"Jcarr" (jcarr)
11/21/2016 at 15:28 • Filed to: Sprots
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"Jcarr" (jcarr)
11/21/2016 at 15:28 • Filed to: Sprots | 1
| 9 |
I was just
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
and realized that—holy crap—2016 has been an incredible year for sports.
My vote goes to the Cubs because I’ve been a fan all my life, but I thought it’d be fun to poll Oppo. So, who ya got?
Michael Phelps
The most decorated athlete in Olympic history added to his incomprehensible haul at the Rio Games. Phelps’s six medals this summer increased his overall medal total to 28, including 23 gold. No other athlete in any sport has more than nine gold medals at the Olympics. In his final race before retirement—we think—Phelps led the U.S. to victory in the 400-meter medley relay. Hollywood finish.
Chicago Cubs
This was finally the year. After finishing the regular season with 103 wins—the most in baseball—and a division title, the Cubs downed the Dodgers for the franchise’s first pennant since 1945, then rallied from a 3–1 deficit in the best-of-seven World Series against the Indians to end a championship drought that stretched back to 1908. Featuring NL MVP Kris Bryant, slugging first baseman Anthony Rizzo, dynamic young infielder Javier Baez and baseball’s best rotation—fronted by veteran ace Jon Lester—the Cubs became heroes to Chicago, making history with their dominant run to a title.
Simone Biles
Already a legend in the making, the 19-year-old gymnast entered the 2016 season as the reigning national champion, but it was at the Rio Olympics where she really shined. Biles took home five medals from the Summer Games—including four golds, the most won by an American female gymnast in a single Olympics—and led the Final Five to their second consecutive team all-around gold medal, further cementing her position a one of the best ever.
Usain Bolt
Arguably the greatest sprinter of all time went out on top in his final Olympics at the Rio Games, winning his ninth Olympic gold medal. With his three golds in Rio, Bolt completed an unprecedented feat, winning the 100-meter, 200-meter and 4x100-meter relay at three consecutive Olympic Games, dating back to Beijing 2008. Bolt also became the second most successful Olympian of all time, across all sports, second to only Michael Phelps.
LeBron James
If coming home wasn’t enough, LeBron James gave the city of Cleveland something it hadn’t experienced in 52 years: a championship. In improbable fashion, LeBron and the Cavs rallied from a 3–1 deficit to dethrone Steph Curry and the Warriors in the NBA Finals. The victory marked the third title and Finals MVP of LeBron’s storied career, taking his legacy to even further heights.
Breanna Stewart
Is she the greatest women’s college basketball player of alltime? Well, that’s open for debate. What is not open for the debate is Stewart is her sport’s greatest winner. The 6'4" forward, who now places for the WNBA’s Seattle Storm, led the University of Connecticut to four consecutive NCAA titles. She was part of 151 victories and only five losses and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four an unprecedented four times.
Katie Ledecky
The 19-year-old U.S. swimmer made more than a splash in her second Olympics in Rio. She crushed her own world records, won five medals and became the first woman to sweep the 200, 400 and 800 freestyle events in 48 years, and only the third U.S. woman in history to win four gold medals in a single Olympics. Ledecky is now at Stanford University—shattering NCAA records there, too—and as the current world record holder in three events, she is on the list of most dominant athletes alive .
Vin Scully
The bard of baseball put down his microphone after 67 years in the booth, a career that saw the 88-year-old Scully interact with Connie Mack and Corey Seager. We will never see another like him. Scully worked alone for much of his time as a commentator and was rightfully feted for his years as a poet-philosopher, the most beloved person in baseball, now and forever.
Steph Curry
Steph Curry turned in a hell of an encore on the heels of the Warriors’ 2015 title. Curry led Golden State to an NBA-record 73 wins, breaking Michael Jordan’s 1996 Bulls record and forever etching his name in the history books. He also led the league in scoring (30.1 points per game), shattered the season three-point record (402), won MVP, carried the Warriors back to the Finals and made every game must-see television with his array of highlight threes and dimes.
