50 Best Sports Pics of 2014
Taken literally, a year is a measurement of time—12 months, divided into 365 days, which are broken into 8,760 hours (if you're counting.) But we all know a year is something much more than a way to quantify earth's transit around the sun.
A year is a segment of life: the ups, the downs and the somewhere-in-between. In total, this collection of experiences is how we judge the year we're leaving behind—a kind of personal eulogy for the past. And with the ability to capture countless pieces of each day in words and images for posterity via social media, our eulogies for the year that was are way more evidence-based than is probably healthy.
The year in sports is no different; in fact, the calendar is even more relevant in sports than it is for people. A year represents a season, wins and losses, annual achievements, accolades and failures.
And every year is cataloged in amazing photos that capture these moments—and remind us why sports rule, even if a particular story doesn't have a happy ending. Any given year can lay claim to why its 12 months were the most compelling ever in sports, and 2014 is no different.
These are 50 of the best sports pics of 2014, not ranked in any particular order.
50.
1 of 50
Date: September 19
Event: China's synchronized swimmers compete at the 2014 Asian Games.
49.
2 of 50
Date: November 22
Event: Students from Yale University strip down to their underwear during the second half of the Bulldogs' football game against Harvard.
48.
3 of 50
Date: September 13
Event: Undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather displays his remarkable ability to dodge blows during a fight against Marcos Maidana.
47.
4 of 50
Date: September 26
Event: Looks Like The Cat rolls in the sand at Flemington Racecourse in Melboure, Austrailia, following a training session.
46.
5 of 50
Date: September 1
Event: An Edmonton Eskimos cheerleader is launched into the air during a game against the Calgary Stampeders.
45.
6 of 50
Date: November 23
Event: Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy is seen only in silhouette on a picture-perfect Day 4 of the DP World Tour Championship.
44.
7 of 50
Date: June 9
Event: A diver at the COEX Aquarium in Seoul, South Korea, kicks a soccer ball in a tank filled with sharks and sardines to show support for the team ahead of the World Cup.
43.
8 of 50
Date: November 22
Event: Lionel Messi is lifted up by his Barcelona teammates after breaking the La Liga record for career goals during a 5-1 home win over Sevilla.
42.
9 of 50
Date: March 31
Event: A San Francisco Giants fan is extremely wound up on Opening Day against the Diamondbacks in Arizona.
41.
10 of 50
Date: November 15
Event: Following a blowout win over Nebraska, Wisconsin linebacker Marcus Trotter celebrates by making snow angels on the field at Camp Randall Stadium.
40.
11 of 50
Date: May 3
Event: Two women in attendance at the Kentucky Derby are pictured in silhouette.
39.
12 of 50
Date: August 4
Event: Oakland A’s first baseman Stephen Vogt gets a pie in the face, followed up by a Gatorade shower courtesy of teammate Derek Norris, who hit the game-winning RBI single in the 10th inning against the Tampa Bay Rays.
38.
13 of 50
Date: December 11
Event: Fans light up the night sky during a Copa Sudamericana match between Argentina and Colombia.
37.
14 of 50
Date: March 31
Event: A skydiver descends upon PNC Park in Pittsburgh prior to the Pirates' Opening Day game against the Chicago Cubs.
36.
15 of 50
Date: December 10
Event: Prior to a game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Minnesota Timberwolves, players show their support for Eric Garner following a New York jury’s decision to not indict a police officer whose use of a chokehold caused Garner's death after he was accused of selling loose cigarettes.
35.
16 of 50
Date: May 29
Event: The Phillie Phanatic casts a steely eyed gaze from atop the dugout on catcher Carlos Ruiz as he steps up to bat against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park.
34.
17 of 50
Date: November 29
Event: Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney gets a Gatorade shower from his team after finally stopping in-state rival South Carolina’s series winning streak at five.
33.
18 of 50
Date: June 14
Event: A Jack Russell Terrier swims furiously during a dog diving competition in Erfurt, Germany.
32.
19 of 50
Date: June 28
Event: A woman is captured at just the right time (or wrong time depending on your perspective) competing in shot put at Sainsbury’s British Championships in Birmingham.
31.
20 of 50
Date: February 26
Event: During a spring training game in Arizona, Cleveland Indians outfielder Carlos Moncrief catches a ball up against an advertisement for a local home builder on the right-field wall.
30.
21 of 50
Date: December 6
Event: Florent Manaudou of France playfully shrugs his shoulders after breaking the world record in the 50-meter backstroke final at the FINA World Championship.
29.
22 of 50
Date: October 25
Event: LSU wide receiver Trey Quinn crowd surfs on fans that charged the field following the Tigers' victory against Ole Miss.
28.
23 of 50
Date: July 31
Event: Miami Marlins manager Mike Redmond absolutely loses it after a call, which he obviously disputed, at home plate. Redmond threw a temper tantrum for the ages and was subsequently ejected from the game.
27.
24 of 50
Date: March 30
Event: No stranger to the indignity of losing to Novak Djokovic, the sea of bubbles only added to Rafael Nadal’s pain after being bested by Djokovic, yet again, at the Sony Open.
26.
25 of 50
Date: July 1
Event: U.S. men’s soccer goalkeeper Tim Howard delivers one of the all-time great performances in World Cup history against Belgium in the round of 16.
25.
26 of 50
Date: August 2
Event: A diver hits the water in the 10-meter platform final at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland.
24.
27 of 50
Date: December 7
Event: Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt made life miserable for Jaguars rookie quarterback Blake Bortles when the division rivals faced off in Jacksonville late in the season.
23.
28 of 50
Date: December 7
Event: Seriously. It was like this all day long for poor Blake Bortles.
22.
29 of 50
Date: June 13
Event: New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist remains in net, briefly stunned after being bested by the Los Angeles Kings in five games in the Stanley Cup Final.
21.
30 of 50
Date: July 18
Event: A Diamondbacks fan has a very brief moment of fun evading security after running onto the field during a game against the Cubs. Moments later, he was tackled and hauled off to jail.
20.
31 of 50
Date: October 19
Event: A Dallas Cowboys cheerleader masters the art of the dramatic hair toss during a home game against the division rival New York Giants.
19.
32 of 50
Date: July 25
Event: Four cyclists are pictured during Stage 19 of the Tour de France.
18.
33 of 50
Date: April 30
Event: A horse is groomed by trainers at Churchill Downs a few days ahead of the Kentucky Derby.
17.
34 of 50
Date: September 7
Event: Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown literally steps over (and on) Cleveland Browns punter Spencer Lanning while returning a punt in the season opener. He was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness.
16.
35 of 50
Date: August 18
Event: American superstar-in-the-making Simone Biles performs on the beam at the U.S. Gymnastics Nationals. She dominated the competition, winning all-around gold and taking individual gold in three of the four events.
15.
36 of 50
Date: November 27
Event: A stray dog runs off with the day’s catch, having snagged it from a pond off a green during the King’s Cup golf tournament in Thailand.
14.
37 of 50
Date: December 14
Event: The saddest Tennessee Titans fan dons a customized bag during yet another crushing defeat this season. Alabama’s Amari Cooper surely appreciated the shout-out.
13.
38 of 50
Date: December 20
Event: Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard returns to earth after dunking hard on an Atlanta Hawks defender.
12.
39 of 50
Date: August 10
Event: TV cameras failed to capture just how dark it was when Rory McIlroy finished his final round at the PGA Championship, where he beat Phil Mickelson by one stroke to win the fourth major of his career.
11.
40 of 50
Date: November 21
Event: JaVale McGee, the always-entertaining center of the Denver Nuggets, cozies up to one lucky fan after diving into the front row in pursuit of a loose ball.
10.
41 of 50
Date: December 5
Event: University of Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota strikes a perfect Heisman pose against a defender during the Pac-12 championship against Arizona. A week later, he won the award in one of the most decisive victories in history.
9.
42 of 50
Date: June 21
Event: Germany’s Miroslav Klose does a celebratory backflip after scoring the team’s second goal against Ghana during the early round of the World Cup. Germany would go on to win the tournament.
8.
43 of 50
Date: December 8
Event: Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James flouted royal protocol by putting his arm around the Duchess of Cambridge during a meet-and-greet.
7.
44 of 50
Date: December 2
Event: Aging Lakers veteran Kobe Bryant takes a break from chucking up bricks and attempts to become one with the net in a game against the Pistons in Detroit.
6.
45 of 50
Date: July 30
Event: San Diego Padres outfielder Seth Smith gives an A+ effort but doesn't come down with a foul ball hit by St. Louis Cardinals batter Matt Carpenter.
5.
46 of 50
Date: December 11
Event: A surfer is seen in the distance riding a behemoth of a wave off the coast of Nazare, Portugal, as bystanders look on.
4.
47 of 50
Date: November 30
Event: St. Louis Rams players put their hands up while taking the field at home, a gesture of support for Michael Brown, a teenager who was gunned down by police officer Darren Wilson in August.
3.
48 of 50
Date: February 8
Event: American figure skater Ashley Wagner reacts to her scores being revealed during the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
2.
49 of 50
Date: November 23
Event: During a game against the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. makes a stunning one-handed touchdown catch, which many have since heralded as the greatest reception of all time.
1.
50 of 50
Date: September 28
Event: Yankees great Derek Jeter played the final game of a stellar career, which spanned the greater part of two decades, on the road against the archrival Boston Red Sox. Despite the longstanding tensions between the teams, the Boston crowd stepped up and gave Jeter a hero’s sendoff.
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