20 Highlight Vids That Will Get You Pumped Up

Let's all tip our glasses and give three cheers to the year that was 2014.

In sports, we saw some amazing stuff go down: the World Cup, the Seattle Seahawks' commanding Super Bowl victory and the arrival of rookies like Odell Beckham Jr. and Khalil Mack.

In the YouTube world we now all breathe in, most of these great moments are captured and broadcast to the public.

Using YouTube as our fearless guide, here are 20 of the best highlight videos we dug up from 2014.

World Cup 2014

Let's face it: The World Cup isn't something we get to enjoy each summer. So when it comes around every four years, it really is a special event.

The 2014 edition was thrilling. We saw so many great things on the pitch: The United States' push thanks to the heroics of Tim Howard and Clint Dempsey comes to mind, as well as Lionel Messi carrying Argentina and Germany routing Brazil 7-1 on the way to winning it all.

This highlight reel captures all of the glory that makes up the 2014 World Cup.

Anthony Davis: The 'Next Big Thing'

This Anthony Davis highlight may only be 59 seconds long, but that's all you really need to understand how good this dude is.

Kudos to the New Orleans Pelicans, who now have two simple tasks on their hands: find guys who can mesh with Davis and watch as great things happen.

Take a minute out of your busy lives and watch some the best moments from Davis' 2014-15 NBA campaign. Soon you'll realize why this 21-year-old forward has a chance to be the league's top player in a season or two.

The Arrival of Odell Beckham Jr.

The New York Giants may have finished 6-10 this season, but fans had a reason to watch their team play all season.

Rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. burst onto the scene in breathtaking fashion. Beckham missed four games early on, but when he got it going, he was close to unstoppable.

Catching 91 balls for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns, the former LSU Tiger shredded every defense that was put in his path.

Beckham was productive and flashy. The highlight video above is proof of that notion.

Your World Champion Seattle Seahawks

Pete Carroll's Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks were electric last season.

Built on a defense that could stop anything you threw its way, the Seahawks walked into MetLife Stadium on February 2, 2014 and trounced the Denver Broncos 43-8.

The game wasn't close from the get-go. From the opening-drive fumble by Peyton Manning and his offensive line to Doug Baldwin's and Jermaine Kearse's touchdowns, it was all Seahawks all evening long.

Above is visual evidence of that smashing.

The Year of Madison Bumgarner

Baseball has had its fair share of dominant postseason pitching performances over the years. In 2014, Madison Bumgarner of the San Francisco Giants added his name to that list. 

Compiling a record of 4-1 in postseason action, Bumgarner got more dominant as the playoffs wore on. All of that greatness reached its peak in the World Series, where he went 2-0 and posted a 0.43 ERA in the process.

That performance helped the eventual World Series MVP carry his team to the title.

Rory vs. Phil

Without Tiger Woods at the top of his game, you would think golf would be lacking star power. In 2014, that couldn't be further from the truth.

Last year, it was all about Rory McIlroy. He provided fans of the PGA Tour with a ton of highlights, and the PGA Championship may have been the best of them all.

Going up against savvy veteran Phil Mickelson, McIlroy duked it out for supremacy. In the end, the young McIlroy would prevail, but not before both guys gave us one heck of a show.

U.S. Soccer's Secretary of Defense: Tim Howard

The United States men's national team may not have won the 2014 World Cup, but we will always remember what Tim Howard did for this club.

Howard's heroics helped the U.S. make a push. Even during a loss to Belgium, he was at the top of his game.

Watch the clip above and relive all of Howard's top World Cup moments.

The San Antonio Spurs' Beautiful Game

For what it's worth, this is my favorite highlight video of 2014. Every time I watch it, it gives me chills.

Watching the San Antonio Spurs play basketball is astonishing. It's pure grace on the hardwood. It's the closest thing in sports we have to poetry in motion.

Basketball purists will remember the job they did dismantling the Miami Heat in the 2013-14 NBA Finals—which would be the last time Miami's Big Three would play together—for years.

Derek Jeter's Walk-Off Hit

There will never been a New York Yankees player quite like Derek Jeter. Serving as captain of the Bronx Bombers, Jeter's tenure in pinstripes will be remembered along with those of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle.

Ending his 20-year career with the Yankees, Jeter's final game concluded with a walk-off hit. Because honestly, how else would you expect No. 2 to go out?

Kansas City Royals Win the 2014 Wild Card

The unexpected postseason run by the Kansas City Royals really started when they beat the Oakland Athletics in a "win and get in" wild-card playoff.

But this wasn't your average nine innings' worth of fun. It was actually the most entertaining game of the 2014 MLB season by a mile.

Facing a 7-3 deficit in the sixth inning, the Royals rallied behind their bats and tied the contest up in the ninth inning to force free baseball.

The score remained the same until the Athletics went up in the 12th inning 8-7. Just when you thought all hope was squandered, the Royals fought back and won the game in the bottom half of the inning.

