Happy New Years’ Eve everybody! I hope you’re getting ready to kiss 2021 goodbye and good riddance, but before we celebrate another revolution around the sun and kick off 2022, I want to take one last look at some cool moments from the past 365 days.
There were a multitude of sports events that had fans up on their seats, screaming at the television, and begging for more this year. Here were some of the best.
It’s two for the price of one to kick off our list!
The Euro Championship may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but good games are good games no matter who their fans are. While an argument could be made that the Euro Final between Italy and England that saw the Italians win in penalties after giving up a goal in just the second minute, the Round of 16 (AKA the first knockout round) provided two exhilarating matchups — Croatia v. Spain & France v. Switzerland.
Croatia-Spain ended up being so good because Croatia had no business hanging around with the Spaniards. As the match was winding down, Spain was winning by two with just 10 minutes left. That’s when Mislav Oršić entered the picture and gave Croatia an enormous boost down the final stretch. Croatia made it a one-goal game in the 85th minute, and Mario Pašalić tied it up in added time! It was an unbelievable comeback that no one would’ve expected. Ultimately, Croatia couldn’t take the win altogether, but it was still a thrilling match for anybody watching.
Spain, being the victors, would have to go up against the winner of the France-Switzerland match, and that was a doozy in and of itself. After a rather uneventful first half, the match picked up as the Swiss had a PK early on with a chance to go ahead 2-0 against the world champions, France. However, a sensational save from Hugo Lloris kept it at just 1-0. The game went back and forth after that with France scoring three consecutive times after the PK, but Switzerland wouldn’t go down quietly. Late goals from Haris Seferovic (his second of the game) and Mario Gavranović sent the game into extra-time. French star Kylian Mbappé had an opportunity to win the game in extra-time, but ultimately, the winner would be decided by penalties, where Mbappe would once again be stonewalled by Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer. It was thrilling! Too bad the follow-up between Spain and France wasn’t as heart-pounding.
Yes, it was cool to see Tom Brady finally step out from under Bill Belichick and manage to win another championship, but the pair’s reunion was too incredible to pass up. This was a matchup of friends turned adversaries that displayed each of their strengths — Belichick put together a masterful defensive gameplan, and Brady, while not throwing a touchdown in the game, was consistently able to sustain drives and get his team the victory. That’s all that matters.
Even better, this was the game where Tom Brady broke the all-time passing yards record. To see Brady bask in the greatness of his career in Foxborough while playing against the Patriots was just *chefs kiss* perfection.
Major League Baseball saw a myriad of no-hitters in 2021 — almost too many depending on who you ask. Joe Musgrove’s was the most special though, because it was the first no-hitter in San Diego Padres’ history.
The Padres were the only team in MLB without a no-hitter in their team’s history. Musgrove didn’t just throw an average no-hitter though. He didn’t walk a single batter either. Joey Gallo was the only person to reach base — doing so in the fourth inning by way of a hit by pitch. Musgrove’s dominant performance was regarded as the third-best pitched game in MLB in 2021 according to ESPN. With ten strikeouts on the ledger as well, Musgrove’s performance was one Padres’ fans won’t soon forget.
It was a breakout year for Musgrove, who posted career-bests in win percentage, innings pitched, ERA, strikeouts, walks per nine, and hits per nine. If only his team could have made the playoffs as well.
It’s hard to explain how great Ohtani’s season was by offering just one game for reference, but if there was one game to do it, August 18 against the Detroit Tigers would be it.
It was an exemplary display of every skill Ohtani brings to the table. Not only did the MVP winner pitch eight one-run innings, allowing just six hits while striking out eight and walking none, Ohtani also blasted his 40th home run of the season at the plate. That was Ohtani’s only hit of the game, but it was an exclamation point on a game where the Tigers just couldn’t figure Ohtani out.
This one was great because not only was it the first repeat champion in the NHL since the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017, but it also stopped the Montreal Canadiens from being the first Canadian team since 1993 to hoist the Stanley Cup. Netminder Andrei Vasilevsky took home the Conn Smythe trophy as the series’ top performer after recording a shutout in the series-clinching Game 5. Meanwhile, Pat Maroon won his third consecutive Stanley Cup (two with the Lightning, and one with the St. Louis Blues in 2019). The Lighting put the “Champ” in Champa Bay. The Buccaneers wish they could do what the Lightning did. And who knows? Maybe they will
On September 11, 2021, a new star was born in women’s tennis, as 18-year-old Emma Raducanu failed to drop a single set during the entirety of the U.S. Open and defeated 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez in the finals. Fernandez made headlines of her own earlier in the tournament as well when she defeated Naomi Osaka, an upset that spurred conversation regarding mental health in sports.
