Here are what I consider the top sports moments of 2016:
8. College Basketball
UCONN Women win Fourth Straight
The dominance was there for the UCONN women, as they took their fourth straight title as their outgoing graduates carried the torch.
Meanwhile on the Men’s side Villanova used every second of the game to beat UNC, and won it on a buzzer beater that kept water coolers buzzing.
7. Warriors win 73
A year after winning the Championship, the Warriors set a single-season record for games won.
But in an NBA Finals rematch against the Cavaliers they just couldn’t win the games that mattered most.
6. Lebron
As much as I might not be able to stand Lebron The Person, there is no disputing what Lebron The Player is able to do on the court. And he went ahead and brought Cleveland their first Championship in 52 years.
5. Peyton Manning Rides Off In Style
Peyton Manning may have had the worst year of his career, but the Broncos helped him ride off into the sunset, with a win in Super Bowl 50.
4. Michael Phelps
Continuing to set his Olympic Records, Phelps reached 28 career medals (including 23 Golds) as his dominance in the pool went swimmingly (amongst the men).
3. Soccer Reigns Supreme
Soccer as a whole took the world by storm this year, with three major moments standing out.
- Leicester City overcame 5000-to-1 odds and won the English Premier League
- Cristiano Ronaldo may have left early with an injury, but Portugal took the title at Euro 2016
- Lionel Messi missed his chance in penalty kicks and Chile took the cup at the COPA America Centenario
2. Katie Ledecky
She destroyed the field in the 800m, beating everyone else (and setting the world record) by 12 seconds. It’s amazing that the human body is still able to evolve to such levels. She also walked away with four gold medals at the Rio 2016 games.
1. Chicago Cubs
The Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years, passing the drought off to their opponent (the Cleveland Indians who now have a 68 year wait). No city has waited that long, and lived and died with their team over the years, then the curse of the Billy Goat.
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