KaKoo

A select group of college students could get digitally cozier with their favorite NFL players.

United Way is looking for social media interns to promote the philanthropy efforts of the 32 NFL teams and each team’s United Way spokesperson to help the the organizations dominate social media.

The NFL has been known for its striking ability to engage with fans on social media. More than 4.6 million people are NFL Facebook fans and another 2.8 million follow the league on Twitter. The teams and individual players have large fan bases, too.

The interns will be called player promoters — not interns — and will be assigned an NFL player to promote. The main goal of the position is to drive traffic to the NFL player’s social media accounts to increase the player’s following, so United Way’s message will reach more people. Although unpaid, this opportunity is a chance for college sports junkies — who are social media savvy — to be noticed by their favorite NFL players and to increase their own social media following.

The Team NFL Player Promoter program adds to the NFL’s 39-year partnership with United Way. The non-profit’s name easily stays in the spotlight with the backing of 32 NFL teams that captivate a huge audience.

So far, 21 top athletes such as Greg Jennings of the Green Bay Packers, Josh Cribbs of the Cleveland Browns and Roman Harper of the New Orleans Saints have pledged to recruit 3,000 United Way volunteers over three years in an effort to reduce the U.S. high school dropout rate. The volunteers will read, tutor and mentor youth to encourage students to stay in school. United Way’s high school dropout campaign plans to sign a member from each NFL team.

SEE ALSO: How the NFL Is Dominating Social Media

“These NFL players have their own reach — they are their own media,” said Tracey Holmes, spokesperson for United Way. “The interns will greatly help the players call attention to United Way’s goal and get their fan base interested in the player’s work.”

Interns will be responsible for developing creative social media strategies to reach the NFL player’s audience. On top of tweeting and Facebooking, interns will write one or two articles about their player’s efforts to recruit volunteers for USA Today College and United Way’s NFL microsite. The application deadline is Friday, Feb. 17 at 5 p.m. EST.

In the slideshow below, check out some of the players who want to cut the nation’s high school dropout rate in half by 2018.

1. Greg Jennings, Packers

Greg Jennings, a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers, has the most Twitter followers out of the 21 players who have signed onto United Way's campaign to cut in half the number of high school dropouts by 2018. Jennings has more than 203,000 Twitter followers.

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According to NBC Sports, Super Bowl XLVI was the most-watched TV show in U.S. history, with 111.3 million viewers. But TV ratings weren’t the only numbers breaking records.

During the game, Twitter had not one, but two record-breaking moments in its history — once during Madonna’s halftime performance and then again at the end of the game.

Yet, who really won the game last night — the New York Giants or Madonna and David Beckham?

For what’s supposed to be one of the biggest sporting events of the year, the majority of the talk on social media was about celebrities, brands and individual players.

According to Networked Insights, which analyzed millions of tweets, 42% of the conversation was about the commercials and 32% was related to Madonna and the halftime performance.

Looking further into advertisements, David Beckham received four times the amount of talk as H&M, the brand that paid for the commercial he was featured in. Similarly, Clint Eastwood was talked about three times more than Chrysler.

Now let’s get down to the sports chatter:

• 15% was about Tom Brady, and his attractive wife, Gisele Bundchen
• 4% was about the Giants winning
• 0.5% was on Victor Cruz’s salsa moves
• 0.3% was over Ahmed Bradshaw’s attempt to sit down on the goal line (resulting in a touchdown)

How much of this would you consider legitimate sports coverage?

That’s not to say Twitter doesn’t play its role in the world of sports. Many feel more connected during the games when a huge play is made, and many post-game shows on sports networks like ESPN have incorporated the talk on social media surrounding such plays. But is the social media Super Bowl for the active, die-hard sports fans, or mostly casual observers? Does last night’s lack of sports coverage on Twitter by viewers surprise you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

More About: madonna, New York Giants, nfl, Social Media, Super Bowl, Twitter

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Someone had a sudden impact on Chrysler’s “Clint Eastwood” Super Bowl spot’s availability on YouTube Sunday night.

