Twitter has been in and out of the mainstream press headlines over the last few month for a number of sport-related reasons. Some stemmed from ill-judged comments, others from a lack of understanding of how Twitter actually works, and the media seems to have pounced on the fact that an interesting tweet can make for a very cheap story.

Two jump out above the rest. In football, then-Spurs striker Darren Bent grew frustrated during protracted negotiations over his move to Sunderland and vented a series of irate tweets in the direction of club chairman Daniel Levy – not a great idea with the transfer still very much in the balance.

“Do I wanna go Hull City NO. Do I wanna go stoke NO do I wanna go sunderland YES so stop f****** around levy”

Spelling and punctuation issues aside, the papers jumped at the chance to write a story that contained both controversy and that newfangled web thing the kids are all talking about, so Twitter became the tool that earned Bent the move he wanted.

And in his first press conference as a Sunderland player Bent was quick to admit it played a part. ”In the long run it seems like it has [helped] but at the same time I was disappointed at the way it came out. Normally we tend to keep our mouths shut and everybody does the talking around us.”

Cricketing twits

This last comment takes us neatly onto the next big Twitter controversy of the summer, and a lesson in how not to use Twitter from the Australian cricket team.

Hours before the third Ashes test at Edgbaston, opening batsman Phillip Hughes tweeted, ”Disappointed not to be on the field with the lads today,” to his 3,000 followers. This vital team information hadn’t yet been announced, so it was quickly picked up by the sporting press, who had a field day with it.

Except Hughes didn’t really send the tweet. In fact Phillip Hughes’ Twitter feed may as well not be under his name at all, as his agent went on to (try to) explain: “We get the Twitter from Phillip and I feed them into our IT guy,” went the baffling explanation, suggesting an organised and impersonal PR regime that goes against the whole point of Twitter.

Twitter works best when people embrace it fully. I have to admit I haven’t yet done so, I’m more of a watcher than a tweeter, but I find it fascinating to see the sporting names who clearly love the way Twitter lets them talk directly to the fans – and no sport better illustrates its potential than golf.

Birdie tweets

After prolific-tweeter Ian Poulter’s horrendous first round at the recent British Open, he was brutally honest: ”sorry folks played absolutely shocking today never hit 1 shot that i was happy with, very strange. good job 2morrow is another day.”

Another day and another shocker – he finished tied for 147th place and missed the cut: ”played horribly for 2 days. i couldnt hit a cows arse with a banjo.”

Contrast that with American Stewart Cink, who plugged away for four days to take a shock victory, his first ever golfing Major. He was straight on Twitter after the award ceremony: “Not sure what to say yet but this picture should do the trick…http://yfrog.com/7buoej”

He followed that up over the next few days with a string of Claret Jug-related photos involving private jets, Guinness and even a 13.5lb lobster, before letting his followers in on the backstage secrets of David Letterman (chatting about Twitter with Kevin Spacey, of all people).

It’s the kind of intimacy that Twitter was made for, and the sheer number of golfers utterly addicted to tweeting means you’re often treated to snippets of conversation between them – Cink now knows Paul Casey has Wimbledon final tickets, so I know it too. You get to be a part of the sport’s camaraderie.

Most Twitter users don’t actually tweet much but everybody follows, and this is precisely why the many-following-few formula of Twitter will keep on growing as interesting people keep on tweeting. Yes, Darren Bent’s tweets may have been ill-advised, but unlike that of Phillip Hughes they’re exactly what makes Twitter so engrossing.