Sports Redemption Stories We Are Totally Rooting for
Ronda Rousey is officially on the road to redemption. The former UFC women's bantamweight champion will seek to reclaim her crown from Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in December after losing it to Holly Holm in November 2015.
Like her or not, Rousey is a star, and her presence in her sport makes it more entertaining. Here's hoping her redemption story has a happy ending—and that she sticks around.
Rousey is not the only person in sports on the redemption path. In fact, the following 10 sports figures are all on that road—albeit at varying points—and something about each respective story makes it worth rooting for.
Key point: Athletes coming back from injuries don't need to redeem themselves, so these stories are of sports folks who faced other challenges, either instead of or in addition to injury issues—poor performance, a tough loss or even a firing, for example.
Can JaVale McGee shed that "bust" label? Hope so!
Clemson Tigers
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Clemson has put together a string of impressive seasons under head coach Dabo Swinney (two ACC titles and four division titles since 2009) but finally broke through to reach the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2015-16.
Unfortunately, they ran headfirst into Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide and lost the title game, 45-40, in heartbreaking fashion. Really, save one ultra-gutsy, fourth-quarter onside kick by Alabama, and the Tigers could have won it.
In 2016, Heisman contending quarterback Deshaun Watson is back, and Clemson is looking for redemption. It's already been a wild ride. There have been several close games, including an overtime thriller against NC State and a tight one against Louisville that was ultimately decided by less than a yard.
Of course, not all football fans are Clemson fans, but for the neutral bystander, there is some appeal to the idea of the Tigers redeeming that devastating loss. And Swinney does have that love-it-or-hate-it sort of youthful exuberance about him.
Devin Setoguchi
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Devin Setoguchi was drafted by the San Jose Sharks eighth overall in the 2005 NHL entry draft. In 2008-09, he scored 31 goals and 65 points.
Alas, his totals went down from there—falling to 41 points in 2010-11 and 27 in 2013-14—and he "also struggled with an alcohol problem and depression," per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). Setoguchi bounced around to several other teams and was sent to the AHL by the Calgary Flames in late 2014.
After almost two years out of the NHL, the Los Angeles Kings signed Setoguchi to a one-year, two-way contract in October.
Kings coach Darryl Sutter said, per Josh Cooper of Yahoo Sports, "He can still play at a high pace. Not all players have the great desire to do that every day. He's still here, so that means he's got a good assessment."
Setoguchi said, per Cooper, "I mean, when you're on a PTO, you never know which day could be your last day. You just go out and play and you leave it all out there and you can't hold anything back."
Come on, who wouldn't root for this guy?
JaVale McGee
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JaVale McGee was drafted at No. 18 by the Washington Wizards in 2008. In 2012, NBA Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon said, "That guy should dominate the league," per Mark Berman for MyFoxHouston.com (via Kurt Helin of NBC Sports).
McGee's career hasn't exactly lived up to expectations. The center played well early on—averaging 10.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game in 2010-11 with Washington. He has since bounced around, however, and averaged just 5.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.8 blocks with the Dallas Mavericks in 2015-16.
And yet, he could get another shot with the Golden State Warriors in 2016-17, a team that said goodbye to centers Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli in the offseason. Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "Now a training-camp invitee hoping to revive his career with the Warriors, McGee is intent on following coaches' instructions."
Warriors guard/forward Andre Iguodala said of McGee, "Talk to some different people, GMs, front office people. He's so much better than a lot of these guys who got paid this past year. Like, so much better," per Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com.
McGee secured the Warriors' final roster spot, so fans will get to see if he can turn that "bust" label around. Could be fun.
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Sam Bradford
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In July, Teddy Bridgewater was the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, and Sam Bradford was staring down the barrel of the bench with the Philadelphia Eagles.
In October, the Vikings are 5-0 through Week 6, and Bradford has started four of those games. In those four games, he has thrown for 990 yards, six touchdowns, zero interceptions and completed 70.4 (!) percent of his passes. Who could have predicted that one?
Bradford, a former No. 1 draft pick, has not exactly had the career many expected—injuries affected his playing time with the St. Louis Rams (even forcing him to miss the entire 2014 season), and when he has played, his overall numbers have been meh (60.7 completion percentage and 82.5 passer rating).
Still, minus that little hissy fit when the Eagles traded up to draft a QB, Bradford has generally been a likable guy. So it's kind of cool to see him succeed in Minnesota, right?
Beyond just Bradford, it's a nice change of pace that the loss of their starting QB (Bridgewater) and star running back (Adrian Peterson) hasn't completely derailed the Vikings' season.
Oklahoma City Thunder
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OK, some basketball fans—namely, those of Western Conference teams—are probably not rooting for the Oklahoma City Thunder to avenge its loss in the Western Conference Finals.
That said, folks who subscribe to the new "Warriors are supervillains" line of thinking might be keen to see what OKC can do sans Kevin Durant.
