Okay, okay, we know.
GIFs: not for everyone.
From a Deadspin post on sports GIFs from 2012.
GIFs are one of the Internet's most polarizing elements; not only is there debate over the image format's utility (or, as anti-GIFfers argue, lack thereof) but over how to say "GIF" in the first place.
"These are all herky-jerky," said News Fix editor Jon Brooks when looking at the GIFs below. "In my day we would never ..."
Of course at that point I stopped listening. But here's the thing: GIFs were huge in sports this year. From Business Insider:
2012 was a breakout year for sports GIFs.
Video is still the dominant format for big, meaningful sports moments. But for all the micro-moments that make sports so fun to watch — spontaneous and awkward athlete reactions, split-second failures — GIFs are simply perfect.
SBNation, in fact, has hired somebody specifically to create them. I myself would argue that GIFs are a nice shorthand way of capturing an indelible sports moment. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a GIF might be summed up in two. Like this play in a November 49ers game might have been titled at the time: "Oh f***
That hit resulted in a concussion for Alex Smith. And while no one wanted to see Smith, who was having a great season, hurt, it led to his replacement by Colin Kaepernick, who has been spectacular at times. Now 49ers fans are seeing GIFs like this one of Kaepernick in the fourth quarter of a December win over Miami ...
...and thinking two different words: