ESPY 2012 Winners: Ranking Most Shocking Winners at Award Ceremony

The 2012 ESPY Awards took place on Wednesday night, and most of the men and women who took home honors were absolute no-brainers for the voters.

There were so many obvious choices, such as LeBron James and Brittney Griner in their respective categories, that it almost made the ceremony devoid of intrigue.

However, there were three categories that had some questionable winners. Let’s take a closer look at them. 

No. 3: Best Team

Who Won: Miami Heat 

Who Should Have Won: Alabama Football

It’s unquestionable that the Heat have the best talent-to-player ratio on a roster, but they aren’t the best team.

Outside of Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, the entire roster is replaceable and the squad is still likely going to win a championship with any halfway decent players.

Alabama deserves more credit for having a lot more guys step up, work together and preserve together. It resulted in an improbable national championship victory.

No. 2: Best Game

Who Won: 49ers vs. Saints

Who Should Have Won: Rangers vs. Cardinals, World Series Game 6

While the San Francisco vs. New Orleans NFC Divisional round thriller was certainly an epic game, Game 6 of the World Series was legendary.

In the bottoms of both the ninth and tenth innings, the Cardinals were somehow able to come back from two-run deficits, despite being down to their final strike on two separate occasions.

David Freese crushed a game-winning homer in the 11th inning to cap off the most exciting baseball game in history and an eventual Cardinals World Series title.

No. 1: NHL Player of the Year

Who Won: Jonathan Quick 

Who Should Have Won: Evgeni Malkin

There is no doubt that Jonathan Quick had the best postseason of any hockey player, but his regular season was relatively unimpressive.

Considering this award is called the NHL Player of the Year, regular season should play a major role in who wins.

Evgeni Malkin had a far more successful regular season and easily should have won this award. It’s a shame the voters just selected Quick because of his few weeks of greatness.