10 Sports Battles We'll Soon Be Missing
What would sports be without a constant string of battles that keep the masses entertained? Athletes across all walks of life fight tooth and nail on a weekly, nightly or daily basis. And often times, fans fall in love with these conflicts.
As the landscape of sports changes and athletes retire or move on, the hardened battles we get used to watching, soon dissipate.
The focus here was selecting 10 battles that we'll miss the most when 2016 concludes. This list spans from coaches to athletes and to teams that are currently chasing history.
Understanding the criteria necessary to qualify, it's time now to start the slideshow.
Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning
1 of 10
Anyone who has had the privilege of watching Tom Brady and Peyton Manning clash, should consider himself or herself lucky. Between the two of them, they've played in a combined 10 Super Bowls.
These two men, arguably the two greatest quarterbacks of all time, also played against one another 17 times—Brady won 11 times while Manning left the rivalry with six victories.
Bill Bender of the Sporting News revisited some of the best duels these guys underwent against each other. Reading back on all of the epic clashes is surreal considering that Manning decided to walk away from the sport earlier this offseason.
Now that Manning is off enjoying the world of retirement, we can say it loud and proud: Brady vs. Manning is a sports battle the world will genuinely miss.
Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James
2 of 10
You could mark this slide "Kobe Bryant vs. Everyone," but we all know the one athlete we're going to miss Bryant clash with the most when he retires after this season is LeBron James.
James' and Bryant's careers intersected when Bryant was at the top of the world and James was on the come up. In the 22 times that the two stepped onto the same court—not counting All-Star Games—James prevailed in 16 contests. Bryant, on other hand, enjoyed just six wins.
Unlike the NFL, it's not purely about the head-to-head record. It's about the brilliance we watched unfold. These two always brought out the best in each other.
Take Bryant's average of 24.6 points per game or James' 28.2 mark in these matches. Statistical brilliance like that is what we'll crave the most.
Basketball tends to be more of an individual sport than say, football. Because of that, we're going to desperately miss the camaraderie and competition each Bryant vs. James battle brought us.
Tiger Woods vs. the Masters
3 of 10
It's tough to come to grips with the fact that Tiger Woods' career probably won't ever be the same again. Remember, Woods hasn't won a major tournament in eight years—his last win came at the 2008 U.S. Open.
Though he hasn't been a factor as of late, every time the Masters nears, it's that much harder to process.
Woods' four wins at Augusta always captured his allure within the golf world. Visions of his famous red shirt, Nike attire and smooth stroke represented everything great about Tiger.
Today, we don't have any of that to relish over, and it looks like the 2016 Masters could once again be without Woods. Attempting to rehab from an injury, the progress he has made so far doesn't look like it will ready him for this year's tournament, according to Robby Kalland of CBS Sports.
Assuming he doesn't play, Woods taking on the field at Augusta is going to be a battle golf fans will miss in 2016.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Daniel Bryan vs. The Authority
4 of 10
Daniel Bryan's WWE career officially ended on Feb. 8th. Bryan took the ending segment of WWE Raw to announce his retirement. Medical reasons—a severe history of concussions—ended a brilliant in-ring career.
Besides his charisma, persona and ability to capture the pulse of a crowd, we'll feverishly miss the clashes Bryan had with Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and the rest of The Authority.
Bryan became the heart and soul of the company. His anti-Authority push toward WrestleMania XXX was perhaps the single greatest piece of storytelling to come along in a decade.
It's tough to watch your favorite athlete walk away from his or her respective field; Bryan's departure from the WWE personifies that feeling.
His constant nudging and defiant attitude against the WWE brass was always a source of joy.
Calvin Johnson vs. Defensive Backs
5 of 10
Calvin Johnson's decision to walk away from the National Football League was tough to comprehend. He was still performing at a high level, and at age 30, there seemed to be a lot left in the tank.
But respecting Johnson's choice is important.
Loyalists of the Detroit Lions and football fans in general will miss Johnson's decimation of defensive backs. The 6'5" pass catcher hauled in 731 balls over his career that resulted in 11,619 yards receiving and 83 touchdowns.
He skied above countless secondaries, and in the process, set the NFL record for most receiving yards in a single season with 1,964.
