By: Burke De Boer Sports Editor
2016 may go down as the best year in the history of sports.
In terms of historical significance and sheer entertainment, the year had highlights all across the board.
At the beginning of the year, the NFL was caught in the throes of the Carolina Panthers. They were a cocky team with the talent to back it up, having suffered only one loss in the 2015 campaign and being widely regarded as Super Bowl favorites. They lost to the Broncos in the farewell game of Peyton Manning. One of the most incredible quarterbacks in history, Manning had long been in decline as a player. Despite this, the Sheriff went out on top.
The English Premier League has seen dominance of the “Big Four” for well over a decade now, with Chelsea, Arsenal and the Manchesters regularly filling the top four spots on the table at the end of the year. But for the first time in their 132 years as an organized club, Leicester City, only recently promoted to the Premier League, won the championship.
In June, the Cleveland Cavaliers faced the Carolina Panthers of the NBA. The Golden State Warriors were reigning champs and had broken the Chicago Bulls’ regular season wins record. LeBron James had rings from his time in Miami, but returned to Cleveland to “win one for the land.” In the best of seven series, the Cavs fell behind 1-3, then clawed their way back to bring the city of Cleveland its first sports title in 52 years.
In the Canadian Football League, the Calgary Stampeders played some of the best ball of all time, many calling them the greatest Canadian team in history. Their championship opponent, the Ottawa RedBlacks, represented a city that hadn’t won the Grey Cup since 1976. Their aging quarterback was on his last days of professional play, and to top it off they had barely scraped into the playoffs, not even amassing a winning record in the regular season. Onside kicks and goal line stands took the game to overtime, where the RedBlacks clinched the win.
Vols’ devil magic ruled the first half of the college football season. The Tennessee Volunteers battled back from near-losses to Appalachian State, Florida and Georgia before succumbing in second overtime to a Texas A&M team that had itself come from behind.
Elsewhere in college football, the Beavers beat the Ducks to end the longest winning streak in Civil War history at eight years. Army beat Navy to end the longest streak in Army-Navy history at fourteen years. And in the Governor’s Cup, Kentucky beat Louisville for the first time since 2010, despite Louisville’s Heisman-winning quarterback.
The Chicago Cubs won their first World Series in 108 years, themselves battling back from a 1-3 series against Cleveland.
But now we are in 2017. With so much magic condensed into a single year, it seems unlikely that 2017 will live up to its predecessor but if 2016’s taught us one thing it’s that just because something is unlikely doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu
