I really wish Twitter was around for. . .

When I first came across Twitter in 2009, I must admit to not fully understanding what all the fuss was about.

A friend dubbed it ‘Facebook without photos’, and it was a pretty fair summary of the functionality of the service. I created an account, but it lay dormant for more than a year.

I just didn’t understand how this particular form of social media could be of use.

Then LeBron James decided to hold a TV special on ESPN to announce the shocking news that he would be leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to sign with the Miami Heat. ‘The Decision’, as it became known, was a sports story like few before it, and, for me at least, it gave credence, infamy and meaning to the phrase ‘just broke Twitter’.

Suddenly I was hooked, and I realised just how great – and useful – Twitter could be. Since then, ‘140 characters per tweet’ has become a large, if not vital, part of sport – whether it’s breaking massive stories in real time, or as a fantastic accompaniment when viewing sport.

It’s actually now difficult to imagine sport without Twitter, which sounds silly when you consider I’ve only be using it for just over four years, but such is the impact tweeting has had on sports and sports writing.

However, Twitter hasn’t been around forever, so there are a number of sports stories or events for which it has ‘missed’. Which in turn, inspired every sports writer and fan’s favourite type of column: a list.

More specifically, the top five sports stories or events that I wish Twitter had been around for. Drumroll please…

5. Dean Jones gets the axe
An exciting and flashy batsman who loved to use his feet, ‘Deano’ was one of the most popular Australian cricketers of all time. However, that popularity didn’t appear to extend to his national coach or the selectors.

Jones was shockingly dropped from the Test team in 1992, even though he topped the averages in the previous series against Sri Lanka. At just 30 years of age, and with an overall Test average of 46.55, the decision shocked and angered most cricket fans, and one can only imagine how Twitter would have reacted to a favourite son being axed for no apparent (on the field) reason.

4. The King sleeps with his best mate’s wife
You’ll notice a pattern with this list: it’s not just the story itself that makes it newsworthy, it’s whom it involves. To empasise that point, almost everyone on this list is considered one of the greatest players in their individual sport.

Wayne Carey is widely regarded as one of the best players to ever play Aussie rules football. Which made his announcement to resign as both captain and player from the North Melbourne Football Club very big news indeed.

That, and the not-so-minor fact that the reason he was forced to leave the club was because he’d had an affair with the wife of teammate, and best friend, Anthony Stevens.

To be honest, I didn’t really want to bring this story up again, as it’s a personal matter and it appears everyone has moved on from the sordid situation. Yet there is no denying that Twitter would have lit up, and it therefore begrudgingly needs to be listed here.

3. David Campese’s passes
Yes, I’m cheating and combining two stories into one here.

To be fair, just limiting myself to two Campo plays understates his ability to generate a headline, or to a shock a crowd. Can you seriously imagine if Twitter was around for the enigmatic winger’s career, full stop?

However, two Campo plays in particular would have tested Twitter’s servers. The first is his errant pass to Greg Martin against the British and Irish Lions in 1989 that cost the Wallabies the series. The second was his blind pass to Tim Horan in the 1991 World Cup that remains the greatest rugby play I’ve ever seen.

Both passes sum up Campo beautifully, and both plays would have completely melted Twitter, for polarising reasons.

2. Joey’s drug taking
When it comes to rugby league, there is a litany of moments that Twitter would have had a lot of fun with over the years.

Benji Marshall’s flick pass in the 2005 NRL grand final, any number of amazing State of Origin finishes, Paul Cariges’ brain explosion in the 1998 grand final qualifier, Danny Williams’ punch, the penalty try in the 1999 NRL grand final. Take your pick from those, and hundreds and hundreds more.

Yet where Twitter really goes into overdrive is when something scandalous happens, and it doesn’t get much more dramatic than when the greatest rugby league player of all time announces on live TV that he has taken recreational drugs for essentially his whole career.

Andrew Johns’ confession on August 30, 2007, shocked Australia, even though his drug use had been rumoured about for years, and it would have been a trending topic on Twitter for many a day afterwards.

1. Magic announces he has HIV
It’s probably the biggest story in the history of the NBA. On November 7, 1991, Los Angeles Lakers superstar Magic Johnson announced that he was retiring from the game, because he had tested positive to the HIV virus.

Considering Magic, at the time, was arguably on his way to being considered the greatest basketball player ever, his decision to retire – while still at the peak of his powers – was always going to be a monumental story.

However, the circumstances surrounding his announcement, and the lack of understanding about the HIV disease at the time, made the news even bigger. Many feared it was a death sentence, and the Magic Man would soon be departing this world.

Thankfully, he’s still with us, and thankfully Twitter wasn’t around, or the internet may actually have broken.