Raducanu was not expected to win the title and that made her victory all the more incredible. In fact, in her last Major appearance before the U.S. Open, Raducanu suffered a panic attack in the middle of a match. She bounced back in a tremendous way and gave us the greatest tennis moment of 2021.
“Jim Harbaugh can’t win big games.” That was the narrative surrounding the Michigan Wolverines’ head coach going into 2021. Not only did Harbaugh change the narrative, earning the Wolverines’ first-ever CFP appearance and winning the program’s first Big Ten title since 2004, but also taking down longtime rival Ohio State along the way.
It wasn’t just a win either. It was a 15-point thumping, and the score doesn’t indicate just how dominant Michigan was in this game. Star pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson had three sacks and broke the school’s single-season record, and halfback Hassan Haskins rushed for 169 yards and FIVE TOUCHDOWNS as the Buckeyes struggled to keep pace. The Wolverines scored a touchdown on every possession of the second half as they were able to maintain a two-possession lead for practically the entirety of the second half.
March Madness made its triumphant return in 2021 and it did not disappoint. One of the best Cinderella stories from the tournament came from 11-seed UCLA who somehow managed to claw its way to the Final Four with wins over Michigan St., UConn, Maryland, Alabama, and Michigan. Gonzaga was unbeaten heading into the game and thought they’d have an easy path to the Finals against UCLA. That wasn’t the case.
Tournament standout Johnny Juzang dropped 29 points as the 22-9 Bruins almost ruined the Bulldogs’ hopes at a perfect season. Those hopes would be dashed a few days later against Baylor, but thanks to the heroics of one Jalen Suggs, the Bulldogs kept their dream alive a little bit longer. With the score tied at 90 in overtime and just three seconds left in the game, Suggs took the inbound pass, crossed half court and chucked up a prayer just before the buzzer. It banked in. The Final Four is known for bringing heart-pulsing moments, and this one was incredible to watch happen live.
The women’s Final Four was just as remarkable. Perennial powerhouse Stanford was set for a match with fellow 1-seed South Carolina, and the game stayed incredibly competitive throughout. The largest lead for either team at the end of a quarter was six, and the fourth quarter was absolutely bonkers.
After ending the third quarter up three, the Cardinal went on a short run to start the fourth and go up six with six minutes to go. After that, the Lady Gamecocks slowly clawed their way up to Stanford, but could never take the lead for themselves.
With a minute and a half to go, South Carolina was down five, but refused to give up. After a three-point play from guard Destanni Henderson, the Lady Gamecocks were within two. South Carolina had an opportunity to tie after a steal led to a 3-on-2 fast break, but a great block by Stanford’s Haley Jones kept her team in front. Then, with 40 seconds left, Henderson hit a triple to take the lead, it was South Carolina’s first lead of the quarter. Stanford answered right back with a deep baseline jumper from Jones. South Carolina had one last opportunity to take the lead. Henderson tried to make a play, but when trying to kick the ball out to the perimeter, was intercepted by Stanford’s Ashten Prechtel. The Cardinal would go on to win the game and faced Arizona in the championship. Another incredibly close game ensued, but the Cardinal came out victorious, securing their third-ever national title. Here’s to hoping 2022’s March Madness tournaments are just as thrilling.
The Greek Freak is one of the biggest stars on the planet, and that stardom is due in large part to his incredible 50-point performance in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Giannis Antetokounmpo became the first player ever to drop 50 in a Finals-clinching game and just the seventh ever to drop 50 in any game in an NBA Finals. That performance came after a pair of 40-point games earlier in the series as well.
The top storyline of the series was that either legendary point guard Chris Paul or Antetokounmpo would take home their first-ever championship. Despite the Suns having the better record in the regular season, it was Giannis and the Bucks who came out victorious.
Simone Biles made a heroic statement during the 2021 Summer Olympics when she, despite being the favorite to win the all-around category, stepped away from the competition in order to focus on her mental health. In her stead came Suni Lee. With the hopes of the United States on her shoulders and having to step up in place of arguably the greatest gymnast of all-time, Lee dominated the competition, winning gold in the all-around category.
An 18-year-old from Minnesota, Lee faced tremendous pressure as the United States had won individual gold in the all-around in four straight Olympics. Lee did not want to break the streak. Her biggest competitor, Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, went back and forth with Lee for the all-around lead, but Lee ultimately took home the gold after winning the uneven bars and putting together an excellent set in the floor routine.
This moment made Biles’ decision to step out all the more admirable, because Biles clearly had put her faith in her teammates and they didn’t let her down. It was undoubtedly the greatest sports moment of 2021.