The Year in Sports Media: Digital
Tweets with Some Kick
Outspoken Viking Chris Kluwe became one of football's rarities in 2012: the high-profile punter. His open-letter takedown of a Maryland politician who sought to keep a Ravens player from speaking out in support of gay marriage got more than 2.3 million page views on Deadspin, and his Twitter feed, @ChrisWarcraft, is a constant source of witty—and informed—musings. We asked Kluwe for his five must-follow feeds. His list:
@YourAnonNews (Remember, remember) Mostly unbiased news covering every topic imaginable.
@TCrabtree83 (Tom Crabtree, Packers tight end) Almost as funny as me.
@BMcCarthy32 (Pitcher, somewhere [Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon McCarthy—ed.]) Funnier than me.
@ZoltanMesko (Punter, Patriots) He's a wizard who knows 11 billion languages.
@SI_PeterKing (Coffee fancier, beer snob) So I know where to send my rants.
In the App of Luxury
When it comes to sports, smartphone technology, with its portable access to real-time news and scores, is a blessing for the hungry fan. And this year the hungry spectator. In September, Barclays Center released an app that allows visitors to have the run of the Nets' cushy billion-dollar abode. Too lazy to use the app's map to track the nearest concessions? Use the in-your-seat ordering option. Users can control their own instant replays, which could be handy should they miss a big play while using the app to text a jumbotron message. And should they be heckled for showing more interest in their phone than the game, the "report" tool will happily tattle to stadium security.
—Rebecca Shore
Imitation Nation
If for nothing else, 2012 was a great year for ear candy parodies in the sports world. The two biggest:
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"GANGNAM STYLE" by PSY | OFFENDING ANTHEM | "CALL ME MAYBE" by Carly Rae Jepsen |
Bengals NT Domata Peko, celebrating his sack of Blaine Gabbert | MEMEIFIED NOTABLY BY | Road-tripping Harvard baseball players (minus the sleeping guy) |
Ohio University marching band | BREAKOUT STARS | U.S. Olympic swim team |
Tie: Terry, Jimmy and the rest of the NFL on Fox crew (who did it on the air) and a tipsy Mark Cuban (in an Indiana bar) | VERSION WE WISH WE COULD UNSEE | Rays newbies in leotards and Katy Perry wigs performing at Fenway Park as part of rookie hazing |
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HANNAH FOSLIEN/GETTY IMAGES (KLUWE)
PHOTO
ALEX GOODLETT/COURTESY OF OHIO UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT (BAND)
A Commitment Jeremy Roenick Would Love
Coastal Carolina forward Sam McLaurin announced his intention to transfer by tweeting: "F--- it im going to Illinois #illinination."