20 Reasons Sports Fans Are Giving Thanks in 2015
The Golden State Warriors' delightful dominance, the insane Michigan vs. Michigan State ending, Rob Gronkowski's hilarious antics—there are so many things to be thankful for this year in sports. It would be impossible to name them all.
Then again, it wouldn't be impossible to name 20. So here they are: teams, people, stories and moments that all sports fans should be grateful for in 2015.
As you and yours sit down to stuff your face and people talk about how thankful they are for family, friends and good health, you can be the one to say, "I'm thankful for Cam Newton's dabbing." You're welcome, and Happy Thanksgiving.
Rookie Sensations
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Exceptional rookies are always exciting. Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs, Jack Eichel of the Buffalo Sabres, Todd Gurley of the St. Louis Rams—these are just a few of the many sensational rookies in sports this year.
Bryant set Cubs rookie records in home runs (26) and RBI (99) en route to the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Eichel's trash-talking antics only add to the delight incited by his insane skills. Gurley ran for 566 yards in the first four starts of his career, an NFL record.
It has been a great year for the young bloods.
The End (Sort Of) of Deflategate
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Sports fans should not be grateful for Deflategate itself. The ridiculous saga about underinflated footballs dominated sports news for almost nine months. The only good thing to come out of it was its ending, er, its pseudo-ending.
As if anyone needs a recap, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady received a four-game suspension after an investigation by Ted Wells found he was "generally aware" of some type of equipment tampering. He appealed the penalty, and in September, a judge ruled in his favor.
The NFL is appealing that ruling, and arguments are scheduled for March.
At least we got a few months of peace.
All the Dancing
3 of 20Not everyone likes Cam Newton's touchdown dancing. Then again, some of those people are just victims of the Carolina Panthers quarterback's scoring prowess. Others surely see it as the joyful celebration of a joyful guy (who is, by the way, having an MVP-caliber year).
It's not just Newton, though. Dance crazes took over sports in 2015, and coaches took a particular interest. Newton's own coach, Ron Rivera, got in on the action, and Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney frequently breaks it down with his team in the locker room. Check out this Northwestern assistant or Michigan State's Mark Dantonio.
Way to dance like nobody's watching, guys (even though everyone is).
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NHL All-Star Goes 3-on-3
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This is one that hasn't technically happened yet, but the NHL did announce a change to the All-Star format that will take effect for the 2015-16 installment.
All-Star Weekend in the NHL will now feature a three-on-three tournament instead of just one game. Three 20-minute games will played in what will hopefully be an exciting, fun and enticing event to watch.
Vince Wilfork on 'Hard Knocks'
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HBO's Hard Knocks always provides fantastic insight into NFL training camps. The 2015 season, however, was particularly special because of one man: Vince Wilfork.
The Houston Texans tackle was hilarious with his just-overalls overalls and other delightful antics. He even participated in a field-goal competition with U.S. women's soccer hero Carli Lloyd.
Oh, and J.J. Watt appeared in the show too. Bonus.
A Crazy College Football Season
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College football fans got what they've always wanted in 2015 (er, what a lot of them always wanted): a playoff. The first college football playoff games were played in January, with the No. 4 seed Ohio State taking home the prize.
Fast forward a few months, and the 2015 college football season has been crazy fun too.
Miami beat Duke on a play that included eight laterals (!) and later got a whole officiating crew suspended. Michigan State beat Michigan on a last-second bobbled punt returned for a touchdown. Oregon beat Arizona State in a triple-overtime thriller.
It's been a wild ride, and it's not over yet.
Jordan Spieth's Emergence
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Was Jordan Spieth a feel-good story this year, or what? In April, then just 21 years old, the golfer became the second-youngest Masters champion ever. He went wire-to-wire and tied Tiger Woods' record for the best score in tournament history.
Spieth went on to win the U.S. Open, finish second at the PGA Championship and take home the PGA Tour Player of the Year Award, all while remaining refreshingly humble. Rooting for him gave even non-golf fans a reason to watch.
Rob Gronkowski's Antics
8 of 20New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski continues to be one of the biggest characters in all of sports.
That includes more than just 2015, of course, but it has been a big year for the big guy. Starting with a Super Bowl victory in February, Gronk kicked off the celebration festivities by chugging beer in a Minions hat at the parade.
He hasn't slowed down since. Gronk offered fans a chance to win a trip on his party bus and party boat. He did a photo shoot with kittens. He talked about a naked Slip 'N Slide in his book, It's Good to be Gronk. He danced to MC Hammer on Live! with Kelly & Michael wearing a smiley face T-shirt.
He spiked everything in sight, and of course, continues to dominate his football opposition. This man makes the game more exciting, on and off the field.
2015 NBA Finals
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The 2015 NBA Finals provided the matchup everyone wanted: the fun-loving, small-ball Golden State Warriors vs. LeBron James.
OK, Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Still, with the Cavs decimated by injuries, it should've been a blowout, but the domination and sheer will of James ensured an exciting series. The King turned in one of the best Finals performances ever, but the Dubs were too much in the end.
Abby Wambach's Career
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In December, Abby Wambach will retire as the all-time leading scorer in international soccer history (male or female, anywhere in the world).