Chrysler is investigating why the two-minute ad, which features the actor/director declaring this moment to be America’s “halftime,” got taken down, a rep told Mashable. At the time of this writing, the ad was back up on Chrysler’s YouTube channel.

According to multiple reports, there was a message on the channel Monday morning explaining the ad violated NFL copyrights. An NFL rep declined comments on the issue, deferring calls to Chrysler. However, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told the Detroit Free Press that the league didn’t take the ad down and is asking Google to investigate.

The ad was never taken down from the NFL’s official site. Reps from Google could not be reached for comment.

The disappearance of the ad for a short time put a kink in Chrysler’s social media campaign. The carmaker was encouraging users to share the ad and then watch its progress via an interactive map showing shares across the country.

More About: Chrysler, nfl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl ads

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The Super Bowl XLVI isn’t only America’s number one TV event of the year; it also now claims top spots on Twitter‘s most-tweets-per-second list (see gallery below).

Twitter reaction reached 12,233 tweets per second at the end of the Giants vs. Patriots game and 10,245 TPS during Madonna’s halftime performance Sunday night. Both numbers put the moments at numbers two and three on the list, just behind the online buzz sparked by Japanese anime movie Castle in the Sky in December (25,088 TPS).

SEE ALSO: Giants Website Prematurely Reveals Super Bowl Winner [PIC]

The New York Giants narrowly defeated the New England Patriots — 21-17 — with the Giants taking the lead on an odd-looking touchdown with 57 seconds left. The Patriots never recovered. “In the final three minutes of the Super Bowl tonight, there were an average of 10,000 Tweets per second,” Twitter adds.

Madonna sparked an impressive amount of tweets during her halftime show, attracting an average of 8,000 TPS during a five-minute span. Guest performers include Nicki Minaj, M.I.A. and Cee Lo Green. At one point, M.I.A. gave the camera the middle finger.

SEE ALSO: Turn Patriots Coach Bill Belichick into a Super Bowl Meme [CONTEST]

Twitter announced the record-book entries in a tweet. The two moments surpassed Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow’s 80-yard overtime touchdown pass from Jan. 8.

Last year’s most-tweeted moment at the Super Bowl hit 4,064 TPS.

1. Castle in the Sky on TV

Anime movie Laputa: Castle in the Sky was televised in Japan on Dec. 9, 2011. The movie was made in 1989 by famed director Hayou Miyazaki, who also directed Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke.

During one point in televised broadcast in 2011, viewers joined forces, sending tweets at the same time to symbolically help the movie's characters cast a spell.

Data compiled by Brian Anthony Hernandez; gallery created by Chelsea Stark.

Image courtesy of che_fox, Flickr.

Click here to view this gallery.

Gallery created by Chelsea Stark; data in gallery compiled by Brian Anthony Hernandez.

More About: football, nfl, Social Media, sports, Super Bowl, trending, tweets per second, Twitter

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It’s never been easier to get your pigskin fix on the internet than Super Bowl XLVI. The NFL’s biggest sporting event, airing Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC, is shaping up to be the most socially connected in football history. It’s also the first to feature official live video streaming over the internet. Social media is staying in lockstep with the festivities as well, leading to a vareity of options that will adequately satiate or supplement your Super Bowl 2012 coverage.

From the pregame hype to post-victory analysis, nearly every facet of Super Bowl XLVI will be available to the public — complete with some great opportunities to interact with fellow fans and perhaps win some coveted loot in the process. When it comes to the big game itself, there are also plenty of ways to stay up to date with the game on an astounding number of different platforms and devices. This Super Bowl is all about the second screen, and social media is helping to fuel the fire with plenty of ways to keep up with the action on the field.

Ready to order your pizza, sit down with a beer, and make your Super Bowl socially supercharged? Dreading the moments when you will have to pull your eyes away from the screen and run errands? Here is a roundup of easy (and free) ways to follow the Super Bowl through social media — both on computer and via mobile. What’s your favorite way to interact with sporting events socially? Let us know in the comments.

