Scandal and tragedy drove Internet search requests for yet another year, as Google on Tuesday revealed its most-searched names from the sports world in 2013.
South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius and former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, who both were charged with murder, finished first and second, respectively, as the most-searched athletes in the world.
Lance Armstrong, who in January admitted for the first time to using performance-enhancing drugs, finished fifth on the list, behind Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and Louisville guard Kevin Ware.
New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez, mired in a performance-enhancing drugs scandal and his public fight to reduce his 211-game suspension as a result, was the top-searched major league baseball player.
The usual names -- Peterson, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers -- were at the top of NFL searches, though a video of Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper using the N-word at a concert this summer contributed to his rise to seventh-most searched in the league, ahead of the likes of lightning-rod quarterbacks Russell Wilson of the Seahawks and Tony Romo of the Cowboys.
The Boston Marathon, because of the explosion of two bombs near the finish line that killed three and injured more than 260, was the most-searched event worldwide, surpassing searches for Typhoon Haiyan and the U.S. government shutdown. Typhoon Haiyan killed more than 6,000 people in the Philippines.
One away-from-the-court story that garnered a tremendous amount of attention in 2013 was basketball player Jason Collins revealing to the world that he is gay. Collins, who hasn't been signed by an NBA team, was the 91st-most searched person on Google in 2013.
Google is the most-used search engine in the United States, with about 67 percent market share, according to comScore.
