Harrison Butker's Instagram following booms by 85,000 since his controversial speech on May 11

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker has gained over 85,000 new followers on Instagram since facing backlash for his controversial commencement speech during a graduation ceremony at a Catholic liberal arts college in Kansas, earlier this month.

Search popularity for Chiefs tickets and jerseys rocketed in the days after Butker, 28, addressed the Class of 2024 at Benedictine College on May 11. During his 20-minute speech, the NFL star said women graduating have been told 'the most diabolical lies.' 

He said, 'Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world,' emphasizing the importance of being a 'homemaker.' Butker also criticized Biden's policies and referred to Pride Month as a 'deadly sin,' stoking reactions from internet users.     

Now, research conducted by CasinoAlpha analyzed Butker's social media statistics to establish the change in followers since his comments drew widespread criticism.

As of Tuesday, the three-time Super Bowl champion has 411k followers on Instagram, gaining 85k from May 13-20. Before the speech circulated online, he sat at 326k, meaning his total rose by over one quarter (26 percent) in a week.

Almost all of those 85k (78k) followed him after May 16, when global media outlets picked up the story and the NFL distanced itself from the player in a statement, saying 'his views are not those of the NFL as an organization.'

What's more is that analysis of Google Trends data revealed searches for 'Harrison Butker jersey' and 'Harrison Butker t shirt' experiencing a 10,316 percent and 3,821 percent rise in relative popularity in the past 30 days, respectively. Interest peaked on May 17, representing an increase of 104 and 39 times compared to the average volume prior.

Searches for 'Chiefs tickets' and 'Chiefs jersey' also rose 2,995 percent and 851 percent in the past 30 days, respectively, spiking simultaneously with interest in Butker.

Meanwhile, Benedictine College nuns released an online statement on May 16 denouncing the football player's remarks. 

They said, '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.'

A spokesperson at CasinoAlpha commented on the findings:

'Despite the comments stoking a culture war on social media, Harrison's experienced a huge boost in his online following. 

'Whether people agree with what he said or not, this event has benefitted his social influence, with his total follower count soaring by over one-quarter in a single week. It's clear Butker's attracting a new audience of people who agree with his comments.

'His comments might be seen as risky, but data shows that he and the Kansas City Chiefs experienced a big online boost as a result.'