Welcome back, again, to Sports Geek’s #BODSW. After a hefty break over the summer months while I was following in Sean’s footsteps,

Excuse the hat, but wouldn't you be wearing it in minus-16 degree weather?!

conducting my own #sportsgeektrip in the USA, including watching Green Bay’s Matt Flynn throw 6 touchdowns in minus-16 degree weather, the (at the time) 2-12 Washington Wizards upset the 12-2 OKC Thunder, and catching a Knicks game before all the #Linsanity, we are back and better than ever, as this week we have a look at the social media impact in Indianapolis during Super Bowl XLVI, the growing popularity of Pinterest (along with a quick review), and athletes and social media. Along with this, we’ll have a look at who gets best on ground this week for excellence in combining sports and social media. So sit back and enjoy 2012′s first #bodsw and remember to keep an eye out on my Pinterest site for photos of my very own #sportsgeektrip across America.

Social Media at #SuperBowl XLVI

We know who won Super Bowl XLVI, with the New York Giants’ Eli Manning again being a thorn in Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots’ side, but who won the social media battle from Super Bowl 46? To get an idea of the link between social media and sport, check out this cool info graphic and story on the big dance in Indianapolis earlier this month, which included an unfathomable 5.6 million Super Bowl-related tweets!

Pinterest: Have you started pinning?

Arguably the fastest growing new social media platform on the internet, Pinterest is gaining more users seemingly by the second. With comScore estimating the website gains over 10 million unique viewers monthly, the online pinboard needs to be investigated to see how sporting organisations can incorporate it into their digital marketing strategies. If you aren’t sure what Pinterest is, check out New York Times’ tech columnist David Pogue‘s review on the revolution.

Be sure to check out Sports Geek’s Pinterest page, as well as Sean’s own page for some great sports-related pins. And remember, Pinners, images are the key to pinning items, so find some great images and get pinning.

In case you missed it, Sean was on ABC Grandstand last week with Francis Leach and Amanda Shalala, discussing the growth of Pinterest, and remember to tune into ABC Grandstand at 7:45am  to hear the latest news from the digital sports world.

How not to use Twitter

With Twitter such a huge part of our lives now, including our sporting lives, the US state of Maryland has taken a somewhat radical approach to their student-athletes and Twitter; banning it. Towson University football coach Rob Ambrose has banned his players from tweeting after one of his players tweeted a racial slur before a football game. Check out this list of schools in Maryland, created by WBALTV.com, that have some interesting policies on social media access for athletes.

The AFL and Telstra join forces, leave Optus out

Big news from the AFL  this week with their new deal with Telstra that will allow fans to watch every game this season straight from their smartphone or tablet device. With the NFL, NBA and MLB having such great success with channels such as NFL Game Pass and the NBA’s League Pass, it’s great to see the AFL starting to catch up to the world leaders in online content.

On the other side of the AFL/Telstra deal, rival telecommunications giant Optus is seeking legal action against Andrew Demetriou and the AFL over comments made by the AFL CEO during an interview with the Sunday Herald Sun. Be sure to keep an eye on how this one pans out.

Best on Ground

The first best on ground for 2012 goes to Sports Illustrated for their March Madness Cover Challenge, where readers can enter a competition to get their own picture on the cover of the March 19 edition of the long-running sports magazine. It’s an excellent initiative by an iconic sporting magazine, and one that is sure to excite it’s fans worldwide. Check out Sports Illustrated’s cover challenge on it’s Facebook page now. Entries close March 5th, 2012.

Video of the Week

By now, you’ve probably heard all about Jeremy Lin and all the terrible puns (Linsanity, Lincredible, Super Lintendo, etc.) that have crept into the vocabulary of NBA fans worldwide. If you haven’t heard about the young Harvard graduate who took the road less travelled to the NBA, then check out this video of his game-winner against the Toronto Raptors that sent the Madison Square Garden crowd into a frenzy. Be sure to check out how Sports Geek linked the New York Knicks with a New York-based info graphic artist - all the way from Melbourne. Enjoy!

#BODSW – Best of Digital Sports World compiled with the help of @Dion_Bennett

Dion Bennett

Dion is the current behind-the-scenes man for @SportsGeekHQ. Undertaking a Bachelor of Marketing at La Trobe University, Dion hopes to make a name for himself in the hectic world of sports marketing.