Here’s a small, but potentially relevant platform update.
After adding live scores for N.B.A. games back in March, Threads is now also integrating real-time Major League Baseball (M.L.B.) scores as well, which will help to facilitate more discussion around live sports events.
As you can see in this example, now, when you search for an M.L.B. team by name, Threads will display the latest scores from their games at the top of the search listing.
The display will show both real-time scores from their latest match, as well as info from their most recent game. It’ll also include previews of upcoming matches, and the game time, where applicable.
At the same time, Threads has also fixed a key issue with their N.B.A. listings, in that you can now filter the post search results under the scorecard by “Recent”.
Initially, you were only able to see the posts as ranked by Threads’ algorithm, which made keeping up with real time chatter about the game impossible. But now, you can also track the latest discussion points as they come up, which could be a big winner for the app.
Because while Meta has its own goals in mind for the development and evolution of Threads, most Threads users just want a viable Twitter alternative. Elon Musk’s changes at the former bird app have left many seeking another place to engage, and as such, real-time events are a key focus point for building community within the app.
Many sports communities remain embedded on X, where fans have established connections based on live chatter around games and events, so much so that they’re going to be hesitant to leave, no matter what Elon and his crew do.
If Threads wants to win them over, it’ll need to offer a more Twitter-like experience, on various fronts.
That doesn’t mean that Threads has to go all-in on politics, which it remains determined to avoid, but improved sports engagement options are an important step, and these updates will go a long way towards providing for sports fans.
It’s another step, which could attract more users, and make Threads a bigger competitor for X in terms of real time engagement and discussion.
Though given Threads aversion to politics, and the upcoming election cycle, I’m not sure that this year is going to be the year for Threads to truly ascend.
