10 Best Sports Teams on Social Media in 2015
December 21, 2015
One of the best things about the ever-increasing popularity of social media in sports is the actual team involvement. Running an official team Twitter account would certainly involve walking a fine line, but the following teams walked it well in 2015.
A lot of sports teams are amping up their online game (seriously, a lot), but these 10 are really crushing it. From hilarious GIFs to on-point comebacks and epic trolling, they know what they're doing in the social media department.
10. Golden State Warriors
Is there anything the Golden State Warriors aren't good at? Even their team Twitter account is one of the best in the biz. They do have a lot of good material to work with—just look at this epic burn on the Los Angeles Clippers. Hey, when you're winning, everything is more fun, including social media. A shoutout goes to the Harlem Globetrotters, who lightheartedly pointed out the Dubs are good, but they are better.
9. New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints don't pull any punches when it comes to social media, much to the entertainment of their followers. Like it or not, they showed support to the New England Patriots amid the Deflategate scandal with this tweet in August. Then, when Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com suggested the team should part ways with quarterback Drew Brees, the big guns came out.
8. Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers team Twitter is a stalwart on these lists, and 2015 has been no exception. The clever jabs are a delight, like this reference to Monday Night Football after an obvious flop by the Sacramento Kings. And even though it's hard to explain why, the photo of Shia LaBeouf was perfectly hilarious.
7. Cleveland Indians
Sports teams surely deal with criticism on Twitter all the time—about performance, rosters, strategy, whatever. The Cleveland Indians had a perfect response to one fan who judged the lineup card in May, however. In fact, the Indians are proving to have one of the funnier sports accounts in 2015. Check out the comeback to a fan who made a crack about game attendance—that James Harden side-eye just never gets old.
6. Columbus Blue Jackets
One mark of a great sports Twitter account is the ability to handle trolls. The Columbus Blue Jackets displayed that ability brilliantly in June when one @ZachMuraca28 had the audacity to insult the team. They also joined in on a delightful interaction between the Toronto Maple Leafs and another troll, forging a beautiful social media friendship. And even though 2015 is in the spotlight here, it would be wrong not to mention what was perhaps the most epic response to a sports tweet in history. Check it out.
5. Seattle Mariners
Fan engagement is key with team social media, and the Seattle Mariners have it figured out. This interaction with @ror925, regarding why he wasn't chosen for the team's general manager position, was incredible. If you ever tweet at the Mariners, bring your A-game. They'll definitely bring theirs.
4. Carolina Panthers
What aren't the Carolina Panthers good at in 2015, amirite? Even their social media game is on point, with that team in Washington taking the brunt of it. For instance, the Panthers managed to masterfully troll all of Washington's woes with one perfect, all-in-one mega-tweet. We beat you, check. We beat your quarterback, check. You lost your trademark, check, check-a-roo.
3. Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings Twitter account has been dominating sports social media for years. Pamela Chelin wrote a story for LA Weekly in June 2014 titled, "The Man Behind the L.A. Kings' Hilarious Twitter Account." Save one mishap in January, the mastery has continued in 2015. For real, any Twitter account that utilizes Breaking Bad GIFs is worthy of a place on this list.
2. Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs Twitter account was on point all through their team's resurgent season. From the clown who asked for a free jersey to Darren Rovell and his weak goat joke, many were on the losing end of that social media team's antics in 2015. They even managed to make light of getting no-hit by Cole Hamels in July.
1. Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Falcons team Twitter account showed some real GIF savvy in an ongoing battle with the Philadelphia Eagles, but there is still only one social media king in A-Town. Sports Illustrated named the Atlanta Hawks as the NBA's No. 1 must-follow team on Twitter, and it wasn't wrong. Sharp humor and quick wit are common occurrences—this response to a sports gambler was a particular gem.