This video showcases that crazy night in Kansas City.

Los Angeles Kings' 2014 Stanley Cup Run

We haven't seen a clash between Los Angeles and New York City in a long time. The 2014 Stanley Cup Finals changed that when the Kings and Rangers took to the ice.

The two best teams in hockey representing two of the greatest cities in the world went to war. Though the Kings would win the series 4-1, the fact these two cities got a chance to play each other for all the marbles was worth it.

Peep the video above, which pays homage to the Kings and their championship run.

The Legend of Andrew Luck Continues

There's just something about Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck that you can't put into words.

His ability to will the Colts back from deficits and always keep them in the game is vital to the success of the franchise. Facing the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2014 playoffs, Luck once again brought his team back from the brink of elimination in dramatic fashion.

Down 31-10 in the third quarter, Luck started firing on all cylinders. He ended the game with 443 yards passing and five total touchdowns as the Colts stunned the Chiefs 45-44.

What looked to be a lost cause in the third turned into one of the most entertaining duels of the year.

Damian Lillard Ends the Houston Rockets' Season

There's a man in Portland, Oregon, who has ice water running through his veins. He plays point guard for the Trail Blazers and quickly has become one of the top players in the NBA.

That man is Damian Lillard.

Lillard's biggest shot to date was the one he hit against the Houston Rockets during last year's playoffs. It was a buzzer-beater that sent Dwight Howard, James Harden and the rest of the Rockets packing and the Blazers into the second round.

Lionel Messi's Magical 2014 Campaign

To say Lionel Messi had a big 2014 would be an understatement.

The La Liga star and Argentinian hero put each of his teams on his back and marched them to success. Though Argentina fell short of winning the World Cup, Messi still secured the Golden Ball award for his Herculean efforts.

This clip gives you a taste of some of the special things Messi accomplished in 2014.

Baylor vs. TCU

You want offense? Well, we have plenty of that for you.

Baylor and TCU's duel in 2014 was filled with an obscene amount of offensive firepower. Down 21 points in the fourth quarter, Bryce Petty lead the Baylor Bears to a legendary comeback win.

With absolutely no defense played on either side of the ball, Petty's Bears wound up stunning TCU 61-58.

A score like that means that this game was built for SportsCenter. Here are the highlights from one of the best college football games of 2014.

John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar

As summer came to an end, the people at WWE gave us all SummerSlam.

The event was great, but the final match between John Cena and Brock Lesnar was itself worth the price of admission.

Usually when you see two superstars collide, the battle is even. This time around, Lesnar eviscerated Cena at every turn. Watch the highlights above and tell me this wasn't one of the most entertaining sporting events of 2014.

Sound FX: J.J. Watt

Have you ever wondered what it was like to play with or even against Houston Texans defensive beast J.J. Watt? Thanks to the NFL and their Sound FX videos, fans got an amazing highlight video detailing exactly what that's like.

Watt is the best defensive player in the game today. No one is able to dominate quite like he can.

Watching the intensity of football IQ he displays on the field shows why he's so good at his job. It also makes for one of the most exciting videos of the year.

James Rodriguez's 2014 World Cup

Lionel Messi was great during the 2014 World Cup, but Colombia's James Rodriguez was the tournament's true star.

Arriving on the international scene, Rodriguez carried his country in the absence of star striker Radamel Falcao. Rodriguez stepped up and netted six goals on his way to winning the Golden Boot award.

Colombia didn't win the title but were one of the most enthralling teams to watch. Their style was beautiful, and Rodriguez was the anchor of that attack.

His tremendous World Cup led Real Madrid to attain his services for their upcoming La Liga season. In a whopping $108 million transfer, the young Colombian striker finally cashed in.

UConn's Run to the NCAA Championship

As a No. 7 seed, no one expected UConn's men's basketball team to make a run all the way to the NCAA championship. But behind the play of point guard Shabazz Napier, that's exactly what they did.

The Huskies turned the tournament on its head, running through the field of 64. When they reached the title game against the Kentucky Wildcats, fans of the sport knew they were in for a great game.

At the end of the game, it was UConn's time to shine. A 60-54 win led by Napier thrust the Huskies into the national spotlight.

The entire run can be seen in highlight form above.

Marcus Mariota and the Oregon Ducks

The Oregon Ducks' destruction of the Florida State Seminoles was a culmination of the team's amazing 2014 season. Ex-head coach Chip Kelly may have built this offense, but the job Mark Helfrich has done replacing him has been extraordinary.

Behind Marcus Mariota's 4,121 yards passing, 731 yards rushing and 55 total touchdowns, the Ducks stormed into the College Football Playoff.

With only a national championship showdown against Ohio State left to go, it's up to the Ducks to finish off their season with a bang.

All MLB, NBA, NHL, college football, college basketball, golf, tennis, World Cup and NFL information and stats provided by ESPN.com unless noted otherwise.