World Cup Players Are Using Social Media to Answer Controversies

Long gone are the days of formal statements and press conferences, World Cup players are now expected to address controversies and make apologies online.

Brazilian soccer star Neymar is the latest to be caught up in the drama. After suffering a tournament ending injury to his vertebrae caused by Colombia’s Zúñiga, he released a YouTube video to address his fans and supporters. Even though Zúñiga apologized and spoke to reporters directly after the game, he took to Facebook to address Neymar personally and apologize further.

After the heartbreak of the United States loss, the Internet prevailed with #ThingsTimHowardCouldSave memes. The Titanic, Game of Thrones’ Ned Stark’s execution and the infamous Taylor Swift/Kanye West MTV VMA run in are just a few of the images that sent Twitter abuzz. In return, Tim Howard gained more than  600,000 new followers on Twitter and Instagram combined.

The record-smashing amount of viewers across the world are also causing brands to jump on board. Hyundai’s spoiler commercial, Adrian Lima’s Kia appearance and McDonald’s spin on the US-Mexico rivalry are just three examples. What are some of your favorite 2014 World Cup ads?