Google has released their lists of the most-searched athletes and teams of 2013, and each sport's top ten has more than its share of controversial names.
The top ten athletes overall are Aaron Hernandez, Adrian Peterson, Kevin Ware, Jason Collins, Oscar Pistorius, Lamar Odom, Richie Incognito, Ray Lewis, Colin Kaepernick, and Lindsay Vonn. Of those ten, two (Hernandez and Pistorius) were involved in murder investigations, one (Odom) is married to a celebrity and has has rumors of drug abuse swirling around him all year, one (Incognito) was involved in a bullying scandal, one (Ware) suffered a horrific injury, and one (Lewis) was retiring and was plagued with PED suspicions heading into the Super Bowl.
The top ten MLB players were Alex Rodriguez, Miguel Cabrera, Bryce Harper, Yasiel Puig, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Chris Davis, David Ortiz, Brian Wilson, and Ryan Braun. Shockingly, only two (Rodriguez and Braun) had scandalous years, although Wilson being an attention whore doesn't really qualify as scandalous.
The top ten NBA players was an eclectic mix that included LeBron James, Jeremy Lin, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Ray Allen, and Steve Nash.
More controversial names popped up in the list of top ten NFL players, led off by Lewis and Peterson, followed by Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Kaepernick, Aaron Rodgers, Riley Cooper, Reggie Bush, Russell Wilson, and Tony Romo.
When it comes to specific teams, it's not surprising that each league's champion (Boston Red Sox, Miami Heat, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Blackhawks) was the most searched team for their respective sport. But past that, things got a little strange. In the MLB's top ten teams list, the large market Yankees, Mets, Cubs, White Sox, and Angels all weren't present – but the Pirates were second, the Indians were fourth, and the Rays were fifth. The Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, Nets, and Bulls weren't in the NBA's top ten, but the Pelicans, Warriors, Kings, Pacers, Grizzlies, and Bucks were.
Over in the NFL, only two teams from either East division made the top ten – the Dolphins and Bills. The Raiders, Browns, and Jaguars all also made the top ten. The NHL's top ten was about what you'd expect, though the Wild, Capitals, and Sabres did round out the top ten.
All of the lists that Google put together in 2013 are at least worth a look to see who and what sports fans were most interested in this year.
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