2024 is almost over, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most amazing sporting seasons in recent memory. From the Olympics to championship droughts ending in memorable clashes across multiple leagues and sports, 2024 has been one of the best years for sports fans in a long time.
However, just because it passes, does not mean it must be forgotten. We have technology after all: videos and photos that allow us to relive those memories time after time. So, before we start looking forward to 2025, why don’t we look back at the last 365 days? Here are the times and highlights of the year.
The best sports moments of 2024
10) The Kings win their second Super Bowl in a row
It had been a long time since we’d seen a back-to-back Super Bowl champion. In fact, we hadn’t seen one in twenty years, but the Kings are a different animal altogether. They have dominated the league since Patrick Mahomes became their starting quarterback. And last year, they won their third title in five years after a thrilling overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
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9) Amazing Raygun schedule
The 2024 Paris Olympics were full of memorable moments. But the first year that breakdancing was introduced to the Olympics was also the last, thanks to the viral Australian dance.
Rachael Gunn, better known as Raygun, the Australian women’s competition hotshot, surprisingly lost all three of her Olympic bouts, however she stole the show and will forever be in history of the Olympics.
8) Jim Harbaugh leads Michigan to its first national championship since 1997
The sign-stealing scandal aside, it’s hard to ignore how quickly Jim Harbaugh turned the Michigan football program around. They were 5-7 the year before Harbaugh’s tenure. They won ten games in his first year with the university, which culminated in a Citrus Bowl victory.
Fittingly, his tenure there ended with an undefeated season and Michigan’s first national championship of the 21st century. Even now, with Harbaugh gone, the Wolverines can’t match the magic they had during his tenure. Their 7-5 record before the ReliaQuest Bowl is their worst regular season finish in a full season since … 2014, the year before Harbaugh arrived.
7) Simone Biles conquers the “twisties” to win four medals in Paris
Simone Biles is widely regarded as the greatest gymnast who ever lived, but her performance at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics has been shrouded in controversy, with some considering her decision to to break free without being such a fierce competitor. Regardless of his reasons, it was great to see him in action in 2024, not only competing but dominating the competition, earning three medals (including the all-around) and a silver. , which added to his already brilliant performance.
6) Shohei Ohtani becomes baseball’s first member of the 50-50 team
Shohei Ohtani is the greatest baseball player in the world. Even when he can’t play, he makes history.
Coming into 2024, some people weren’t sure how important Ohtani would be in his first year with the Dodgers. The change in appearance could hurt some players (although it was across town this time), and without Ohtani’s arm to support his bat, would the first year of Ohtani’s massive $700 contract A million would be disappointing? Absolutely not.
He didn’t even need to play the field to win MVP. Why? Because he was too busy recreating the record books. With this home run against the Miami Marlins, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.
Oh, and in this same game, he went 6-for-6 with three homers, two stolen bases, and 10 RBI.
5) “This devil named Curry is hurting us”
Everyone expected the United States to dominate basketball in the 2024 Olympics. However, the US men’s team faced more pressure than expected when they faced France in the gold medal game.
From a narrow victory over Serbia, the Americans seemed to be dying, and France wanted to take full advantage, trailing by just six going into the fourth quarter. The French had a chance to swing in their favor, but Mr. Wardell Stephen Curry had other plans, hitting three straight points in the last three minutes of the game, which which prompted French broadcasters to quote the cartoon’s line: “le diable nomé Curry nous fait du mal,” meaning “The devil named Curry hurts us.”
4) Noah Lyles wins gold in the 100 meter dash
In contrast to the men’s basketball event, much of the talk was about whether Noah Lyles could win gold for the United States in the 100 meters. The United States had not won gold since 2004, but Lyles was he felt different. Something about his swim, his pre-race finish, and his confidence made the Americans feel like their time to dominate the field was coming again.
However, when the race started, many people felt tired. Lyles fell back quickly, but in the blink of an eye, he was catching up. In the end, everyone believed Kishane Thompson of Jamaica had won, even the NBC cameraman. However, after watching the replay, Lyles got his foot in before Thompson, giving him the gold.
3) Caitlin Clark, Iowa gets revenge on Angel Reese, LSU
2024 was Caitlin Clark’s year. Whether it was winning the WNBA Rookie of the Year by unanimous vote, helping lead the Indiana Fever to the playoffs, or being named the AP Athlete of the Year, Clark had many moments. suitable to make this list. However, it was his performance in the NCAA quarterfinals, against Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers that topped them all.
A year after losing the national championship to LSU, Clark and the Hawkeyes got their revenge, knocking off the Tigers in the Elite Eight. Clark scored 41 points in the win, nearly twice as many as the next highest scorer (LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson, 23) to advance Iowa to the Final Four.
2) The Florida Panthers win their first Stanley Cup
The Edmonton Oilers boast two of the best hockey players in the world in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. However, that didn’t matter to the Florida Panthers. After falling short of the Atlantic Division title and nearly blowing a 3-0 series lead in the Finals, the Panthers were able to win Game 7 and come close to winning their first Stanley Cup Cup.
1) Freddie Freeman walks off Game 1 of the World Series with a grand slam
Yankees-Dodgers. There’s rarely a more iconic game than the World Series, and Game 1 was right up there with the classics.
After the Dodgers tied the game 2-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, extra innings were needed to determine who it was. It looked like the Yankees would emerge victorious after Jazz Chisholm pitched the top of the tenth. With two outs in the tenth and runners on second and third, the Yankees decided to walk Mookie Betts on purpose to bring up Freddie Freeman. The rest is history.
Freeman’s homer was the first grand slam in World Series history. He would go on to win the World Series MVP after slashing .300/.364/1.000 with four home runs, three triples, and twelve RBIs.
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