From epic outbursts to creative marketing to moments of spontaneous fascination, 2012 was a seriously exciting year in the world of sports and social media. Digital technology became more ingrained than ever in how sports stars and teams reach the masses, as well as in how fans consume content and interact with media and one another.
The 2012 Olympics underscored just how much the sports world relies on social media. We had a chance to reflect on how Twitter, YouTube and other platforms have blown up since the previous Summer Games four years earlier. Year-round, meanwhile, athletes were able to reveal unfiltered sides of themselves in ways never possible before social media's permeating influence. Sometimes that worked to their benefit, and sometimes it backfired completely -- but it always kept us entertained.