World Cup, LeBron James most mentioned on Facebook in 2014

The World Cup was the No. 1 global topic on Facebook in 2014, while LeBron James was the most-talked about athlete in the United States.

The World Cup was the most frequently mentioned global topic on Facebook in 2014, according to Facebook data.

Facebook released its 2014 Year in Review on Tuesday, covering topics including most-talked about athletes and most talked about events. The lists were measured by how frequently a topic was mentioned in Facebook posts made between January and December.

The Ebola virus outbreak was the second-most mentioned topic, followed by elections in Brazil. The Super Bowl came in at No. 8 global topic, while the Sochi Winter Olympics finished No. 10. 

LeBron James was the most-talked about athlete in the United States on Facebook this year. James finished ahead of Derek Jeter, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Lionel Messi and Peyton Manning, who rounded out the top five, respectively. 

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In July, James announced in a first-person essay that he was returning to Cleveland to rejoin the Cavaliers. Jeter announced on Facebook in February that he would retire at the end of the season, which became official in September. 

In the U.S., the World Cup was the sixth-most talked about topic this year, while the Super Bowl was No. 4. The World Cup was held over the summer in Brazil and won by Germany, while the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII in February.

Two New York sports venues were among the top ten most checked-into places in 2014: Yankee Stadium came in at No. 7, while Madison Square Garden was No. 10.

David Beckham was the lone sports figure among the most viewed Ice Bucket Challenge videos in the U.S. this year, with his video from August garnering the fifth-most views.

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