Nearing the end of the year, it’s a time to recap the big events of 2023 – Michigan’s top sports moments, the state’s biggest news events, and the most important, what were Michigan’s most- searched terms on the Internet?
Utilizing Google Trends, BetMichigan.com – your source for Michigan sportsbooks - analyzed the most-searched terms in the state of Michigan from Jan. 1-Dec. 10, 2023. We finalized the Top 10 queries by utilizing the terms that have seen the biggest increase in search volume over the year of 2023.
So, before or after you finalize your bets across Michigan sportsbook apps ahead of this weekend’s NFL slate, check out what terms drove the most interest statewide in 2023.
No. 1 in Michigan was “Damar Hamlin,” the Buffalo Bills safety who almost died following a collision in the Bills game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2, 2023. The incident canceled the game and became a top sports story for most of the year, as Hamlin slowly recovered and made his way back to the Bills. As with every big 2023 news story, there were even conspiracy theories: one was that Hamlin had died and been replaced with a body double so the NFL wouldn’t look bad.
At No. 2, we have “ChatGPT,” the artificial intelligence platform that’s not only the topic of conspiracy theories but the creator of such theories.
I thought No. 3 “Temu” was the name of the emu in those insurance commercials. It’s really a discount online store run by a Chinese company with a U.S. headquarters in Boston. More people in Michigan search for Temu over Amazon? Come on.
“Weather for 10 Days,” at No. 4, shows Michiganders’ continued fascination with the mid-range weather forecast. If you really need to know what the temperature is going to be in a week, this is where you look. And you keep looking until the actual day, because the forecast a week earlier is sure to be wrong.
At No. 5 is “Connections,” a new game from The New York Times (who also bring you Wordle), in which players have to correctly pick the way four groups of four words relate to each other. I’m currently on a 32-day win streak (no brag, just fact).
How is No. 6 “Taylor Swift” not No. 1? Between The ERAS Tour, The ERAS Movie,” the “Midnights” album, the “1989 – Taylor’s Version” reissue and Travis Kelce, it’s hard to believe more people in Michigan searched for Damar than Taylor.
While any of the Top 6 could be Top 6 anywhere, No. 7, “DTE Outage Map,” is uniquely Michigan. If you’re searching for this, we sure hope your phone is charged because your desktop probably doesn’t have power and you’re sitting in the dark.
Also Michigan-centric are Nos. 8 and 9, “Lions Schedule” and “Lions.” Dan Campbell’s squad has been having fun at Ford Field and punished the Denver Broncos Saturday. Just wait another week and wait until people start searching for “Lions Playoff Schedule.”
Tied for 10th are “Lakers” and “Blooket.” Yeah, the Pistons are struggling, but that’s no reason to search for “Lakers.” Blooket is a student tutoring game. Since it’s often assigned by teachers, and the age of Blooket players means they probably can’t spell “Google,” we think the fix is in on Blooket’s high ranking.
Author
Howard Gensler is a veteran journalist covering the Michigan sports betting market for BetMichigan.com. Before his focus on U.S. sports betting, Howard worked at the Philadelphia Daily News, TV Guide and the Philadelphia Inquirer. Howard is also a founding editor of bettorsinsider.com.
Cited by leading media organizations, such as:
