As always, the sports' world brings many great moments year in and year out. Sports remind us of who we are and the competitive spirit that lives in all of us. The best part about that, is that it happens every single year.
Here is a recap of some of the major sporting events that took place in the year of 2021.
January 2021: Alabama Takes Home the National Championship
(Photo from: DraftKings)
In the 2021 College Football National Championship game, the number 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide and the number 3 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes squared off. Prior to the game, Alabama defeated the number 4 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish to make it into the National Championship while Ohio State defeated the number 2 ranked Clemson Tigers.
The Crimson Tide made near quick work of the Buckeyes, defeating them by a score of 52-24. With this win, Alabama head coach Nick Saban his 7th National Championship, which broke the record previously held by former Alabama head coach Bear Bryant.
February 2021: The Buccaneers Win Super Bowl LV
(Photo from: Mark LoMoglio/Associated Press)
This year's NFL Playoffs featured an outcome that we have seen many different times before. 7 times to be exact. A Tom Brady-led NFL team came out on top and won the Super Bowl. This year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs faced off in Super Bowl LV. The Buccaneers were in control throughout the whole game as their defensive line sound not stop getting to Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes as the Chiefs offensive line kept collapsing. It did not help that the Chiefs were missing Pro Bowl O-Lineman Eric Fisher.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 31-9. Buccaneers QB Tom Brady took home Super Bowl MVP honors, putting up a stat line of 201 passing yards and three passing touchdowns. This made Brady the oldest player to ever win Super Bowl MVP. Along with this, Brady took home his 7th Super Bowl Ring.
April 2021: Baylor Shoots the Lights Out in March Madness
(Photo from: AS)
As always, March Madness delivers its fair share of surprises each tournament that it has. This past National Championship, that case was no different.
The 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship featured the Baylor Bears and the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Both teams were ranked number 1 in their respective regions. Prior to this game, the Gonzaga Bulldogs were 31-0 on the season and looking to complete their undefeated year with a National Championship. It is also worth noting that Gonzaga were 4.5 point favorites to win the game.
However, throughout most of the game, Baylor was in control and took controlling leads. Within the first ten minutes of the game, Baylor had a 29-10 lead over the Gonzaga Bullgdogs. Their biggest lead of the game was at 20 points and they had never looked back. They have never trailed during this whole game. Baylor's three point shooting during this game was a sight to see. They began the game shooting 5-for-5 from the three point line and finished 10-22 from beyond the arc. Even when the shots weren't falling, Baylor was still a force. They collected 16 offensive rebounds and played great defense. For Baylor, Jared Butler scored 22 points while MaCio Teague and Davion Mitchell followed him with 19 and 15 to lead Baylor to an 86-70 National Championship victory.
This was Baylor's first ever National Basketball Championship.
June 2021: The Milwaukee Bucks Win the NBA Finals
(Photo from: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
To continue the theme of the year of having new champions (or at least teams that have not won a title in a long time), we have the Milwaukee Bucks taking the 2021 NBA Title over the Phoenix Suns by a score of 4 games to 2.
This finals matchup was a breath of fresh air for NBA fans worldwide. After a decade of the NBA Finals featuring one of LeBron James, the Golden State Warriors, the San Antonio Spurs, or the Miami Heat, it was nice for fans to see two small market teams in the NBA Finals.
The Milwaukee Bucks came into the NBA Playoffs as the number 3 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 46-26 win-loss record. The Phoenix Suns came into the Playoffs as the number 2 seed in the Western Conference with a 51-21 win-loss record. To make it to the NBA Finals, the Bucks defeated the Miami Heat, theBrooklyn Nets, and the Atlanta Hawks. The Suns defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, the Denver Nuggets, and the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Milwaukee Bucks ended up defeating the Phoenix Suns 4 games to 2. Giannis Antetokounmpo walked away with the NBA Finals MVP honors.
July-August 2021: The Tokyo Olympics Take Place, Suni Lee Wins Olympic Gold
(Photo from: Tim Clayton-Corbis/Getty Images)
After a year of delay due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics were finally able to kick off on July 23, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. 206 nations sent their best athletes for the games in effort to win as many Olympic medals as possible, ultimately, Olympic Gold.
To give a brief summarization on the medal count, the United States came in first at the total medal count with 113 medals won. They also came in first in total gold medals won with 39. China came in second with 38 gold medals and 88 total medals while Japan came in third with 27 gold medals but came in fifth in total medals won with 58.
These Olympics also brought out a new Olympic superstar from the United States in 18-year-old Suni Lee from Minnesota. Suni Lee won gold in the Women's Artistic Individual All-Around Gymnastics event of the 2020 Summer Olympics. Suni's success at the games led to more opportunity and recognition for her. Prior to the Olympics, she had committed to Auburn to continue her gymnastics career.
October 2021: The Atlanta Braves Win World Series
(Photo from: Thomas Shea/USA Today Sports)
This champion was likely this most unlikely champion in the year 2021. Through the MLB All-Star Break, the Braves had a 44-45 win-loss record and sat in the middle of the NL East. The Braves ended the season with an 88-73 record and made it into the MLB Postseason along with winning the NL East division. On their way to the World Series, the Braves defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in the Divisional Round, and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.
In the World Series, the Braves were met with a matchup with the Houston Astros. They came in as underdogs to the 95-67 Astros. However, the Braves defeated the Astros by a score of 4 games to 2. Freddie Freeman, who has been a member of the Braves since 2010, was named World Series MVP.
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