El 4: Sports Twitter: The Year in Review

For sports fans, the action is increasingly on Twitter. That's where news breaks, athletes give unprecedented access into their lives and a virtual sports bar of millions of passionate fans is just one click away.

Sports and Twitter intersected more than ever in 2012 (as will likely be the case again in 2013), and with just a few weeks left in the year it's time to take a look back. Twitter itself released a year-end recap of the social network's top tweets and trends of 2012 on Tuesday morning. Its sports section is worth a closer, isolated look to revisit some of our favorite memories.

2012's number one trending topic for sports was the hashtag NFL -- no big surprise, considering it's America's most popular sport. But no one could have predicted last January who would be responsible for the year's most viral sports tweet: Green Bay Packers guard TJ Lang. After a controversial call by the league's early-season replacement referees cost the Packers a win, Lang unloaded on Twitter. One of his posts -- which read, "Fuck it NFL.. Fine me and use the money to pay the regular refs" -- has gained over 98,000 retweets and 28,000 favorites. Lang also picked up 90,000 new followers over the next few days.

The hashtag #nascar was sports Twitter's second-most popular trending topic, and the most viral moment there came when driver Brad Keselowski tweeted from his car during a fire delay at the Daytona 500. (Keselowski later told Mashable more about his love for social media in this exclusive Q&A.) NASCAR and Twitter also announced a strategic partnership this year, something we may see emulated more in the future.

The Olympics were another big trend on Twitter this year, coming in fourth on the official list, which is an impressive feat given that the Games lasted just two weeks this summer. The 2012 Olympics were christened by many as the world's "first social games" thanks to the explosive growth of social media over the past few years. Athletes' names were regular worldwide trends during competitions, and the Games birthed a number of funny memes, including one all-time classic.

Major League Baseball had a strong year on social media, with the hashtags #mlb, #sfgiants and #yankees all placing among Twitter's top 10. The Giants won the World Series in October and grabbed some social bragging rights along the way by matching Barack Obama with a near-maximum Klout score of 99.

And who could forget Linsanity? Jeremy Lin took the social web by storm in February and places sixth on Twitter's list of top trends. As Lin dominated the NBA and surged to celebrity during an improbable two week stretch, his name and the #Linsanity hashtag took up semi-permanent residence on the Twitter trending charts. He added more than 130,000 followers in a week as Lin-themed memes and tributes popped up all over the web.

What were your favorite social media sports moments of 2012? Share in the comments below and check out our countdown here:

1. Devin McCourty Tweets While Playing in the Super Bowl (Sort of)

As New England Patriot Devin McCourty took on the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, his followers were still able to receive real-time updates from his social feeds. But he wasn't sneaking tweets between plays or during timeouts. Devin and twin brother Jason, who plays for the Tennessee Titans, share their Twitter and Facebook accounts. The Super Bowl showcased one of the more creative approaches to social media in the sports world.

Image courtesy of Devin and Jason McCourty's Instagram.
2. Linsanity Rules the Web

New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin, an unheralded, fringe NBA player out of Harvard, enjoyed a magical run of success in February, propelling him to worldwide stardom.

But that wasn't restricted to the hardcourt. Lin-themed memes popped up left and right, and tribute raps appeared on YouTube. Lin added Twitter followers at an exponential rate, and even tech publications that normally steer clear of sports were forced to take notice of "Linsanity."

Image courtesy of Flickr nikk_la.
3. NASCAR's Brad Keselowski Tweets From His Car During the Daytona 500

When the Daytona 500 NASCAR race was delayed in late February after an explosion and fire on the track, driver Brad Keselowski began tweeting from his car. He posted the image at left, chatted with fans and gained more than 100,000 followers during his historic and shocking Twitter spree.

Image courtesy of Brad Keselowski
4. #LexingtonPoliceScanner Takes Us Through the Looking Glass

Twitter users gawked at an improbable collision of joy, violence and voyeurism after the University of Kentucky won college basketball's national championship in April.

How? Large-scale riots broke out in Lexington, and word spread that the city's police scanner was accessible via the streaming app TuneIn.