Placing a sad emoji before this sentence is necessary. Megatron won't be in an NFL uniform next season. Not many things are worse than that.
Floyd Mayweather vs. the World
6 of 10
It's not unfathomable to think that Floyd Mayweather eventually will return to a boxing ring. He told BBC World Service Sport that big-money proposals have already come rolling in.
But if he chooses to stay retired, we'll continue to miss his robust personality and big-fight performances.
Mayweather's 49-0 record isn't loaded with knockouts; he's not that type of fighter. But between his bravado and star power, he has remained a huge draw for fight fans. Take his 2015 showdown with Manny Pacquiao for example. That event drew over $400 million in revenue and obliterated pay-per-view buy records, per HBO and Showtime (h/t ESPN's Dan Rafael).
People will pine for him to get back into the ring until a new star emerges. That's how life in the fight game tends to work.
Marshawn Lynch vs. Defenses
7 of 10
Early retirement has become a trending story of the 2016 NFL offseason. Calvin Johnson wasn't the only one who walked away from the game he loves.
Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch decided it was time to hang it up as well at age 29. After six seasons in Seattle—and four prior years with the Buffalo Bills—the always-entertaining tailback left the only way he knew how: By posting a picture on Twitter of his neon green cleats hanging high above a power line.
At least there will be memories—great memories—of Lynch bulldozing through defenses. Memories like his playoff-winning, planet-rattling run against the New Orleans Saints in 2011—the run that created Lynch's "Beast Mode" persona.
He continued that ferocious streak over the remaining years of his career, capturing a victory in Super Bowl XLVIII to go along with 9,112 career rushing yards and 83 total touchdowns.
There will never be anyone like Lynch again. Not being able to watch his barbaric running style take apart defenses on Sundays will be one less thing to enjoy.
David Ortiz vs. New York Yankees
8 of 10
David Ortiz announced he would retire at the end of the 2016 MLB season. That means this will be the last time people will get to watch Big Papi rip the long ball against teams like the New York Yankees.
The big man who first came to Boston in 2003 has yet to cease power even at age 40. His 503 career home runs places him No. 27 on the all-time list. That's a good sign for things to come.
Red Sox fans will miss Ortiz's propensity for pop. Yankee fans won't. Kate Feldman of the New York Daily News explored all of the punishment Ortiz has dished out to the Bronx Bombers over the years. Highlights include 47 home runs and MVP honors during the 2004 ALCS.
Big Papi's final season means his conquering days are coming to a close. No matter what side of the fence your loyalties lay, Ortiz's presence will be missed.
Chip Kelly vs. Philadelphia Eagles
9 of 10
Chip Kelly may currently be the San Francisco 49ers head coach, but prior to that, he spent the better part of three seasons as the media-glomming, organization-fighting patriarch of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Kelly's issues with the Eagles players and front office will be sorely missed from a media perspective—although, Eagles fans would probably disagree.
Public qualms with DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy—to name a few—resulted in their departure from the Eagles organization.
Mark Eckel of NJ.com covered all of the fallout. He pointed to serious infighting between owner Jeffrey Lurie, Kelly and Howie Roseman. That conflict led to Kelly's firing.
Now relocated to the West Coast, Kelly's unique brand of football and organizational battles are nothing but a faded, convoluted memory that haunts the City of Brotherly Love.
Golden State Warriors vs. 1995-96 Chicago Bulls
10 of 10
This is the only slide you'll see that represents a hypothetical battle. Stephen Curry's Golden State Warriors are currently in hot pursuit of Michael Jordan's 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' 72-10 regular-season record.
At 60-6, the Warriors have a strong chance to conquer the Bulls' mark. At this point in their historic campaign, the Bulls were 59-7, per NBA.com.
But with Curry averaging 30.4 points, 6.5 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game—not to mention opening up a discussion about moving back the three-point line, as FiveThirtyEight put forth—the record could easily fall.
Whether the Warriors get there or not remains to be seen. The fact remains, this storyline has captivated the sports world. Assuming they aren't able to get this close again—the Bulls won 69 games the following season—we'll certainly miss the chase and all the drama that has gone along with it.
All stats and information via Sports-Reference.com, unless noted otherwise.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
