Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2018-06-29/Traffic report

Endgame: Two celebrities hang themselves, and the FIFA World Cup is underway.

Traffic report

Endgame

By Igordebraga, OZOO and Stormy clouds

This traffic report is adapted from the Top 25 Report, prepared with commentary by Igordebraga (June 3 to 9), OZOO (June 10 to 16), and Stormy clouds (June 17 to 23).

Celebrity hangings (June 3 to 9, 2018)

Prepared with commentary by Igordebraga

After a few weeks without high profile deaths, June barely started and two celebrities hanged themselves within a few days of each other: Anthony Bourdain got the higher views, but Kate Spade brought in more family members to the list. Otherwise, there are six movies (one from India), two Google Doodles, Netflix programmes aimed at teens, American sports finishing off their playoffs (four entries related to the anti-climactic basketball finals, one of the more competitive ice hockey one) while a sport the U.S. is still learning to like keeps its foothold (the FIFA World Cup, which is expected to dominate upcoming lists), someone who might enter the ever-present death list, and one article that is somehow also becoming a mainstay, the K-pop group EXO.

For the week of June 3 to 10, 2018, the most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the WP:5000 report were:

Rank	Article	Class	Views	Image	Notes
1	Anthony Bourdain		6,094,775		The chef famous for food travelogue shows such as No Reservations and Parts Unknown took his own life by hanging himself in a hotel room. Tributes for Bourdain emerged from everywhere, including the current and previous Presidents of the United States.
2	Kate Spade		4,231,518		Three days before Bourdain, another celebrity had hanged herself, namely a fashion designer known for her accessories (i.e handbags and wallets sold for hefty prices).
3	Andy Spade		1,318,774		The widower of Kate (#2), who was also her partner in the company Kate Spade New York.
4	Virginia Apgar		1,219,385		Google released a Doodle homaging the obstetrician who created the Apgar score, used to summarize the health of newborn children.
5	LeBron James		979,980		Sometimes, you can't do everything by yourself. Playing his eighth consecutive NBA final and ninth overall, LeBron was accomplishing the usual high numbers for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but facing a team stacked on all-stars while your teammates are underwhelming (to the point of stupidity) didn't go well, and he suffered a 4-0 sweep. Fans and the media now speculate if "King James" will jump ship.
6	Asia Argento		952,199		This Italian actress, daughter of horror director Dario Argento, was dating Anthony Bourdain (#1) until his tragic death.
7	David Spade		939,932		How many people were surprised to learn that this comedian (known for Saturday Night Live, Just Shoot Me! and movies with friends Chris Farley and Adam Sandler) was actually related to the recently deceased Kate Spade (#2) through his brother Andy (#3)?
8	2018 FIFA World Cup		932,385		Thursday is the day where most football fans will start having their lives in Moscow Time to follow the biggest event of their sport.
9	Avengers: Infinity War		823,796		It's official, the 19th Marvel movie has broken $2 billion worldwide. In the meantime, wonder if it will still be on this list as the 20th hits theaters in July.
10	Deaths in 2018		776,366		This week's list is topped by two recent entries on this article, so no surprise it remains in the top 10.

World Cups past, present, and future (June 10 to 16, 2018)

Prepared with commentary by OZOO

No surprise what the big news of the week is, with ten of the top 25 focusing on the FIFA World Cup, whether that's a look into the past, an eye on the future; or just keeping up with the current year, and the battle for supremacy between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, or the dramatic late change in the management of the Spain national football team.

Of course, there is other news, with both protagonists from the Kim – Trump summit making it into the list. There's a good number of films, with Hereditary topping the Wikipedia Box Office this week. There's tennis for people who prefer their sport to have a bit less contact; and there's some UFC for those who don't.

