While some people have yet to realize this, Twitter is indeed a two-way street.
So just as fans get news and information from their favorite athletes on the booming social media platform, the athletes also benefit from interacting with their fans.
Case in point: Tampa Bay Rays outfielder B.J. Upton lost his wallet after a game in September. That could have turned out very, very poorly for a professional baseball player. But before long, a fan found it and tweeted at Upton to ask how he could return it. Upton and the fan worked out the details on Twitter. Upton got his wallet back, and in return, he gave the fan a bat. Now that's a win-win situation.
Best Athlete-Fan Twitter Interactions Of 2012 Slideshow
Chad Ochocinco
As Ochocinco was preparing for his wedding in July, a widow tweeted at him expressing her sadness over the recent death of her husband. Within minutes Ochocinco had not only responded to this woman's tweets, he had invited her to his wedding.
Danny Granger
The Indiana Pacers forward was so desperate for a new iPhone that he told his followers that if they got him a new phone, he would buy one for them. And sure enough, several hours after Granger's tweet he was holding a sleek new phone.
B.J. Upton
The Rays outfielder's wallet fell out of his truck after a game in September. It was picked up by a man named Brett Sutton, and the two communicated via Twitter on how to get the wallet back to Upton. In return for Sutton's kindness, Upton gave him one of his bats.
Dwyane Wade
This is perhaps the most dour interaction on this list. After attending a basketball camp in August, Karim Khatib tweeted that he won a pair of signed Dwyane Wade shoes. But before long he found out the signature was fake. Minutes after Khatib's original tweet, Wade tweeted back at Khatib to inform him that the John Hancock wasn't his. Womp womp.
Elliot Johnson
Before a September game between the Rays and the lowly Red Sox, a Tampa Bay fan threw up a Hail Mary on Twitter. He asked Johnson if he wanted to come out to the parking lot and play catch. And amazingly, Johnson was game. So the Rays infielder actually came out and warmed up with a couple of fans in the parking lot. Dreams do come true.
Drew Gooden
Several days after one particularly contentious game between the Bucks and the Bulls, Milwaukee forward Drew Gooden promised free tickets to the first person who tweeted him a photo of a Bulls jersey in the toilet. In an interesting twist of fate, the first photo that came back was with a jersey of Gooden's former teammate, Kirk Hinrich. But Gooden still honored his promise and set the fan up with some sweet seats.
Arian Foster
One of the most active athletes on Twitter, Foster offered free tickets to anyone who uncovered his first tweet. It took some digging, but after a few hours a fan had found it. And Foster held true to his promise.
D.J. Moore
The Chicago Bears cornerback was so desperate for a TV during training camp that he sent out a plea on Twitter. Several fans responded, and one even showed up to camp. Alas, Moore did not even need Twitter. An autograph seeker told Moore he had an extra, and Moore ended up swapping a pair of his sneakers for the television.