For hours, #LexingtonPoliceScanner along with other terms related to the riots, trended worldwide. As one tweeter put it: "This is so messed up, but Twitter gold."
5. The Los Angeles Kings Shake up Sports Social Media

As the Los Angeles Kings played their way to a Stanley Cup title, the squad's social media team redefined the digital sports marketing playbook. Sassy tweets like the one at left -- directed at Stanley Cup Finals opponent the New Jersey Devils -- bucked a conservative status quo in the industry. But the social team pulled off its blatantly biased voice, jabs at opposing fans and goofy jokes with aplomb, gaining more than 60,000 followers during the playoffs.
6. LeBron Takes a Twitter Hiatus and Sheds a Massive Monkey

Last spring, despite still being in his mid-20s, NBA star LeBron James, typically an engaging tweeter, endured more pressure and criticism than any player in basketball history for a lack of championships.

In late April, his Miami Heat began their playoff journey, and James went silent on social media. Weeks and weeks passed, but he didn't break his silence. Finally in June, the Heat won, and James celebrated his first title with this giddy message: "OMFG I think it just hit me, I'm a CHAMPION!! I AM a CHAMPION!!"

Image courtesy of Flickr, rezsox
7. USA Basketball's Awesome Instagrams Go Viral

The United States' Olympic basketball team of NBA mega-stars toured the world to practice and bond before the 2012 Games. During their travels, many of the players belied an unexpected yet profound love for everyone's favorite photo sharing app, Instagram. Dorky tourist shots and sneak attacks on snoozing teammates flooded the interwebs with hilarious and humanizing moments, providing a reminder that in many ways, our idols aren't so different from us.

Image courtesy of Kevin Durant (Instagram: @trey5)
8. Olympic Star Tom Daley Outs a Hateful Troll on Twitter

It's easy to forget how much ugly abuse our athletic idols endure on social media. After a poor performance in the Summer Olympics, British diver Tom Daley was targeted by a troll who referenced his recently deceased father. Daley fought back by outing the troll to his 580,000 followers. Fans rallied to Daley's defense, and the harasser was eventually arrested under Britain's malicious communications laws.

Image courtesy @TomDaley1994
9. McKalya Maroney's Scornful Scowl Becomes the Stuff of Meme Legend

Immediately after favored American gymnast McKayla Maroney stumbled to a silver metal during the Summer Olympics and displayed her disapproval with a memorable scowl, the Internet worked its meme magic.

McKaylaIsNotImpressed.tumblr.com collected images of McKayla, superimposed onto famous scenes from history, pop culture and the news. At left, McKayla is being a wet blanket with an ecstatic, post-landing Mars rover team.
10. Dissed NFL Fan Teaches Kansas City Chiefs a Social Media Lesson

Sometimes brands and sports teams don't realize how much social media has shifted the balance of public relations power toward the common fan.

In September, a Kansas City Chiefs social media manager sent the disrespectful Twitter DM at left to a disgruntled fan, who, as it happened, was a professional social media expert. The fan went thermonuclear in the digital flamewar, blowing the story up on Reddit, Twitter and even mainstream media.
11. T.J. Lang Blasts the NFL's Replacement Refs, and the Social Web Can't Get Enough

Animosity mounted among NFL players over the league's reliance on under-qualified replacement referees to start the season. Then the Green Bay Packers lost over a controversial call during Monday Night Football in September. Packer T.J. sent the following two tweets immediately after the game. Each gained tens of thousands of retweets. Fans and other players loved his candor, and the NFL's normal refs were soon back calling games.
12. A Soccer Star's $145,000 Tweet

British soccer star Ashley Cole posted the following message about England's governing body of soccer in October, after the organization cast doubt on his credibility in an investigation. The outburst and creative hashtag were a comedic hit with many fans, but Cole's pocketbook took a pretty epic dent when the same organization he blasted fined him £90,000 -- or 145,000 American dollars.
13. The San Francisco Giants Romp to a World Series Win While Dominating Social Media

The San Francisco Giants swept the Detroit Tigers to win the World Series in October. And the team was just as stellar in the social space. Creative engagement initiatives pulled fans in, and the social media home runs culminated when the team actually matched President Obama's near-perfect Klout score of 99.

Image courtesy of @SFGiants