For the week of June 10 to 16, 2018, the most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the WP:5000 report were:

Rank	Article	Class	Views	Image	Notes
1	2018 FIFA World Cup		3,007,166		The 21st FIFA World Cup has begun, bringing together the giants of world football. Except for Italy, who didn't qualify. And the United States. Also it turns out having our guy pretty much win the 2018 UEFA Champions League Final single-handedly doesn't give Wales an automatic wildcard spot, for some reason. Anyway, expect to see this staying at or near the top for the next few weeks, with host nation Russia getting us under way on 14 June with a 5-0 victory over Saudi Arabia. Article also featured as ongoing at WP:ITN.
2	Anthony Bourdain		1,799,523		American celebrity chef and TV personality Bourdain was found dead on June 8 at the age of 61, following a suicide. Bourdain was known for hosting food-and-travel shows such as A Cook's Tour, No Reservations and Parts Unknown.
3	Cristiano Ronaldo		1,213,959		On the second day of the 2018 FIFA World Cup all eyes were on Portuguese star Ronaldo – regarded as one of the best players in the world – as his side took on Spain. Ronaldo shone in the lime-light, scoring the fifty-first hat-trick in FIFA World Cup history, including a late free-kick to secure a draw between the two highly ranked teams.
4	Kim Jong-un		1,025,714		Kim, the Supreme Leader of North Korea, met with US President Trump in Singapore this week, (meeting pictured) the first such summit to take place between the North Korean and American leaders. Trump agreed to cease all US-South Korea military exercises; in exchange for North Korea pledging to denuclearization. Some have criticised the meeting, given North Korea's significant human rights violations; and it has been suggested that the US has got very little out of the meeting while handing Kim a PR boost. Others would argue that a chance of ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula and the potential of expanded rights in a less-isolated North Korea would be worth any image issues.
5	FIFA World Cup		1,010,708		The overview article for what most of this Top 25 list is all about.
6	Michael Peterson (murder suspect)		926,807		Peterson, a novelist convicted in 2003 of murdering his wife Kathleen Peterson and whose sentence was subsequently reduced to manslaughter in 2017; is the subject of the 2004 French documentary series The Staircase, which was released, including three new episodes, Netflix on June 8.
7	2026 FIFA World Cup		850,112		The 2026 FIFA World Cup – the first to feature an expanded field of 48 teams from the current 32 – will be held across Canada, Mexico and the United States, after the United bid beat a rival bid from Morocco in a vote take on 13 June.
8	Hereditary (film)		814,566		Toni Collette (pictured) stars in Hereditary, the feature film directing debut for Ari Aster. The supernatural horror film – released on June 8 in the US – has received positive reviews from critics, but a D+ grade from CinemaScore. The opening weekend gross of $13.6 million is the highest opening for a film distributed by A24.
9	Avengers: Infinity War		757,159		I wonder if the 2018 FIFA World Cup is being held within the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? I like to think it is, although some countries may have (spoiler alert) some selection problems, what with the end of this film and all.
10	List of FIFA World Cup finals		753,126		The 20th FIFA World Cup final (1950 didn't have a final) will be held at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on 15 July.

Olé, Olé, Olé! (June 17 to 23, 2018)

Prepared with commentary by Stormy clouds

Ladies and gentlemen, it is football season, and I, for one, am ecstatic. Since the 14th of June, every remote control in my house has lain idle; the football, and nothing but the football, is on, and that is the end of discussion. And we're not even at it! It's the World Cup, an unstoppable force that lets every soccer aficionado worldwide neglect everything else, even the heinous organisation that is responsible for the footy festivities. However, this week, we were reminded that other stuff exists, with the shocking death of a rap star, which is perched atop this week's iteration of the report. However, the list is still dominated utterly by Telstars and VARs, making it fun for a devout footballing fan to compile.

So, without further ado, for the week of June 17 to 23, 2018, the most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the WP:5000 report were:

