2015 Sports Moments We Hope Never Happen Again

The year 2015 in sports provided a wide array of epic and praise-worthy moments. These are not those.

No, these are the moments we hope to never see again (although, realistically, we probably will).

These are the embarrassing on-field errors and terrible plays that happened in 2015. These are the officiating gaffes and absurd streaks of athlete injuries. These are the ludicrous sports scandals fans wished would end but instead painfully persisted. 

These instances are getting one last mention here, with the hope 2016 will be far less full of "SMH" moments. 

And please, for the love of everything, let there never be another Deflategate.

Sports Media Doing 'The Dab'

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton made "the dab" famous in 2015 as the year's go-to celebration dance. 

Unfortunately for everyone, sports media members proceeded to unequivocally prove the move should be left to the athletes. ESPN stalwart Chris Berman gave it a lackluster effort at best, and analyst Cris Carter called it "bapping."

At least those two retained their balance, which is more than can be said for Paul Finebaum, who "almost fell out of his chair" attempting the dab, per Mark Hinog of SB Nation.

National Anthem Flubs

It seems as though every year, some celebrity screws up the national anthem at a sporting event. When will it end? 

The top offenders in 2015 were actress Minnie Driver and singer Jackson Thomas. Performing at a Los Angeles Dodgers game in July, Driver made not one, but two lyrical errors, per Francesca Bacardi of EOnline.com. 

Thomas, of The Voice Australia, similarly miffed the Australian national anthem at a charity football game in June, per Amy Roberts of Daily Mail Australia.

12 Players in Penalty Box

Mark Zaleski/Associated Press

Penalties and infractions will never cease to occur in sports. Still, 12 players crammed into one penalty box after a huge brawl seems a bit absurd. 

This exact thing happened when the Nashville Predators faced the Winnipeg Jets in November. Nashville led 5-0 in the third period when Winnipeg center Mark Scheifele​ committed the offensive action of shooting after a whistle. Bedlam ensued. 

Although watching 12 professional hockey players mash themselves into a penalty box was semi-amusing, that sort of all-out brawl is not something that needs to be repeated.

Laura Bassett's Own Goal

Some athlete gaffes are funny, but others are decidedly not. For example, Laura Bassett's own goal for England during the Women's World Cup in July was absolutely not funny. 

England lost its semifinal matchup to Japan on a stoppage-time own goal by Bassett. Per Alistair Magowan of BBC Sport, she said, "I couldn't breathe, my heart was out my chest and I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me."

It was devastating, and no sports fan should ever want to see an athlete go through that.

Jeff Francoeur's Error

Sure, errors happen in sports, but some gaffes make you question the very validity of an athlete's professional status. Philadelphia Philles outfielder Jeff Francoeur committed one such error in July.

First, he had an impossible time just picking up the ball after a hit by then-Washington Nationals outfielder Denard Span dribbled into right field. When Francoeur finally got ahold of the thing, he "threw" it like he was Scotty Smalls in The Sandlot.

Span made it to third on what should have been a double at best.

Usain Bolt Trampled by a Segway

OLIVIER MORIN/Getty Images

In August, one of the world's greatest athletes almost suffered a devastating injury amid a freak accident. 

At the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, a photographer ran into Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt with a Segway (yes, a Segway), and the collective heart of sports fans everywhere immediately dropped. Luckily, Bolt was fine and even in a joking mood after the incident. 

Per Owen Gibson of the Guardian, he said (in reference to rival Justin Gatlin), "He tried to kill me! I don't know what he was going on. It was like: 'You are winning too much – take him out!'"

'Fight of the Century' Letdown

JOHN GURZINSKI/Getty Images

The May 2 "Fight of the Century" between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao was long-awaited, to say the least. The welterweight matchup got so much hype, celebrities turned out in droves for the big event, and the pay-per-view numbers crushed previous records. 

Unfortunately, many deemed the actual bout a monumental letdown. Mayweather's defensive style made for an altogether ho-hum evening. Fans were so disappointed, some actually filed lawsuits to get their money back.

Colts Fake Punt

The Indianapolis Colts 2015 season hasn't exactly been stellar, but no single instance was worse than that fake punt attempt versus the New England Patriots in October.

Facing a 4th-and-3 in their own territory, the Colts lined up in an odd formation that left most of the team on the right side of the field and a wide receiver snapping the ball to a safety. 

