 tweets per second after Bradshaw stumbled into the endzone with 57 seconds left. This is the second-highest tweet per second ration EVER only trailing the online buzz in December 2011 surrounding the Japanese anime film Castles in the Sky which hit a rate of 25,088 tweets per second.

Following closely on the heels of the touchdown buzz was the buzz around the heels, voice and finger of the halftime entertainment. Twitter users couldn’t help but comment on Madonna performance and the controversy surrounding M.I.A.’s middle finger and Cee-Lo Green’s robbed singing cameo. At its peak, Twitter was logging 10,245 tweets per second. Equally impressive was the longevity of the conversation on Twitter. Over a five minute span, Madonna attracted an average of 8000 tweets per second.

The Super Bowl however isn’t the only event worth monitoring. For businesses, Twitter provides a unique opportunity to listen for potential clients who may be asking for your products or services. If you hear someone mention your brand or industry you can quickly respond, seizing an opportunity to talk directly to a potential customer. While the volume of Twitter may seem overwhelming, filtering with search parameters makes Twitter a powerful source of leads and business.

Sandbox members can login and learn how to listen via Twitter in our recent seminar. Not a Sandbox member yet? Sign up for less than a $1 a day with no contract to start making use of Twitter for your business.

According to Mashable, here are the top 15 events based on Twitter volume including videos of Beyonce’s baby bump and a live map of the volume of tweets on New Year’s Eve 2011.

• 1) Castle in the Sky airs (25,088 tweets per second on Dec. 9, 2011): Anime movie Castle in the Skywas televised in Japan.
• 2) End of Super Bowl XLVI (12,233 tweets per second on Feb. 5, 2012): See above.
• 3) Madonna’s Halftime Performance at Super Bowl XLVI (10,245 tweets per second on Feb. 5, 2012):See above.
• 4) Tim Tebow’s overtime touchdown pass (9,420 tweets per second on Jan. 8, 2012): During Sunday’s AFC wild-card playoff game, Tebow threw a touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas in overtime to upset the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23.
• 5) MTV Video Music Awards (8,868 tweets per second on Aug. 28, 2011): “I want you to feel the love that’s growing inside me,” Beyonce said during her performance, confirming she and husband, Jay-Z, will have a baby. At the end of the song, she dropped her mic, unbuttoned her top and rubbed her baby bump.

 

• 6) Troy Davis executed (7,671 TPS on Sept. 20, 2011): Twitter caught fire in a last-minute effort to save convicted murderer Troy Davis from execution. Davis, who was sentenced to death for the 1989 murder of an off-duty police officer in Georgia, was put to death the next day.
• 7 and 8) FIFA Women’s World Cup (7,196 and 7,166 TPS on July 17, 2011): On this day, the World Cup set two new records for number of tweets sent per second: the end of the final match between the U.S. and Japan as well as the Paraguay vs. Brazil game. The records were later broken by the events listed above.
• 9) Steve Jobs resigns (7,064 TPS on Aug. 25, 2011): “I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come,” Steve Jobs wrote in a resignation letter. Apple tapped Tim Cook as the new CEO the same day.
• 10) New Year’s Day in Japan (6,939 TPS on Jan. 1, 2011): As the clock passed midnight on the first day of 2011, Twitter users in Japan turned to Twitter to wish the world a Happy New Year. Twitter use increased immensely across the globe as each time zone entered 2011. This map visualization that shows activity.

 

• 11) BET Awards (6,436 TPS on June 27, 2011): This year’s BET Awards featured heavy social media integration before and during the broadcast. But what set viewers off was the awkward series of eventssurrounding the Viewer’s Choice Award reveal. Because of technical difficulties, contest winner Tiffany Greene declared Chris Brown the winner but then said the award actually belonged to Rihanna.
• 12) UEFA Champions League (6,303 TPS on May 28, 2011): Barcelona defeated Manchester United, 3-1, in the final match.
• 13) Steve Jobs passes away (6,049 TPS on Oct. 6, 2011): Steve Jobs died Oct. 5 and many fansdiscussed his passing through tweets. The hashtag #RIPSteveJobs immediately became a trending topic. Since his passing, the world — including U.S. President Barack Obama, Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg — has mourned his death and celebrated his achievements.
• 14) NBA Finals (5,531 TPS on June 13, 2011): Press conference comments along with a tweet from LeBron James after his team lost in the NBA Finals sparked a firestorm of responses via Twitter. His tweet said, “The Greater Man upstairs know when it’s my time. Right now isn’t the time.” Most replies were negative.
• 15) Japanese earthquake and tsunami (5,530 TPS on March 11, 2011): Twitter turned into an emergency go-to service for many following an 8.9 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami on Japan’s coast. Tweet-o-Meter reported that 1,200 per minute were coming from Tokyo when the phone system’s went down.

Photo: AFP/Getty