Leicester City F.C.
At now-famous 5,000-1 preseason odds, Leicester City’s 2015-16 English Premier League title should have been impossible. During an era when the EPL elite is confined to a select few, Leicester’s fearless Foxes relied on the perfect combination of overlooked stars, a consistent rotation and a carefree manager to stun the soccer world and become the sixth team to win a title in the EPL era. But no championship, anywhere, has ever been less likely.
Jimmie Johnson
By winning the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, 41-year-old Johnson captured his seventh NASCAR Cup championship, equaling the career record held by the sport’s two biggest legends, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. Johnson has now won 80 races over the course of his career and he’s earned those victories in perhaps the most competitive era in the sport, further solidifying his place among NASCAR’s best.
Von Miller
The 27-year-old was the center of Denver’s defense in Super Bowl 50, after 2.5 sacks of Panthers’ quarterback Cam Newton, including two game-changing strip sacks in the first and fourth quarters that sealed the Broncos’ 24-10 victory. His performance earned him Super Bowl MVP, only the third linebacker to win the award, and he quickly rose to stardom. This season, he’s racked up 9.5 sacks through Week 11.
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SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> Jcarr
11/21/2016 at 15:36 |
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Where’s Max Verstappen? Isn’t he supposed to win all of these immediately whenever the poll appears?
Matt Nichelson
> Jcarr
11/21/2016 at 15:52 |
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If it were any other year, it would go to Phelps or Stewart and if we were not in the US it would go to Leicester. However, we are in the US and it is 2016, so it will go to the Cubs.
Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
> Jcarr
11/21/2016 at 16:00 |
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Kris Meeke
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Jcarr
> Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
11/21/2016 at 16:04 |
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Had to Google. Not a good sign.
TheJWT
> Jcarr
11/21/2016 at 16:07 |
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Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen
> Jcarr
11/21/2016 at 16:20 |
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‘Muricans won’t care, but at an international level the All Blacks would have to be contenders. Current Workd Champions, just ended a world record 18 game winning streak, and according to no less an authority than the Economist, the most dominant rugby team in history. http://www.economist.com/blogs/gametheory/2016/11/kiwi-kings?fsrc=scn/tw_ec/the_current_all_blacks_are_the_most_dominant_rugby_side_ever_why_
Mercedes Streeter
> Jcarr
11/21/2016 at 16:33 |
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Insane Bolt :D
RyanFrew
> Jcarr
11/21/2016 at 16:42 |
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If this were actually about the biggest sports miracles of 2016, it would go to Leicester City, hands down.
As a Cleveland fan, LeBron doesn’t deserve it this year, despite the 3-1 comeback. The fact is that LeBron is arguably the best basketball player ever, whereas Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, and Michael Phelps are unquestionably the GOATs of their respective sports. Breanna Stewart has the same problem LeBron does.
The Cubs ceasing to suck shouldn’t be all that newsworthy, imo. They had a big payroll and they won. It was exciting, but it doesn’t compare to some of the others.
Vin Scully can’t overshadow the best year in the history of sports with a retirement. Sorry.
No one cares enough about NASCAR or NFL Defensive players.
LOL at Steph Curry.
My votes:
Leicester City
Simone Biles
Katie Ledecky
Michael Phelps
Usain Bolt
LeBron James (ending Cleveland’s total drought was bigger than one team’s; this one was close against the Cubs, though)
Chicago Cubs
Breanna Stewart
Jimmie Johnson
Von Miller
Vin Scully
Steph Curry
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RyanFrew
> Matt Nichelson
11/21/2016 at 16:46 |
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Proximity to the event matters, too. Cleveland ending its championship drought and becoming the first-ever team to come back from 3-1 in the NBA Finals was a better story than the Cubs. The story lines were crazy. LeBron being the first to lead in Points, Assists, Blocks, Rebounds, and Steals across both teams? Playing the against the winningest team in NBA regular season history, featuring the first unanimous MVP? But it was in June.