Five of the Top Athlete Tweets of 2012

ABSTRACT: Many athletes routinely use Twitter to voice their opinions. Most of these comments go unnoticed by the masses. However, a player will occasionally tweet something that goes viral. Here are five of the top athlete tweets from 2012.

Many athletes routinely use Twitter to connect with fans, to voice their opinions, and sometimes even to critique their rivals. Most of these comments go unnoticed by the masses. However, a player will occasionally tweet something that goes viral.

Here are five of the top athlete tweets of 2012.

Brandon Marshall Fires Back: Retired football great Warren Sapp started the brouhaha when he called Marshall a "retard" during a televised sports show on Sept. 21. The Chicago Bears wide receiver retaliated by posting links to two videos on Twitter. In the videos, Marshall questioned Sapp's marital ethics, his devotion to his kids, and his financial acumen. The two have since apologized to each other.

Voula Papachristou's Tweet Ends Her Olympic Dream: The Greek triple jumper was set to represent her nation at the 2012 London Olympics until a tweet dashed those hopes. On July 22, Papachristou posted a racist tweet on her account in response to an increase in West Nile virus cases in Greece. The tweet stated, "So many Africans in Greece [sic] at least West Nile mosquitoes will eat homemade food." Greece's Olympic Committee promptly expelled Papachristou from its team.

Golfer Gives Out His Phone Number on Twitter: Even the usually staid sport of golf is not immune to Twitter controversies. Just ask Luke Donald. In September, the golfer got upset when he bogeyed a hole at the Deutsche Bank Championship. After the round, Donald sent what he thought were two private emails to the course architect, Gil Hanse. One tweet criticized Hanse and the other contained Donald's phone number. Little did Donald know that he had sent the messages out as tweets. Donald publicly apologized for criticizing Hanse. He probably also made a quick visit to his local cell phone carrier.

Vince Young Wants a Job: The Tennessee Titans had high hopes for Young when they drafted him third overall in the 2006 NFL draft. Unfortunately for the Titans and later for the Philadelphia Eagles, the quarterback turned out to be a bust. Young, who is not currently on any NFL roster, apparently wants one more chance. He proclaimed this desire to the world when he sent a tweet to Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald after the Cardinals were shut out by the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The message stated, "[sic] you know I can help tell coach." There is no word yet on whether Fitzgerald passed the message on to Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt.

Stephen Jackson Causes a Stir: The San Antonio Spurs shooting guard recently took to Twitter to intimidate Oklahoma City forward Serge Ibaka. In his tweet, Jackson promised to punch Ibaka in the face the next time the two met (or as Jackson put it, "im goin in his mouth"). The NBA condemned Jackson's remarks and fined him $25,000.

The author follows many sports. He is a fan of the Atlanta Braves and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

-- Anthony Hopper

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