Interacting with fans, behind the scenes updates, and cracking jokes on the sidelines. Here are ten of the best Chicago sports stars to follow on Twitter:
Brandon Bollig, Chicago Blackhawks, @Bollig87
He makes fun of his fellow teammates, he makes fun of the fans, and he posts hilarious videos on Vine. Bollig is so much fun to follow on Twitter because it’s not just your typical constant updates of game notes— he’s just a normal guy tweeting normal things, like a photo-shopped image of himself dressed like “Where’s Waldo?”.
Hector Santiago, Chicago White Sox, @HecSantiago53
The White Sox pitcher has a great sense of humor and loves chatting with fans. He loves fans so much, that Sox social media set up an event a while back for fans to call in and ask him questions (however, I tried about nine times and couldn’t get through..). It’s nice to see an athlete joking around with fans and not taking himself too seriously:
Henry Melton, Chicago Bears, @HenMel
On the field he’s gotta’ Bear Down, but on Twitter he’s just a laid-back, cool guy who always has something funny to say. He likes Star Trek, hates Chicago traffic, supports the KFC #iatethebones campaign, and enjoys the song “Friday” by Rebecca Black (slightly incriminating, but I can look past that). An all-around kickass guy—so follow him now.
Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls, @mister_2eight1
The young Bulls forward has no problem getting his way around social media. His Twitter account shows fans a more personal and fun side while still providing behind the scenes team content. He’s always retweeting and responding to fans, and in some cases even making up excuses like that he’s too young to date.
Edwin Jackson, Chicago Cubs, @EJ36
Jackson is one of the more active Cubbies on Twitter. What’s most enjoyable is that he tweets like he talks—no need for grammar when you can get the point across with less letters (I mean, it’s only 140 characters, you gotta use them wisely). Whether he’s responding to a question with “Yezzir” or talking to his “bruhs”, Edwin Jackson always has something entertaining to say.
Andrew Shaw, Chicago Blackhawks, @shawz15er
Despite the fact that his twitter background is a tile layout of his face, Andrew Shaw is a great athlete to watch on Twitter. He’s just a fun Chicago bro tweeting about the city, going to “pracky”, and joking around with teammate Nick Leddy about who’s the big spoon little spoon in their bromance relationship.
Gordon Beckham, Chicago White Sox, @gordonbeckham
Gordon Beckham’s tweets in recent times have all been in relation to his surgery, but he’s always interacting with fans and even dedicates certain times to answer fan questions. But what’s great about Beckham is that you don’t feel like you’re following a promoted baseball player, you feel like you’re following a friend who accidentally left his sunroof open or is really excited that his “Monster Bucks” DVD just came in the mail.
Major Wright, Chicago Bears, @LilMade21
The Bears safety Major Wright is all about Instagram. Lifting at the gym with teammates, enjoying nice Chicago weather, or hanging out with pal Chad Ochocinco—his Twitter account is a fun and personable look in to the life of a football player. And of course, a little sense of humor is always a good thing:
Arne Friedrich, Chicago Fire, @arnefriedrich
German defender for the Chicago Fire, Arne Friedrich is enjoying his time in Chicago and constantly taking great city pictures and going to sports events of all types. Sure, some of his tweets are in German and I don’t know what’s going on, but this Vine video is awesome (I think he’s saying “freakin’ bird”).
Stephen Paea, Chicago Bears, @PAEA92
As of last month, defensive tackle Paea has become a fan of Vine. He even stars his two-year-old daughter in the videos, like in this “Welcome to Vine” post. And with triplets on the way, Paea has a lot to say about parenting on Twitter. He is also constantly confused as to why everyone thinks he plays rugby. But more importantly, he has the coolest Twitter cover picture:
And of course, don’t forget to be a good Chicagoan and follow the home teams: @ChicagoBears, @WhiteSox, @Cubs, @ChicagoBulls, @NHLBlackhawks, @ChicagoFire
lol jimmy butler and andrew shaw. gordon beckham is awesome too
Great article! Glad you included someone from the Chicago Fire! Edwin Jackson is funny, I wish more Cubbies were on Twitter. I can’t find them!
I will go follow! I already follow Bollig, he’s hilarious. But it looks like Gordon Beckham and Henry Melton are worth following too. Glad you mentioned at least one player from each team, and included the Chicago Fire
Great article! I am going to start following them! 🙂