Follow the Super Bowl on Twitter

Twitter is a perfect option to keep up with the action if you’re without a visual device -- or to get up-to-the-minute commentary from your favorite sports luminaries. Aside from the @SuperBowl official Twitter account, there are ten different official hashtags, including #SuperBowl, #superbowl46 and any mashup of the team names. Any of these outlets are sure-fire way to recieve fast updates and information during the game.

For those looking for a little more in-depth sports knowledge, check out this roundup of must-follow accounts to keep your Super Bowl connected.

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LoMoing

A new meme inspired by Miami Marlins outfielder Logan Morrison (pictured here) has emerged: LoMoing.

How do you LoMo? Just lie on one side of your body, point your index finger and look into the camera.

People and animals (even a mascot and babies) have been mimicking Morrison's "LoMo" pose since Jan. 26.

But will it be as popular as Tebowing?

Click here to view this gallery.

With Tim Tebow‘s NFL playoff run over and with Major League Baseball spring training starting this month, a new meme inspired by Miami Marlins outfielder Logan Morrison has emerged: LoMoing.

People and animals (even a mascot and a few babies) have been mimicking Morrison’s “LoMo” pose, which he debuted Jan. 26 in a video. He then used his @LoMoMarlins Twitter account to turn the gesture into a #LoMoing contest, asking his fans to tweet pictures of themselves LoMoing.

How do you Lomo? Just lie on one side of your body, point your index finger and look into the camera. It’s so simple I even tried it (see the second photo in the gallery above).

Others have done the pose in groups, enlisted their dogs and children to perform the gesture as well as on football fields, basketball courts and even in a Hooters restaurant. Where will you do yours?

The new meme comes on the heels of Tebowing, another sports meme that spread worldwide occurs when you “get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone around you is doing something completely different.”

SEE ALSO: Tebow Pass Lands in Twitter’s Record Book | Tebow — The Meme that Won’t Die

Morrison is retweeting his favorite submissions and giving winners signed photographs and bat.

One follower describes LoMoing as “vicious sexyness,” but what do you think about the meme? Will it replace Tebowing or fade away quickly after the contest deadline passes? Sound off in the comments.

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Bonus: Tebowing Spreads All Over the Globe

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Tebowing Stonehenge

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More About: Baseball, football, LoMoing, memes, MLB, nfl, Social Media, sports, Tebowing, tim tebow, trending

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Social media is lauded for its ability to foster unlikely connections. This week, Twitter helped join two of the most unlikely public figures in conversation: outspoken (and Super Bowl-bound) NFL wide receiver with the New England Patriots Chad Ochocinco and Speaker of the House John Boehner.

While watching President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday evening, Ochocinco noticed that the Republican leader wasn’t enjoying the speech. But he apparently didn’t know who Boehner was.

Ochocinco, who has a long history engaging in oftentimes hilarious antics on Twitter that have on occasion landed him in hot water with the NFL, posted this tweet:

Anybody notice the guy over Obamas left shoulder doesn’t seem very happy and he’s not smiling. He’s not clapping with joy

— Chad Ochocinco (@ochocinco) January 25, 2012

A follower then caught Ochocinco up on some basic civics and and he was directed to the @SpeakerBoehner Twitter account, where the Obama nemesis was refuting some of the President’s key points. So Ochocinco tweeted at Boehner directly with this message:

@SpeakerBoehner Just read some of your tweets and you seem pretty angry kind sir. I can see you on tv but you’re not smiling. Hope you’re ok

— Chad Ochocinco (@ochocinco) January 25, 2012

The next day, after having received no response, Ochocinco expressed his concern again:

@SpeakerBoehner Hello Mr. Boehner, hoping you are in better spirits today. If all else seems bad in life just remember I love you kind sir.

— Chad Ochocinco (@ochocinco) January 25, 2012

This time Boehner, apparently a fan of Ochocinco’s former team the Cincinnati Bengals responded, with this tweet:

@ochocinco: Thanks & good luck in the @SuperBowl; we’ll see you in the playoffs next year. Go #Bengals #WhoDey

— Speaker John Boehner (@SpeakerBoehner) January 25, 2012

“Wow thanks,” Ochocinco replied, later adding, “Totally awesome that John Boehner just tweeted me.”

