10 Times Sports Made You Feel Deliriously Happy
Sports have the power to make fans deliriously happy. Sometimes things happen that cause such pure, unadulterated joy that it can barely be contained. Whether it’s upsetting a powerhouse during March Madness or winning a long-awaited championship, these are the moments we live for.
When Your Team Was So Close to Losing, You Almost Turned off the TV…Then They Won.
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The New England Patriots led 28-24 late in Super Bowl XLIX, but the Seattle Seahawks were knocking at the door. On 2nd-and-1 with 26 seconds remaining, it seemed certain that the Seahawks would find a way to punch it in for a game-winning touchdown. It was not to be. Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson’s pass at the goal line, and the Patriots prevailed.
When Your Team Beat Its Rival in the Most Soul-Crushing Way Possible
The Iron Bowl annually pits SEC rivals Alabama and Auburn against each other. In 2013, Auburn won the game in a shocking, last-second play. Chris Davis fielded a short field-goal attempt by Alabama and ran it back 100-plus yards for the game-winning score.
When Your Team Had No Business Being There, Then It Won
A year earlier, Ohio State would not have been playing for college football’s national championship. The Buckeyes eked into the first-ever College Football Playoff as the No. 4 seed and proceeded to knock off No. 1 and No. 2 for the title.
When You Were So Happy You Fell and Didn’t Want Help Getting Up
Georgia State head coach Ron Hunter is big on celebrations. When his son hit the game-winner to upset third-seeded Baylor, Hunter literally fell out of his chair.
When Your Team Finally Silenced the Haters
LeBron James won his first NBA title in 2012 when the Miami Heat defeated Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder, four games to one. Chris Bosh also got his first title that year, and his champagne celebration was one we won’t soon forget.
When Your Team Made the Final Four
Few accomplishments in sports are more meaningful than a trip to the Final Four. The 2015 installment is set, and the four teams left standing are Wisconsin, Kentucky, Michigan State and Duke. Wisconsin fans should be pretty stoked to be back there for the second year in a row.
When Your Prodigal Son Returned
In 2010, Ohio native LeBron James bolted from the Cleveland Cavaliers in possibly the most heartbreaking way ever. In 2014, the King went home. James announced his return in a July issue of Sports Illustrated, and most of those jersey-burners totally forgave him.
[GIF courtesy of WFNY]
When Hollywood Couldn’t Have Scripted It Better
The baseball world mourned when New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter retired in 2014, but the way he said goodbye to Yankee Stadium was pretty magical. It’s not often a meaningless game means so much. With the Yankees out of playoff contention, the Captain hit a walk-off single to win his final home game.
When Your Team Walked Off to Get to the World Series
The San Francisco Giants won the 2014 World Series due in large part to an unreal, man-among-boys performance by Madison Bumgarner. But Travis Ishikawa got them there with a walk-off home run in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series.
When Your Team Was a Cinderella
(Almost) everybody loves an upset. In the 2014 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, the No. 14 seed Mercer shocked the world and beat No. 3 Duke in the first round. Mercer’s Kevin Canevari was the postgame star, rocking a Nae Nae that almost broke the Internet.
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