Needless to say, it did not go well. Per Chris Chase of For the Win, in-game commentator Cris Collinsworth said, "We've seen a lot of bizarre stuff. I have never seen anything more bizarre than that. What was the plan? It had to be complete screw up!"

Professional athletes should never look that inept.

Chase Utley's Dirty Slide

Gregory Bull/Associated Press

During the National League Division Series in October, Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley slid into second base and injured New York Mets infielder Ruben Tejada in the process. 

Tejada suffered a broken leg, and David Schoenfield of ESPN wrote the slide was "clearly dirty and malicious." According to John Healy of the New York Daily News, Utley has a history of this type of thing.

Utley was suspended for two games, and the boos from Mets fans are probably still echoing in Queens.

DeAndre Jordan Saga

LM Otero/Associated Press

If the rest of sports history passes without another DeAndre Jordan-like free-agency story, fans everywhere should be grateful. 

The Los Angeles Clippers big man committed to joining the Dallas Mavericks over the summer but later wavered on the decision, igniting a saga that absurdly dominated sports news.

Jordan eventually opted to stay with the Clippers, a move that obviously angered folks in Dallas. The exasperating thing was not his decision, but rather the Mavs' inability to let it go. Dallas fans booed Jordan mercilessly when the Clips visited in November, the Mavs showed an animated video dedicated to trolling Jordan at their opener and the team Twitter account just can't leave it alone. 

The only funny thing about the entire ordeal turned out to be a now-famous Twitter emoji battle. 

Rash of Injured Superstars

Mike Stone/Getty Images

Injuries are an inevitable part of sports, but didn't it seem like there were more serious injuries than usual in 2015, particularly in the NFL? 

NBA superstars Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose and Kyrie Irving all suffered significant injuries in 2015. NHL phenom Connor McDavid broke his collarbone less than one month into his rookie season. 

The list of injured NFL superstars is too long to reproduce, but it includes star quarterbacks Tony Romo, Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck along with running backs Jamaal Charles and Le'Veon Bell. 

Stop the madness!

Miami vs. Duke Officiating

Perhaps no aspect of sport has had a rougher year than officiating. Particularly in football, gaffes and missed calls have astounded fans for the better part of the year. 

One of the most egregious scenes from the college game came at the end of the Miami vs. Duke matchup. 

Miami scored the game-winning touchdown on the last play, a play that included eight laterals and lasted 49 seconds. After the game, the ACC determined officials had made four errors on the play, including failing to call a runner down and missing an illegal block. The entire crew was suspended. 

It was certainly an exciting ending, but no one wants to see a game decided by the officials.

Dez Bryant Non-Catch

Matt Ludtke/Associated Press

Speaking of games decided by officials, Dez Bryant's catch/non-catch during the NFL playoffs in January was another play that doesn't need a sequel. The issue here wasn't so much an officiating gaffe, but the lack of a clear definition of rules.

The Dallas Cowboys wide receiver hauled in a crucial pass on fourth down, late in a close game against the Green Bay Packers. What followed became the poster-incident for a question that has haunted the NFL ever since: What is a catch? 

The Packers challenged the call on the field and won. Officials ruled Bryant hadn't possessed the ball long enough to deem the result a catch, per Ryan Wilson of CBSSports.com. 

The Packers went on to win, and the league still doesn't know what a catch is.

Teammate Scuffles

Greg Fiume/Getty Images

Teammate fights are not a good look for anyone, and 2015 provided some doozies we hope to never see again. 

For instance, in August, then-New York Jets linebacker IK Enemkpali sucker-punched quarterback Geno Smith in a locker room scuffle, according to Jill Martin of CNN. Smith ended up with a broken jaw, Enemkpali was released from the team and everyone should have been ashamed. 

In September, another embarrassing scene occurred in the Washington Nationals dugout. At the tail end of a disappointing season, reliever Jonathan Papelbon choked superstar outfielder Bryce Harper, unfortunately in full view of cameras.

Deflategate

Mark Lennihan/Associated Press

As far as ridiculous sports scandals go, Deflategate pretty much takes the cake. The events themselves weren't so much the problem, but the way things snowballed was over-the-top. The coverage of events absolutely dominated sports news to an absurd level. 

It started in January, when the Indianapolis Colts noticed something slightly off about a ball provided by the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.

There was an investigation, findings that quarterback Tom Brady was "at least generally aware" of equipment tampering, a suspension, a destroyed cell phone, an overturning of said suspension and an appeal that is still pending.

Let's not even get into the courtroom sketch.