Boehner took a lighthearted approach at the end of Wendesday, recapping the day with this tweet:

Just another day on @Twitter talking #4jobs, #KXL, & football w/@ochocinco #Bengals #WhoDey twitter.com/SpeakerBoehner…

— Speaker John Boehner (@SpeakerBoehner) January 25, 2012

Later, an Ochocinco fan suggested that the two new friends host a “tweetup” event similar to what the White House did by inviting journalists to attend and live-tweet the State of the Union.

Ochocinco’s response?

“I have his number now I’ll ask him. #GreatIdea”

Do you think Ochocinco and Boehner should host a tweetup? What’s the most random Twitter interaction you’ve seen? Let us know in the comments.

BONUS GALLERY: Who to follow on Twitter for the Super Bowl XLVI scoop

1. @SuperBowl2012

The official account of the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee is a must-follow for fans going to the game. It will function as one of several channels directing fans to entertainment venues and addressing logistical concerns from the committee's social meda command center.

Click here to view this gallery.

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When New England Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty flies around the Super Bowl XLVI field next Sunday trying to stymie the New York Giants offense, the star defender’s followers and fans will still be able to get live in-person updates from his social media feeds.

No, the NFL hasn’t suddenly allowed on-field tweeting. The surreal effect is possible because Devin shares Twitter and Facebook accounts with his identical twin brother and fellow NFL pro Jason.

On Super Bowl Sunday, Jason will be in Indianapolis pulling for his brother while sending out tweets and Facebook posts from the Lucas Oil Field stands.

The twins’ shared accounts are a unique twist to the typical ways athletes use social networks to connect with fans and build their marketing potential. They credit “social media coach” Jeff Weiner with originally cooking up the idea of joint accounts. They say it allows then to showcase their personalities in a different way and let fans share in their competitive — but close — relationship.

Devin and Jason frequently banter back and forth via the accounts, ribbing one another and letting fans join the conversation. Both said that they believe their novel approach helped then land a national endorsement deal with Palmer’s Cocoa Butter.

“The biggest thing people like is seeing our bond, just seeing how two siblings get along,” Devin told Mashable. “Sometimes parents tweet us pictures of their own kids and twins playing sports too, so it’s very cool to see fans interacting that way.”

When Devin’s Patriots were playing in the AFC Championship game last weekend, Jason set up a live Ustream broadcast from where he was watching the game on TV so that fans of the twins could join the fun.

Jason gave away memorabilia during that game and said that fans enjoyed the experience, though many poked fun at him for “screaming and making a fool of myself rooting for Devin to do well.”

According to the twins’ mother, Phyllis Harrell, Devin and Jason teaming up on Twitter (Twitter.com/McCourtyTwins) and Facebook (Facebook.com/McCourtyTwins) is very much in character.

“The only time they’d really get upset at each other growing up was playing basketball or video games,” she told Mashable. “Other than that, they’ve always been each other’s best friend and shared everything.”

Devin and Jason have been football teammates their entire lives all through college until joining the NFL. (Jason was drafted in 2009, Devin in 2010.) They will eventually find themselves taking the roles of rivals, when the Patriots go against Jason’s Titans sometime in the next couple years.

“That’s going to be fun,” Jason said.

But it leaves one important question: Who will provide the status updates during that match-up?

---

BONUS GALLERY: Who to follow on Twitter for the Super Bowl XLVI scoop

1. @SuperBowl2012

The official account of the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee is a must-follow for fans going to the game. It will function as one of several channels directing fans to entertainment venues and addressing logistical concerns from the committee's social meda command center.

Click here to view this gallery.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Devin and Jason McCourty’s Facebook Page.

More About: Facebook, nfl, sports, Super Bowl XLVI, Twitter

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When New England Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty flies around the Super Bowl XLVI field next Sunday trying to stymie the New York Giants offense, the star defender’s followers and fans will still be able to get live in-person updates from his social media feeds.

