10 Biggest 'Clickbait' Sports Superstars
There's a certain beauty about social media that, unfortunately, people abuse just a bit too often—overexposure.
Sure, being in the moment with someone who's at a sporting event live or just tweeted a photo out of Kevin Love and LeBron James together poolside is great, but it can also be a little bit of an overload, with some folks unable to resist spilling all of their information.
A few sports stars aren't immune to this, either, as they're often the biggest culprits, posting on social media anytime they have something to say.
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While social media is supposed to be fun, here are a few stars who take that fun to an extreme level, making them seem like they're just searching for clickbait.
10. John Calipari
The undisputed king of men's college hoops recruiting, there's a good reason why John Calipari annually brings in the top-ranked players to Lexington each year: He knows how to sell himself and the program.
Whether Cal is making a stop at a basketball camp that showcases the country's best talent, giving praise to his former players who are now in the Association or tweeting out pics of himself with megastars in both sports and entertainment, he's the undisputed king of using social media to his advantage.
Sure, that may lead to criticism from fans, but it works and works well for him. Just check his numbers since taking the Kentucky gig in 2009.
9. Tom Brady
Another sports star who is either loved or hated both because of his success and controversies, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady seems to remind people where he came from.
Like, literally, that's all he seems to do, as Brady's official Facebook page has become about just as synonymous for winning the Internet as his teams are at competing for Super Bowls.
Commonly sharing some of the best Throwback Thursday posts one can find, Brady has fun in both making fun of himself and current trending topics going on, and it's brilliant.
We all might be jealous of him, but Brady's social media game is something that is totally OK to admit to enjoying because dude is on point.
8. Joel Embiid
You have to give credit to Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid for one thing: Considering he hasn't even played a single minute in his NBA career yet, he has still maintained relevance because of his social media posts.
The No. 3 overall selection in the 2014 NBA draft, Embiid may have spent time on the sidelines with multiple injuries, but he was fully on his game throughout his first season with the way he engaged on social media.
Some of these stunts included professing his love for Rihanna and, yes, his macking of Kim Kardashian, along with making headlines for his recruitment of LeBron James last summer.
With all of the attention that his social channels get, it's no wonder his latest Instagram post garnered such a reaction from local Philly newspapers believing that the 7-footer might have a clean bill of health now.
It's clear the kid is a seasoned vet when it comes to this kind of stuff.
7. Brett Anderson
Although most of the sports stars on this list are, well, stars, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brett Anderson's Twitter account is one that can compete with any of these others because he's so good at it.
Often posting witty and humorous things that reference what's going on that day, Anderson might not have the big name that some of these other people do, but he doesn't take a backseat to anyone else when it comes to clickbait content.
If you're looking for a good laugh from someone who clearly has a talent to provide it, go follow Brett Anderson.
6. J.R. Smith
Another guy who might think of himself as a superstar yet fails in that department, the former NBA Sixth Man of the Year certainly knows how to entertain no matter where he goes.
Famous for his short temper and strange tendencies at times, when Smith is engaged with his teammates and has a chance at winning, he can be one of the most lethal shooters on a basketball court.
Clearly not one to lack confidence, Smith will post things that grab attention because it's what he craves, knowingly putting something on the Internet that will antagonize the media to write about it, which works to perfection for him.
5. Mark Cuban
One of the richest men in the world, Mark Cuban also happens to be one of the brashest, knowingly posting things that often cause a stir and gain reaction.
After all, this is a guy who has been so outspoken against the NBA—particularly the officiating—that he routinely writes big checks to the league office because he just blatantly doesn't care.
With that type of attitude, Cuban happily voices his opinion on anything he finds interesting, giving his over 3.2 million Twitter followers exactly what they expect—honesty and loads of direct ads to one of his many investments.
4. Bryce Harper
One of baseball's brightest stars, the Washington Nationals' Bryce Harper is one of the few on this list who grew up with social media as the main outlet for news and information.
For that reason, of course, he's going to be good at using it.
That doesn't mean what Harper posts isn't a little bit much, with the All-Star outfielder giving fans things from ads for products he endorses to slices of pizza and, finally, selfies; you know somebody has to do it.
A rising star who will be in the spotlight for the next decade-plus, it'll be interesting to see how Harper's fame continues to grow thanks to his social presence, which fans can't help but tune in to.
3. LeBron James
As the world's most popular athlete, LeBron James knows he has a responsibility to post things on his social media channels that will draw a reaction from fans—whether that's his intention or not.
Whether someone follows James out of love or out of spite, the two-time NBA champ knows he's going to get people to like, comment and share a hell of a lot.
After all, this is a guy who posted a screenshot of a black square in preparation of the NBA playoffs and got a ridiculous 248,000 likes and almost 88,000 comments on his Instagram page. People, that's like staring at a blank TV screen and finding something worthy enough to talk about.
Again, whether by design or not, everything James does causes a reaction, so he has to be high on this list.
2. Darnell Dockett
Fans often want to know what it would be like to have a day in the life of a professional athlete, right? Well, for those who are so intrigued to know, San Francisco 49ers defender Darnell Dockett will happily oblige.
From his hilarious, somewhat controversial posts about other players or their lady friends, to him honestly live-tweeting jury duty (which contains NSFW language), the three-time Pro Bowler seems to hunt out attention no matter where he is, with fans often taking the bait and joining the conversation.
Often talking about how little he cares about reactions, Darnell Dockett is an absolute pro at stirring it up when it comes to social media.
1. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Who else but Floyd Mayweather Jr. could top this list of superstars?
The undefeated boxing champ gives about as much care to what he posts on his social channels as you or I care about a noise complaint from the neighbors during a party—so, yeah, very little.
Often posting pics and videos of his ridiculous earnings and lavish lifestyle, the nickname "Money" is about as appropriate as any in sports for Floyd, as he doesn't hold back in flaunting what he has.
Fans love to see that fabulous life, and it's what makes Mayweather's social channels so cheap yet so successful, too.
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