2011 Top Twitter sports trends
(CBS) - What do Wayne Rooney, Jim Harbaugh, Rashard Lewis and Bert Blyleven have in common? They are all sportsmen who have had notable years. They were also some of the top trending topics on Twitter in 2011. The social media giant released its list of the top trends of the year, broken down by topic and category. What teams, players and stories dominated the hash tag charts this year? Let's take a look.
The biggest sports story of the year - going by Twitter metrics - was the Women's World Cup this summer. The U.S. Women's National Team won tweeters' hearts with excellent play and incredible come-back wins. The World Cup was the second biggest trend of the year, right behind the perennial Twitter juggernaut Justin Beiber.
Beyond the World Cup, Wayne Rooney was the top trend in soccer. The Manchester United superstar had a big year - with some truly incredible goals, outspoken disagreements with management, and a highly visible (and pretty well done) hair transplant.
America's brand of football was dominated by Dallas in 2011. The Cowboys have always had a fervent - and vocal - fanbase that extends beyond the borders of Texas. With the always-headline-worthy Tony Romo at quarterback, and their current push for a playoff spot, it's no surprise Dallas tops Twitter's list of football trends.
Right behind Dallas is "Green and Yellow." The Packers, another team with a nation-wide fanbase, are the current Super Bowl champs; though the trend itself may owe more to rapper Lil Wayne's Packer tribute song "Green and Yellow."
Baseball's top trend was the Texas Rangers. The likeable American League team were one half of possibly the most memorable World Series in a generation. Interestingly, the St. Louis Cardinals didn't even make it to the Top 5 on Twitter's baseball trends. But they're probably too busy polishing their trophies to notice.
It was an exciting year in sports - and we've still got the rest of December to go. What were some of your favorite stories from 2011? Let us know in the comments. And check out Twitter's complete top trends list HERE.