The Most Amazing Sports Moments of 2017

By Thomas Delatte on December 26th, 2017

If there was anything we learned from the past year in sports, it has to be that it only takes one game, one play, one injury, one move or one decision to start a chain of events that cause different results.

One Game: Just one week after coming from behind to upset Penn State, the Ohio State Buckeyes failed to carry that momentum with them to Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City and turned in one of the school’s worst games in the last 50 years. Their loss to Iowa, 55-24, ended up coming back to haunt them by keeping the Big Ten out of the CFB playoffs.

One Play: For three quarters, Super Bowl LI was not very interesting to watch, unless you were an Atlanta Falcons fan. But then the New England Patriots scored a touchdown with 2:06 minutes left in the 3rd quarter and it sparked a run that brought them from being down 28-3 to winning in overtime, 34-28. That one play gave us the greatest comeback victory in Super Bowl history while also helping Tom Brady become the most successful postseason QB in NFL history.

One Injury: Before Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone, the Green Bay Packers were sitting atop the NFC with a 4-1 record. Since then, they have gone 3-7 and will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

One Move: Prior to the shocking news that Kyrie Irving wanted out of Cleveland, it was looking like another year, another Golden State Warriors vs Cleveland Cavaliers Finals rematch. But then he demanded a trade and got his wish when they sent him to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, as part of a packaged deal.

One Decision: Justin Verlander allowing the trade from the Detroit Tigers to the Houston Astros with only seconds remaining on the deadline clock has to be one of the smartest moves in recent sports memory. He was the last piece of the puzzle that the Astros apparently needed to win their first ever World Series this past summer.

No matter how you see it, it does not take very long to change the course of fate and bring about a set of different results in sports and we wanted to capture the top moments in sports from the past 365 days. Below is our list of The Most Amazing Sports Moments of 2017. Enjoy.

USA Find Another Miracle in Hockey

Sport: Ice Hockey
When: January 5th
Event: World Junior Ice Hockey Championship
Moment: The United States shocked everyone when they defeated the top ranked Canadian team in a penalty shootout while playing the title game in Canada. It was one of the biggest upsets at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in quite some time and was a great kick start to the year in sports.

Clemson Upsets a Juggernaut, Wins Title

Sport: NCAA Football
When: January 8th
Event: College Football National Title
Moment: Outside of Clemson, there was not much hope for the Tigers as they entered the Title game as 6.5 point underdogs, the largest spread since the CFB Playoffs began. Yet, trailing 31-28, the Tigers needed a 2-yard Hunter Renfrow touchdown catch to knock off the top ranked Crimson Tide in epic fashion.

Pregnant Serena Wins Australian Open

Sport: Tennis
When: January 28th
Event: Australian Open
Moment: At the time, no knew about it but Serena Williams faced off against her sister Venus Williams in the Final of the Australian Open while being eight weeks pregnant. If that win did not cement her legend, then what will?

Atlanta Blows 25-Pt Lead in Epic Fashion

Sport: Pro Football
When: February 5th
Event: Super Bowl LI
Moment: With 2:07 minutes left in the 3rd quarter of Super Bowl LI, the New England Patriots trailed 28-3. Atlanta Falcon fans were celebrating and already placing orders for their Super Bowl champion t-shirts before one of the greatest comebacks in sports history occurred. The Patriots scored 31 unanswered points including a touchdown in OT to win the Super Bowl and turn Tom Brady’s legacy into untouchable territory.

UConn’s Winning Streak Ends at 111 Games

Sport: NCAA Basketball
When: April 2nd
Event: Women’s Final Four
Moment: One would think that the Bulldogs won the Women’s Final Four title after the amazing finish but they still had work to do following their shocking upset over the UConn Huskies, which had won 111 straight games prior to this loss. As dominating as the Huskies were before that game, nothing hit them harder than the defeat that sent them home one weekend too early.

Westbrook Gets 42nd Triple Double of Year

Sport: Basketball
When: April 9th
Moment: Oscar Robertson’s legendary 1961-62 season in which he averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists was the only time in NBA history that a player averaged a Triple-Double for an entire season. Well, until last season, when Russell Westbrook did the unthinkable and averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 10.4 assists to become only the second player ever to do that. He also broke Oscar’s record of Triple-Doubles in a season with 42.

MMA vs. Boxing Match : Ends as Expected

Sport: Boxing
When: August 26th
Event: Mayweather vs. McGregor
Moment: It wasn’t a TKO in the first round but for fans of boxing, it was a one-sided mismatch that was dominated by the legendary Floyd Mayweather knocking off Connor McGregor by TKO in the 10th round. The fact that McGregor lasted that long was a feat in his own, according to UFC fans.

USA Fails to Reach the World Cup

Sport: FIFA World Cup
When: October 10th
Event: World Cup Qualifying, 5th Round
Moment: All the United States needed was a tie and they would have earned a Word Cup bid. But a last second header from Omar Gonzalez was just a bit too strong and it missed the goal ending the USA’s shot at the World Cup for the first time since 1986. It was shocking because so many fans expected us to easily take the win against Trinidad & Tobago, or at worst, a tie.

The Astros Finally Do It!

Sport: Baseball
When: November 1st
Event: World Series, Game 7
Moment: After one of the greatest offensive seasons in MLB history, the Houston Astros went into the playoffs with one goal in mind, use that weapon to their advantage. That they did giving us two of the greatest games you might ever see in World Series history, Games 2 and 5. Game 5 alone could be considered one of the ten best ever played.

Tiger Woods Returns to Golf, Again

Sport: Golf
When: December 3rd
Event: Hero World Challenge
Moment: No one expected much from Tiger after returning for the first time following back surgery just seven months ago. But he finished tied for 9th including beating Justin Thomas and the World’s No.1 Dustin Johnson.

Wofford Shocks the World

Sport: NCAA Basketball
When: December 20th
Moment: Wofford walked into Chapel Hill a 24.5 point underdog, facing a UNC team that had won 23 straight games at home. No one saw it coming but when the time expired, Wofford had shocked us all, winning 79-75 over the 5th ranked Tar Heels in one of the worst losses of Roy Williams career and in school history.