Boston Bruins

The Top Boston Sports-Related Tweets of 2014

By Eric Wilbur

6 minutes to read

icebucket_1218.jpg
Mark Lorenz for the Boston Globe

It’s easy to argue that social media had its best year in 2014, when the viral Ice Bucket Challenge helped raise awareness for ALS in a way that showed the powerful force that the forums can have on society.

But Twitter, of course, also served as a playground of controversy for some. Ask the Red Sox, who celebrated their big day in November at the worst possible time. The Patriots fell victim to a user being able to bypass their filters with negative, racist results, and Bruins fans were unfairly painted in a general, negative light with racist tweets directed at Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban, even as the messages were subsequently discovered to be much lesser in nature than originally reported in Canada. On the flip side, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady began to embrace social media, successfully, but has yet to dabble in the Twitter world as of yet like many of his local contemporaries.

Here’s a roundup of some of the best tweets from the local sports scene in 2014.

1. The Tweet of the Year came via David Ortiz, who took a selfie with President Obama at the White House, where the 2013 World Series champs were honored in a ceremony. There was controversy over the tweet, and how much of a role Samsung, who had recently signed the Red Sox DH as a spokesperson, had to do with getting the leader of the free world to unknowingly participate in a marketing stunt.

2.

New Year’s Day came in with a bombshell, when Red Sox infielder Will Middlebrows and former NESN sideline reporter Jenny Dell announced their relationship on Twitter. Dell left the Red Sox network earlier this year, and is now a reporter for CBS’ NFL coverage. Middlebrooks will likely be dealt this winter after the Red Sox signed Pablo Sandoval to play third base. Love knows no addresses though.

3.

Former Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester said goodbye to Boston a couple of different times.

4.

New Hampshire native and Olympic skier Bode Miller got really emotional after winning bronze in the super G at last February’s Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. NBC’s Christin Cooper took the opportunity to delve into Miller’s emotions, which stemmed from the death of his brother in 2013. Cooper was roundly criticized for her tactic, with Miller coming to her defense on Twitter.

5.

The Boston Marathon’s official Twitter handle remembered the words of President Obama in advance of the first running of the race since the bombings in 2013.

6.

At last count, there were some 103,456 tweets related to the Ice Bucket Challenge, give or take a few. Here are a handful with local roots from last summer.

7.

Brandon Spikes had some harsh words for the New England Patriots after signing with the Bills last April.

Spikes’ new team is 0-1 against New England so far.

8. Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts had some late-night fun back in April.

9.

Bobby Valentine congratulated the San Francisco Giants on winning the World Series, and seemingly took a shot at his former employer, the Red Sox, in the process.

10.

It was only a month ago that 14-year-old Jake Wesley was “breaking” hot stove baseball news, as he purportedly did with the Hanley Ramirez signing.

11.

Rajon Rondo gave his followers a cryptic hint as to when he might return from his ACL injury in January.

12.

Curt Schilling showing the world that he believes in….um, well…

13.

Former Rays manager Joe Maddon led the charge earlier this year when the Red Sox pushed for an early-season doubleheader at Fenway Park, something the Rays argued against. Tampa swept both games, leading to this dig from Maddon.

The Red Sox were scheduled to hand out thousands of Dustin Pedroia bobbleheads prior to the game on May 1, leading some to speculate this was the real reason for the team scheduling the doubleheader.

14.

Ashley Kelly celebrated her husband’s selfie with Yankees legend Derek Jeter prior to the shortstop’s final major league game.

Meanwhile, Joe Kelly made an unsuccessful attempt to get Lester to sign back with the Red Sox.

15.

#NHL15Bergeron #NHL15Bergeron #NHL15Bergeron #NHL15Bergeron #NHL15Bergeron #NHL15Bergeron #NHL15Bergeron #NHL15Bergeron #NHL15Bergeron #NHL15Bergeron #NHL15Bergeron #NHL15Bergeron

#NHL15Bergeron

#NHL15Bergeron

It was the hashtag you couldn’t escape.

Luckily, for those committed to the cause, everything worked out.

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