10 Recent Sports Moments No One Could've Predicted
How did we get here? How at this very moment in time has the world of sports evolved to this one particular place? One beautiful word is the only thing needed to answer those questions. And that word is: surprise.
Things change randomly, suddenly and without apologies. Sports are often dictated by the art of surprise. Quarterback changes in the NFL, injuries, scandals, upsets and more define this landscape we salivate over.
In 2015, surprises came at us from all over. No predictions could have determined what went down. Inspecting the vast galaxy of sports, we now present 10 moments no one could have predicted.
Steve Spurrier Leaves South Carolina
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Steve Spurrier heading for greener pastures and retiring from South Carolina can definitely be called a surprise. Chris Low of ESPN.com wrote about what it meant to the program and the SEC in general.
The longtime coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks found himself in an odd situation after his squad lost four straight SEC games toward the middle of October. Sure, the writing may have been on the wall for Spurrier to bail. But when it actually happened, it was stunning.
This was a coaching legend. A man who had built a winning career at Florida and South Carolina—with one forgettable stop in Washington as an NFL coach along the way.
Spurrier stepping down was the first major changing-of-the-guard moment in the SEC. And one we won't soon forget.
Serena Williams Loses to Roberta Vinci
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Serena Williams had quite the 2015. She picked up win after win on her way to another Grand Slam title, when unseeded Roberta Vinci decided to put an end to all of that.
The U.S. Open was the venue where Williams was suddenly and meticulously derailed. Playing the best tennis of her life, Vinci charged back from a deficit and won the match in three sets.
It certainly arrived as a great shock to anyone who followed Williams' illustrious career. Despite all of her best efforts to nab another Grand Slam title, she was dethroned by an unexpected foe.
American Pharoah's Triple Crown
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American Pharoah’s historic Triple Crown run made 2015 a legendary year for sports. The thoroughbred was the first Crown winner since Affirmed went through the process to close out 1978—a year when the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees also won championships in their respective leagues.
Horse racing is an overlooked sport. It doesn't feel like anyone cares about it until a horse starts pushing for the Crown.
What American Pharoah accomplished won't soon be forgotten. He surprised, enamored and captivated a global audience.
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Colin Kaepernick Gets Benched
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We're witnessing a catastrophic implosion when it comes to the San Francisco 49ers. What started with Jim Harbaugh leaving and a bunch of veterans such as Patrick Willis retiring has now transitioned to a full-blown culture shift.
Perhaps the craziest surprise so far has been the sudden descent of Colin Kaepernick. He went from being the franchise's next great quarterback to being benched for Blaine Gabbert.
Anyone who would have bet Kaepernick would be sitting behind Gabbert on the depth chart last season would be a rich man.
His regression has been up close and in our face all season. He's completed 59.3 percent of his passes for 1,615 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions. Even with all that said, his benching still counts as a huge surprise, considering he once helped the 49ers reach a Super Bowl and back-to-back NFC Championship Games.
Kentucky Loses to Wisconsin
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John Calipari's Kentucky Wildcats have constantly been gravitating around the pinnacle of college basketball ever since he took the head coaching gig in 2009.
Coach Cal has proved to be a master recruiter and one of the few pioneers when it comes to landing "one-and-done" players.
Last season, Kentucky was masterful. His team went unbeaten on its way to the Final Four. Traditionally, March Madness is full of upsets. But something about that Kentucky team had it looking real fierce. That was until Bo Ryan's Badgers battled and prevailed against the Wildcats in a 71-64 win.
For fans of the Wildcats and Coach Cal's way of building rosters, this was a tough loss, one game away from another NCAA title.
New York Mets Reach the 2015 World Series
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The New York Mets opened the 2015 MLB season without a prayer of getting to the World Series. Despite their immense pitching talent, few pundits expected them to reach the Fall Classic.
As crazy as this sounds now, only one ESPN analyst even picked New York to reach the playoffs. His name was Pedro Gomez.
After the Mets got there, missing out on a World Series crown had to be difficult. The Kansas City Royals got the better of this club.
Still, the fact the Mets even made it that far was honorable and stunning at the same juncture. Keep on pushing, Amazins. We're rooting for you.
The NFL's Undefeated Bunch
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Peyton Manning has looked human dating back to the end of the 2014 NFL season. His struggles with age were a reason to doubt the Denver Broncos heading into this season.
After eight weeks, the Broncos are 7-0 and have looked impressive thanks to a championship-caliber defense.
Denver isn't the only team that's started off the season without a loss. We've seen the Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers all take on what the NFL has to offer and prevail without a loss.
It's surprising at this moment in time which teams have remained perfect. Few expected the Panthers and Bengals to be on the same level as the Broncos and Pats. But hey, that's the NFL for you.
Chelsea's Fall from Grace
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What in the world happened to Chelsea Football Club? Last season they burst out of the gate as a perennial powerhouse in the Barclays Premier League. Jose Mourinho's club even won the Premier League title.
Everything went the way of the birds at the start of this campaign. Chelsea is 3-2-6, sitting 15th in Premier League standings—a shocking development for a well-funded, well-educated franchise.
Mourinho has borne the brunt of the collapse. There have been countless rumors about his demise—Miguel Delaney of ESPNFC.com wrote on the subject.
Seeing Chelsea fall apart by the seams is unforgettable. It's a memory we won't soon let slip away from the confines of our world football minds.
Alberto Del Rio Returns to WWE Programming
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Keeping a secret from the WWE Universe isn't easy to do. That pesky thing we call the Internet has led to rumors being exposed before the live product even hits the air.
Vince McMahon and his crew did manage to stun everyone during the company's Hell in a Cell show when they brought longtime star Alberto Del Rio back into the fold.
Del Rio's controversial exit from the company in 2014, combined with the fact that he was performing with the upstart Lucha Underground just a short while ago, made it seem impossible for a return.
But when John Cena issued an open challenge for his United States title, Del Rio answered the bell and left the sports entertainment world with shock and awe.
Del Rio came into the ring, defeated Cena and took the title from his grasp. This truly was a stunning series of events by WWE's standards.
Deflategate
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Every single detail about the NFL and Tom Brady's battle over the everlasting Deflategate scandal felt like a surprise.
The fact that this even went down is a shame.
Countless reports, impending suspensions, "he said, she said" accounts and media coverage destroyed what was a productive NFL offseason. Free-agent signings and draft picks were deemed secondary to speculative talk over under-inflated footballs.
Let's hope for the sake of our sanity and the integrity of the game that something this bizarre never transpires again. One Deflategate is enough to last a lifetime.
All stats and information provided by Sports-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.
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