Sports Figures Who Owned the Internet in 2014

Whether they came from big games, bad losses, controversies, trades or free-agent moves, like every other year, 2014 has given us fans memories that will last a lifetime.

While this year might not be the most shocking year in sports history, it certainly gave us a ton of stories that kept the Internet buzzing and people on social media chatting, which is never a bad thing.

And since a lot of that had to do with some of the world's biggest sports figures, it got me thinking about some of those people who just completely owned the world wide web over the past 12 months. You know, the ones that we all just couldn't stop talking about—even though we all wanted to.

So, without further ado, here are the sports figures who we, for better or worse, couldn't get enough of this year.

Odell Beckham Jr.

Even after missing the first four regular-season games to start his rookie campaign, New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. found himself among the most talked about athletes online this year.

Why?

Well, you might have seen the catch he had against the Dallas Cowboys a few weeks ago just a few times on highlight reels, with a few even declaring it as the best catch in NFL history.

With fans creating a ton of memes superimposing Beckham in a variety of situations, it's not only one of the best grabs we'll ever see, but it was also one that the Internet had a ton of fun with, too.

Frank Caliendo

He has been around for ages, but, for some reason, 2014 might have just been the best year of comedian Frank Caliendo's life.

From his epic reading of LeBron James' "I'm Coming Home" letter in the voice of actor Morgan Freeman to his ongoing impersonations as other sports figures, Caliendo had every sports fan in awe with what he was able to do, with people commenting and sharing all over the Internet.

In fact, I gave him proper respect by compiling some of his finest moments over the course of his career, so be ready to laugh your ass off when watching all of them.

Johnny Manziel

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Has there ever been a more polarizing backup quarterback in NFL history than Cleveland Browns' rookie Johnny Manziel?

The most scrutinized college footballer the past two seasons while at Texas A&M, the former Heisman Trophy winner's every move has always been well-documented, and 2014 was no different.

From his long-awaited Pro Day—in which he showed up in full pads and helmet—to this slide on draft day, which caused the Internet to clown on him a bit, Johnny Football continued to be everywhere this year.

And because he's a lot more appealing than former athletes that ESPN and other media outlets have fallen in love with like Tim Tebow, I doubt Manziel will be any less talked about in 2015.

Roger Goodell

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As the commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell has responsibilities and pressures that most of us could never imagine having.

Unfortunately, in 2014, Goodell didn't do a great job at handling those appropriately.

From the missteps that he had in the variety of domestic violence cases in the league this year—most notably, Ray Rice's case—Goodell was blasted online nearly every single day for awhile there.

He's one of the most powerful people in all of sports, so he's always going to have a target on his back, but 2014 proved that, even a man in such a leadership position, is bound to make mistakes.

Goodell has done some good things to protect the shield, but some of his decisions were doubted and objected this year by millions.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Ranked No. 1 on Forbes Magazine's richest athletes of 2014, undefeated boxing champ Floyd Mayweather Jr. isn't one to sit back and let that honor go unnoticed, as he's constantly touting the amount of cash he has at his disposal.

In addition to the amount of dough that Money has, he's also been talking about (finally) fighting Manny Pacquiao, which would bring together two of the best fighters of the past couple decades.

Seemingly causing controversy anywhere he goes, Mayweather was one sports figure who fans and media just couldn't stop talking about.

Richard Sherman

While most of us remember the criticism and coverage that the Seattle Seahawks' Richard Sherman got following his rant to Erin Andrews after the team's win over the San Francisco 49ers in last year's NFC title game, the All-Pro cornerback also had a few other moments that made the Internet go wild.

Among them was his press conference a couple of weeks ago where he mocked the NFL's media policy by bringing a cardboard cutout of teammate Doug Baldwin to a podium, which was a lighthearted jab.

Still, his defining moment came with the way that he called out one of his rivals, Niners wideout Michael Crabtree, which brought about a variety of opinions from everyone earlier in the year.

Sochi Olympic Athletes

There was a hell of a lot of talk about the whole "#SochiProblems" that the Olympic athletes had to endure when they headed over to the Russian city for the Winter Games earlier this year—including a stray dog problem and unfinished, or unsafe, parts of construction.

One of the funniest instances, though—which ended up all being a setup—was U.S. luger Kate Hansen's video of an apparent wolf that was roaming through the halls of her hotel.

With thousands of media outlets reporting on it nonstop to document the apparent struggles in Sochi, it was a reminder that, quite possibly, things weren't as bad as the athletes may have wanted us to believe.

In any case, athletes at the Winter Olympics were talked about for a number of different reasons—even their usage of the app, Tinder.

Bill Simmons

If you're a sports fan, there's a really good chance that you love Bill Simmons.

Not only did the guy rise to the top of sports media by going from a bartending blogger to regional and, finally, international sports writer, climbing his way through the ranks of sports fanaticism, but he has also done it without any of the B.S. that others have.

And it's that off-script mentality that has gotten Simmons in some trouble with his employer, ESPN, as he has been suspended a few times, with his most recent instance coming following a rant about NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

For many, Simmons is the Messiah of sports opinions, with fans hoping for a simple reaction on Twitter from him, which has helped him stay in the news and build his brand online.

Tim Howard

Although the U.S. men's soccer team fell short in their bid for the quarterfinals in this year's World Cup, no one can say that goalkeeper Tim Howard didn't try his damnedest to will the red, white and blue through.

With a superb, 16-save game against Belgium, Howard single-handedly kept the Americans in the match and in position to potentially advance.

While his bid fell short, the performance turned heads and caused a ton of appreciation from the soccer-crazed country, as fans created a number of situations in which Timmy could have saved—which made the keeper's popularity grow only more.

Jameis Winston

John Raoux/Associated Press

As I mentioned earlier with Johnny Manziel, it's pretty crazy to see what the Heisman Trophy can do to a player's image, huh?

While Manziel's celebrity blew up, so, too, did that of reigning winner Jameis Winston of Florida State, who also won the national title last season, only adding to his fame.

How did the guy handle it?

In a few words, not too well.

Although Famous Jameis starred on the football field, he also made headlines every few months for being a bit naive about his popularity, as he was busted stealing crab legs in the spring, suspended for a game for yelling something NSFW in the student union and still figuring out what's going on with an alleged sexual assault case.

Winston would be a top-five talent if he were to declare for next year's NFL draft, but because he has made headlines for everything other than his play, he's a guy that many wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole.

It might be time for the kid to just chill for a little bit.

Michael Sam

While the news of former NBA player Jason Collins announcing he was gay in 2013 was big, the story of Michael Sam was even more monumental.

That's because, after winning the SEC's Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, Sam joined Collins in admitting that he, too, was gay.

Although many applauded the bravery the kid had to come out, it wasn't without criticism, as people were either disgusted or supportive of the issue, with many giving their two cents on the player.

There aren't too many players drafted No. 249th overall who get as much attention as Sam did, but, for the magnitude of his decision to announce his sexuality, it was understandable.

Donald Sterling

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Was there a bigger jackass in sports in 2014 than former L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling?

Absolutely not. And no one was surprised that he finally got caught for being so.

After the release of an audio recording between Sterling and his girlfriend back in May, with the old man saying a lot of racist things, the NBA acted swiftly in trying to manage the situation the best it could—especially with the Clips still playing in the postseason at the time.

And, as one would imagine, the Internet blew up with opinions and hatred for Sterling, with stories of past instances of similar behavior.

The end result? The league banned Sterling from the league for life, fining him $2.5 million and forcing him to sell the team—which, eventually, happened a few months after the tape was released.

Derek Jeter

The second former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter announced that 2014 would be his final season in the Bigs, everyone began setting up his farewell tour.

Once the season began, it was endless praise for The Captain, with stories being released of gifts he received from other teams and, yes, even criticism as to the validity of a hit he had in the All-Star Game.

Jeter has always been one of the most beloved athletes ever, displaying class, professionalism and privacy that, even in the bright lights of New York, were kept secret.

And seeing his now famous Gatorade and Nike commercials as a tribute to him, along with the walk-off hit he had in his final Yankee Stadium at-bat, Jeter's legend grew even larger, leaving everyone to talk about No. 2 with nothing but respect.

LeBron James

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There isn't a more popular athlete on the planet than Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James—no, seriously, it's proven.

Whether you're a fan of the guy or not, everything that he does seems to be blown out of proportion. Fans, in particular, constantly put pressure on him, are somewhat satisfied when he fails and unsurprised when he succeeds.

And after four-straight NBA Finals trips with the Miami Heat since taking his talents to South Beach in 2010—resulting in two titles—James announced he would opt-out of his contract with the Heat and test the market.

Ho-hum, just a business move, right?

Wrong.

Rather than re-up with the team and make a run at another championship, James spurned his buddies Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, along with mastermind Pat Riley to do one thing—go home.

James shocked the sports world by going back to Cleveland, hoping to win a title for the area that he knows best, which caused a ton of jaws to drop.

With rumors circulating for weeks about his Decision 2.0, the Internet was busy refreshing his personal website, looking for hints on his social media pages and debating what sources were legit and which ones were bogus.

Once again, 2014 proved that the sports world is LeBron's, and everyone else is just trying to live in it.