Durant broke a lot of hearts when he left for the Golden State Warriors in free agency. Now, there are more than a few basketball fans who would probably like nothing more than to see his new team crash and burn.
Enter, the Thunder. Russell Westbrook opted to stay in OKC, signing a renegotiated contract that could keep him around for three additional years. With Durant, the Thunder made the playoffs in six of the past seven years. In 2016, they lost in devastating fashion to the Warriors after going up 3-1 in the conference finals.
So, for those who suddenly despise Durant, wouldn't it be sweet justice to see his former team take him down? And for those who think hating a basketball player for making the right decision for himself personally is, well, ridiculous—wouldn't it still be fun to see the Thunder give the Dubs a run for their money in the West?
Face it—a good OKC team makes the NBA more fun for everyone.
Matt Bush
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The San Diego Padres selected Matt Bush, then a shortstop, first overall in the 2004 MLB draft. Twelve years later, he finally made his big league debut, as a pitcher.
Bush bounced around a few farm systems and dealt with off-field issues, including several instances involving alcohol. In 2012, he was sentenced to 51 months in prison for a drunk driving incident.
While in prison, Bush told Fox Sports (via Ryan Spaeder of Sporting News), "I still have the dream of playing again. I still feel like I can play. But I clearly understand that I might have had all of my chances and opportunities already."
In December 2015, the Texas Rangers signed him, and less than a year later, he was pitching in the American League Division Series. In the 2016 regular season, Bush pitched 61.2 innings of relief and recorded a 2.48 ERA.
Bush's story is already one of redemption, but here's hoping there's more to come for the 30-year-old. His contract with the Rangers was a one-year minor league deal, so, TBD.
Tom Thibodeau
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One could argue Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau doesn't need redemption—the Chicago Bulls made five consecutive playoff appearances under his leadership.
And yet, he was fired—unceremoniously—by the team after the 2014-15 season. In a statement, Bulls Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said, "When everyone is on the same page, trust develops and teams can grow and succeed together. Unfortunately, there has been a departure from this culture," via Chris Mannix of SI.com.
Now, heading into the 2016-17 NBA season, the defensive-minded Thibs is working with a stacked young Minnesota team that includes two Rookies of the Year in Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, as well as No. 5 draft pick Kris Dunn.
The results of the NBA's annual survey of general managers showed "the Wolves are seen as the favorite to be the most improved team in the league" and "Kris Dunn is being picked as the Rookie of the Year" per Derek Wetmore of 1500espn.com.
Again, Thibodeau doesn't necessarily need redemption on the court, but building a title contender in Minnesota would be a great way to follow up a termination in Chicago.
Mario Balotelli
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In June 2016, Adam Shergold of Mail Online wrote, "Mario Balotelli is 25 and he is unwanted, unloved and a little washed up."
According to Shergold, the Italian striker had failed to live up to the high expectations placed upon him as a 21-year-old Premier League champion with Manchester City in 2012. Balotelli did stints with A.C. Milan and Liverpool, but his time with Liverpool ended when manager Jurgen Klopp opted not to include him in future plans.
Balotelli was transferred to the Ligue 1 club OGC Nice in September, and he's been on the road to redemption ever since.
In early October, Julien Laurens of ESPNFC wrote:
"He now has scored 6 goals in 5 games in all competitions. Even in his wildest dreams, the Italian striker would have never thought he would start his career in France like this. Actually, no one, not even the most optimistic of Nice fans, not the club's president Jean-Pierre Rivère or the manager Lucien Favre could have dreamed this start. Balotelli was a gamble and it's paid off already.
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Balotelli has been a polarizing figure at times because of his bold personality, but he is a talented player, and his resurgence is a fun one to watch.
Ronda Rousey
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UFC fighter Ronda Rousey is scheduled to make her long-awaited return to the Octagon at UFC 207 in December, taking on reigning bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes.
At that time, over one year will have elapsed since Rousey relinquished her bantamweight crown to Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November 2015. Since then, there has been much speculation about when (and even if) Rousey would return. New UFC fighter Cris "Cyborg" Justino has been particularly vocal about calling Rousey out in an attempt to line up a fight.
UFC President Dana White called Rousey "the biggest star ever," in an interview with Hot 97 (via Andreas Hale of Yahoo Sports). Given that, wouldn't it be nice to see Rousey return to her former glory?
And even if you're not on that bandwagon, wouldn't it just be fun to see her win so the UFC drama could continue? According to the Houston Chronicle's Jeremy Botter, White said "if Ronda beats Nunes, the Cyborg fight will 'definitely' happen."
Even Conor McGregor seems to be rooting for her. The Irish fighter told Mike Dyce of SI.com, "I wish Ronda nothing but the best, it's good to see her back...Go and shut these people up now. Go and get what you began back. I'm excited to see how it unfolds."
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