Following in Mia Hamm's footsteps as the face of women's soccer in America, Wambach's storied career has been full of heroic moments. Her game-winning goal in the 2004 Olympic final, her game-tying goal in the 2011 World Cup quarterfinal and her enduring leadership—all add up to one word: GOAT.
Oh, and there was that little matter of going out with a World Cup title. Like a boss.
The Bat Flip
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It's not often a year in sports provides any one moment that can be described as the "best ever" of its kind.
That argument could be made for Jose Bautista's bat flip. Best bat flip ever? Probably.
The Toronto Blue Jays slugger smashed a three-run homer to put his team up in the deciding game of the American League Division Series. To say he nailed the celebration would be an understatement. In fact, to call what he did a "flip" doesn't really do it justice. The move was more of a defiant, purposeful bat toss. That's a lot to say, though.
Whatever its name, it was a total boss move.
Total Domination
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In 2015, sports fans were treated to performances of sheer dominance. Carli Lloyd's World Cup hat trick took just 16 minutes to achieve, making it the fastest hat trick in World Cup history.
Tennis great Serena Williams took home the "Serena Slam," holding all four Grand Slam event titles at the same time.
Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey took down her first two opponents of the year in 48 seconds.
Of course, as Williams and Rousey proved, dominance can't last forever, but make no mistake. That type of supremacy in sport doesn't come around all the time. Be grateful, sports fans, to have witnessed it this year.
Every Lionel Messi Goal
13 of 20It has been a tumultuous year for Argentinian legend Lionel Messi. After missing two months with a knee injury, the footwork magician returned to Barcelona's starting lineup in late November. In typical Messi fashion, he notched two goals against Roma.
Even before the injury, however, Messi gave soccer fans much to be grateful for. Check out this September goal against Mexico, or this one in the Copa Del Rey final. What?
Love the goals, love the fact that he's back.
Riley Curry and the Cute Sports Kids
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Her dad, Steph Curry, is an NBA champion, and she is an Internet adorableness champion. Riley Curry made her debut during the NBA playoffs, and her do-what-I-want attitude stole American's hearts (well, most of America's hearts). Also her birthday Whip/Nae Nae? Please. It doesn't get cuter than that.
Crazy Upsets
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Upsets are always fun to watch (unless you're on the wrong side, of course). In fact, without upsets, what's the point of watching sports at all? Luckily for fans, 2015 had plenty to keep them happy.
Wisconsin had a good basketball team in the NCAA tournament, but its upset of undefeated Kentucky in the Final Four was still shocking.
Then, there was the dethroning of dominance. Holly Holm demolished the great UFC champion Ronda Rousey. Serena Williams lost to unseeded Roberta Vinci in the U.S. Open semifinals, ending her quest for a calendar-year slam.
Keep 'em coming, sports.
Worst-to-First MLB Playoffs
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The MLB playoffs in 2015 featured, in part, the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays. Of those teams, only the Royals made the playoffs in 2014 (and before that, it had been since 1985 for them).
The four LCS teams were the Cubs, Mets, Blue Jays and Royals. What? Go back in time to 2014, and try to get any sports fan to refrain from laughing in your face at that fact.
Competitive balance in sports is awesome. This year's baseball playoffs were so fun to watch, and here's hoping for more of the same parity goodness in 2016.
Steph Curry and the Warriors
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Apparently Steph Curry's MVP season and the Golden State Warriors' first championship in 40 years was just the beginning.
It was fun watching that team during the 2014-15 season, and, if possible, it's even more fun watching it in 2015-16. Curry continues to make unbelievable shots, defying the laws of human achievement.
Not only that, but his team is off to the best start in NBA history. Toss in this Draymond Green rap, and this team is a bottomless pit of delight.
Jamaican Trainer
18 of 20In September, the world was introduced to the cutest little Jamaican trainer ever, eight-year-old Demarjay Smith. This video of him working out his bros will cheer you up on your worst day.
Ellen DeGeneres saw the video too, and, like she does, had young Smith on her show. She surprised him with special guest star, Usain Bolt. The ensuing footrace might've been the best thing that happened all year.
Devon and Leah Still
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The sports world at large became aware of Devon Still's daughter Leah in 2014, when the young girl was diagnosed with pediatric cancer. Still, then a defensive tackle with the Cincinnati Bengals, was retained as a member of the team's practice squad so he could continue to receive health benefits.
Support poured out from the NFL, its teams and fans everywhere. In 2015, young Leah was declared cancer free. Still was cut by the Bengals in September, but he will have health insurance for the next five years because he played in 12 games last year, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (h/t Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports).
Still thanked the Bengals for their support after his release. The outpouring of well-wishes for the Stills was proof of the positive impact the sports family can have when they band together behind a common cause.
Unbelievable Plays
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Unreal, unexpected, incredible plays are what make sports worth watching.
The end of the Michigan vs. Michigan State game? Shocking. The catch of the year in college football by Stanford's Francis Owusu? Incomprehensible. The interception that sealed the Super Bowl? Perplexing and unbelievable.
Keep 'em coming in 2016, sports.
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