Rank	Article	Class	Views	Image	Notes
1	XXXTentacion		7,306,664		XXXTentacion, the 20-year old rapper behind "Sad!", amongst other hits, died in a shooting in Florida. His sudden death through gun violence, reminiscent of other prominent rappers, evoked a large reaction, and propelled a large swell of people to his article. Views on the death are decidedly mixed, between those who admired his music and its outlook on mental health issues, and those who criticised him due to his violent past (he was convicted of domestic abuse). I won't comment on his legacy, but the shocking nature of his death left him atop the Report this week.
2	2018 FIFA World Cup		4,163,410		Now this is more in my wheelhouse. Six consecutive articles related to football appear in the Top 10 of the report, demonstrating the sheer power of the World Cup to captivate and intrigue. The football has been engrossing thus far, and I have been duly glued to it - between the influx of penalties wrought by the VAR system, to the propensity of players to hit absolute screamers in matches (for technique alone, this remains my favourite finish to date), this World Cup has truly caught the attention. As to who will win, I remain clueless. However, for brevity, let's discuss the footballing reasons behind the following entries, and why they are drawing such attention. Ronaldo (CR7, not the harshly nicknamed "fat Ronaldo", incidentally a World Cup legend in his own right), netted three for Portugal against his Iberian rivals, claiming the match ball and a valuable point. He then scored the winner against a feeble Morocco, eliminating them and ensuring qualification for Portugal. Amidst the turmoil and anarchy at his old club, a nation's hopes ride on his back. SI!!! The 2018 contest is the 21st time that the footballing teams of the world have convened for a month of hard contested bouts. Wikipedians were drawn to two articles, regarding the contest as a whole and its evolution through time, and a comprehensive list of competitions prior, as they investigate more about the origins of the fabled trophy, named for FIFA's early president Jules Rimet. Ronaldo, curiously, is not alone in having the hopes of an entire country on his shoulders. Messi, his only peer in the modern game (sorry, #15), is also flying the flag for his native Argentina, albeit with far less success. A draw against Europe's mightiest minnows (in which he missed a penalty), followed by a thumping 3-0 loss to Croatia, has left Argentina in severe jeopardy of elimination in the group stages. That would be quite a descent from the last tournament, where we claimed the Golden Ball. Messi's legacy is on the line, as, without a World Cup win to emulate that of Mexico '86, he may be doomed to remain in the gargantuan shadow of Diego Maradona, cursed to be considered Argentina's second greatest footballing son. Finally, we have the previous World Cup, hosted in Brazil. 2014 was memorable for a whole host of reasons, from James' sublime volley for Colombia to the 7-1 blitzkrieg inflicted on the hosts by a rampant German side. They went on to win the tournament, defeating Lionel Messi's Argentina with a extra-time goal from Mario Götze to secure their fourth title, and first post-reunification.
3	Cristiano Ronaldo		1,376,672
4	FIFA World Cup		1,297,469
5	List of FIFA World Cup finals		1,038,969
6	Lionel Messi		994,470
7	2014 FIFA World Cup		905,222
8	Incredibles 2		895,572		This film, above all others released this summer, holds a special interest for me. Pixar has begun creating sequels of late, such as Finding Dory, to its beloved classics from the early 2000's. Given that I was a young child in this timeframe, I absolutely adore these classics, most of all the studio's take on the superhero genre. The sequel entered release in the States last week, but unfortunately, due to the World Cup, I won't be afforded the chance to see it for another month or so. However, all reviews indicate that it is excellent - once again Pixar defies the notion that if all films are super, none of them are.
9	Money in the Bank (2018)		827,392		I'll be honest; I have never comprehended the allure of wrestling. If I wished to witness great acting and faux fighting, I would attend the theatre. However, it draws mega money - who can forget that time that a wrestling bout filled the world's largest stadium, in North Korea, of all places. The appearance of this article, concerning a scuffle to claim a briefcase loaded with dollar bills, is testament to this popularity. Apparently, Braun Strowman won.
10	Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom		810,821		The latest film in Universal's monstrously large series hits US multiplexes this weekend, following a massive, inescapable marketing push. The film was released in Ireland a fortnight ago, affording me to see it in advance of my American brethren. I was not particularly thrilled, despite Andy Dwyer's charisma. At a certain stage, one has seen too many CG variations of a Velociraptor and Tyrannosaurus rex before the novelty wears off.

Exclusions

• These lists exclude the Wikipedia main page, non-article pages (such as redlinks), and anomalous entries (such as DDoS attacks or likely automated views). Since mobile view data became available to the Report in October 2014, we exclude articles that have almost no mobile views (5–6% or less) or almost all mobile views (94–95% or more) because they are very likely to be automated views based on our experience and research of the issue. Please feel free to discuss any removal on the Top 25 Report talk page if you wish.

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