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Abstract
A body of research has examined “self-talk” impacts on sport performance, but public communication is less researched. Prior studies have found significant correlations between NBA game performance and sentiment expressed in pre-game tweets, but the performance measures were likely distorted. The purpose was to quantify relationships between sentiment in NBA pre-game tweets and free-throw shooting accuracy. Exploratory analyses examined non-sentiment aspects of tweets and performance. Data from players attempting ≥ 6 free-throws in one or more games during the 2021 - 2022 regular season were eligible. Sentiment scores were generated by the VADER software program, emoji sentiment and sarcasm were rated subjectively. It was concluded that sentiment expressed in tweets was unrelated to free-throw shooting performance. Exploratory analyses supported that higher free throw shooting accuracy was associated with fewer words in tweets, and higher season-long player efficiency ratings were associated with tweets that were easier to read.