Athletes Who Were Great on Social Media in 2014

2014 wasn’t all fun and games.

On second thought, maybe it was.

Many of our favorite athletes took to social media this year, and the results were often hilarious. Though, in some cases, it was also quite heartbreaking.

Chicago White Sox first baseman Adam LaRoche is a master of self-expression. Unfortunately for all you nature lovers out there, this self-expression usually manifests itself in posing next to dead animals.

With war paint on his face and a beard to boot, there aren’t many athletes as masculine as LaRoche.

Yasiel Puig, on the other hand, is known for showing his softer side on Instagram. In the last year, the Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder proved to be both fascinated by snow and terrified by thunder (could Mark Wahlberg and his furry friend Ted be in the market for a new thunder buddy?).

While Puig was cowering in a corner somewhere, Floyd Mayweather was doing what he does best—showing us his endless supply of wealth.

Mayweather’s Twitter feed is also useful if you’re into sports betting or if you like watching Justin Bieber pretend to be good at boxing.

Oh, and there’s trash talk too.

Speaking of trash talk, there’s nobody who talks smack better than Richard Sherman. Watch the Seattle Seahawks cornerback one-up fellow Pro Bowler Patrick Peterson in this witty exchange.

Many athletes have used the 140-character limit to plug products and enhance their credentials. Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid used his to get ladies.

Embiid is reaching pretty high there, but there’s no harm in being ambitious—unless the object of your affection is a happily married woman. That could be a deal-breaker.

Embiid may have struck out with Kim Kardashian, but at least he’s recovering well from surgery.

Olympic bobsledder/track and field star Lolo Jones also had surgery recently. The recovery seemed to inspire a Twitter binge of Will Ferrell-related humor.

Surgery wasn’t the only thing Jones poked fun at this year. Is this not the most festive dog you’ve ever seen?

Social media has become increasingly canine-centic, but Houston Texans running back Arian Foster would prefer to talk about cats.

Cool, man. Cool cool cool.

Former New York Giants quarterback Jared Lorenzen may have a few pounds on Foster, but he’s just as clever. The Hefty Lefty released these posts a couple weeks ago after Drew Stanton went down with a knee injury.

While the Arizona Cardinals search for a new quarterback, let’s sit quietly while Brandon McCarthy expertly discusses the minutiae of everyday life.

I feel ya, Brandon.

Before I go, let me just leave this here.

"

I want everyone to explore there heritage in the new year. Enjoy the process. I am assuming you will find out we come from the same creation

— mettaworldpeace.com (@MettaWorldPeace) December 26, 2014"

That’s deep, Metta. Or Panda’s Friend—or whatever the heck you’re calling yourself now.

Athletes made social media a blast in 2014. Let’s hope 2015 delivers even more laughs.