No, the NFL hasn’t suddenly allowed on-field tweeting. The surreal effect is possible because Devin shares Twitter and Facebook accounts with his identical twin brother and fellow NFL pro Jason.

On Super Bowl Sunday, Jason will be in Indianapolis pulling for his brother while sending out tweets and Facebook posts from the Lucas Oil Field stands.

The twins’ shared accounts are a unique twist to the typical ways athletes use social networks to connect with fans and build their marketing potential. They credit “social media coach” Jeff Weiner with originally cooking up the idea of joint accounts. They say it allows then to showcase their personalities in a different way and let fans share in their competitive — but close — relationship.

Devin and Jason frequently banter back and forth via the accounts, ribbing one another and letting fans join the conversation. Both said that they believe their novel approach helped then land a national endorsement deal with Palmer’s Cocoa Butter.

“The biggest thing people like is seeing our bond, just seeing how two siblings get along,” Devin told Mashable. “Sometimes parents tweet us pictures of their own kids and twins playing sports too, so it’s very cool to see fans interacting that way.”

When Devin’s Patriots were playing in the AFC Championship game last weekend, Jason set up a live Ustream broadcast from where he was watching the game on TV so that fans of the twins could join the fun.

Jason gave away memorabilia during that game and said that fans enjoyed the experience, though many poked fun at him for “screaming and making a fool of myself rooting for Devin to do well.”

According to the twins’ mother, Phyllis Harrell, Devin and Jason teaming up on Twitter (Twitter.com/McCourtyTwins) and Facebook (Facebook.com/McCourtyTwins) is very much in character.

“The only time they’d really get upset at each other growing up was playing basketball or video games,” she told Mashable. “Other than that, they’ve always been each other’s best friend and shared everything.”

Devin and Jason have been football teammates their entire lives all through college until joining the NFL. (Jason was drafted in 2009, Devin in 2010.) They will eventually find themselves taking the roles of rivals, when the Patriots go against Jason’s Titans sometime in the next couple years.

“That’s going to be fun,” Jason said.

But it leaves one important question: Who will provide the status updates during that match-up?

---

BONUS GALLERY: Who to follow on Twitter for the Super Bowl XLVI scoop

1. @SuperBowl2012

The official account of the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee is a must-follow for fans going to the game. It will function as one of several channels directing fans to entertainment venues and addressing logistical concerns from the committee's social meda command center.

Click here to view this gallery.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Devin and Jason McCourty’s Facebook Page.

More About: Facebook, nfl, sports, Super Bowl XLVI, Twitter

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The NFL is going to allow players to tweet during the game from this Sunday’s Pro Bowl.

As first reported by CNBC’s Darren Rovell, players will be allowed to tweet from a designated area on the sidelines.

The NFL, often called the “No Fun League,” famously disallowed in-game tweeting in July of 2009. The NFL later fined a player for tweeting from a training camp.

Still, the league’s position regarding social media has evolved over time.

Of course, this is the NFL, so the sanctioned Pro Bowl tweets will have some caveats. Rovell says that players “will not be able to tweet from personal devices” and instead will have to use a computer station set up on each sideline. Additionally, Rovell cites the NFL’s Brian McCarthy as saying that the league is not considering changing its stance on in-game tweets during the regular season.

The Pro Bowl is the NFL’s all-star game — less of a game and more of a show — so it stands to reason that the league is willing to make changes to its official social media policy in this case.

Still, we have to question the rationale of “designated computer stations.” Rovell tweets that these stations are unsponsored, which means there doesn’t seem to be a fiscal motive to limiting the type of device. Maybe it’s just us, but this doesn’t feel like the league is really ready to embrace social media. After all, if players have to go to a certain area and use a computer, doesn’t that limit the “realness” of the messages they send to fans?

In any event, progress is progress. What do you think of the NFL’s decision? Let us know in the comments.

More About: nfl, pro bowl, sports

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