The 2022 sports year has bubbled over with beautiful moments, excitement, and entertainment from January right through December. We still have a few days left before popping open the bubbly and ringing in 2023, and we’ve had the opportunity to witness some truly inspirational performances lately.
The fever pitch frequency vibrating through the sports world has grown especially wild to close out the calendar year. Two of the top-ten moments covered in this article are the product of games that were played this past weekend. Let’s travel with The Ghost of Christmas Past, reviewing the top ten sports moments of 2022 in chronological order. Taking a journey such as this may produce a mystifying blend of adrenaline and raw emotion inside the traveler. Strap on your seatbelt and have some Kleenex handy.
February 8-10: Team USA Delivers Gold
We are honoring Team USA with a collective sports moment, while shining light on three central figures. Each member from this trio of Olympians fought through serious adversity to secure gold medals at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Nathan Chen: Figure Skating (Feb. 8)
Chen is a 23-year-old Salt Lake City native and three-time figure skating world champion. In the 2018 Winter Games, Chen fell short of expectations by failing to medal and placing fifth. In Beijing, Chen charged onto the ice, fixing an icy gaze on the record books. Chen set a short program record in figure skating by scoring 113.97 points, while landing five quad jumps in the long program and winning gold.
Lindsey Jacobellis: Snowboard Cross (Feb. 9)
Five-time Olympian Lindsey Jacobellis hails from Danbury, Connecticut, and is one of the winningest snowboarders in history. Jacobellis ended a 16-year Olympic drought when she won the snowboard cross event in Beijing. This victory also made Jacobellis (36 at the time) the oldest woman to win winter gold. Three days later, Jacobellis and teammate Nate Baumgartner (40 years old) went on to win the first ever mixed event. Age is just a number, folks.
Erin Jackson: Speedskating (Feb. 10)
All of a sudden, the balmy suburb of Ocala, Florida is an Olympic speedskating hub. Erin Jackson, Brittany Bowe, and Joey Mantia are all speedskating stars from Ocala, but that is a story with a different deadline. The headline here is Jackson, who won 500-meter speedskating gold in Beijing to become the first black woman ever to win individual winter gold. The U.S. hadn’t won this event since 2002 in Salt Lake City.
February 13: Rams Win Super Bowl, Kupp MVP
The L.A. Rams wrapped up an impressive season by defeating the upstart Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI. The Rams had home field advantage playing at Sofi Stadium, and they became the second consecutive team to win the Super Bowl on their home turf (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2021). Rams’ QB Matthew Stafford tossed a fourth-quarter game-winning touchdown pass to WR Cooper Kupp, the game’s MVP. After 12 tough seasons in Detroit, Stafford had won on his first try in Los Angeles. Confetti rained on the hometown heroes, and L.A. fans presumably celebrated Valentine’s Day with renewed vigor.
April 02: Coach K Says Goodbye to Duke University
Former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski retired as the winningest college men’s basketball coach in history. Duke lost Coach K’s last game to rival UNC 81-77 in the Final Four, but the man walks away an absolute legend. Krzyzewski coached for 47 seasons while amassing 1,202 wins and five national titles. Coach K also has three Olympic gold medals and two World Cup golds, giving him a total of 10 major championships as a head coach. Only former NBA coach and Zen Master Phil Jackson (11) has more.
June 16: Curry Leads Warriors Back to Trophy
The Golden State Warriors’ dynasty appeared to be drifting into the depths of the rear view mirror, but a team with championship pedigree can never be counted out. Prior to eliminating the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals in six games, the Warriors had missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. Now Finals MVP Steph Curry and company are gunning for back-to-back titles (again). Curry averaged a crisp 31 PPG in the series, and is ever strengthening his case for being the best pure shooter of all-time.
The Warriors have won four championships in the last eight seasons.
June 26: Makar Leads Avalanche to Stanley Cup Win
All-Star defenseman Cale Makar led the Colorado Avalanche in playoff scoring en route to defeating the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Finals. Makar won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman during the regular season, and then scored 29 points in 20 games while the Avalanche crashed the postseason party. It was Colorado’s first Stanley Cup victory since 2001, and third in franchise history.
September 2: Serena Williams’ Final Tennis Twirl
According to Grand Slam legend John McEnroe, “Serena Williams is the greatest player that ever lived.” That’s quite an endorsement, and an accurate statement. Williams has won 23 Grand Slams (singles), which is a record regardless of gender (Rafael Nadal has 22). “Momma Smash” has changed the sport of tennis forever, and she fought tooth and nail in the final match of her career against Ajla Tomljanovic. Williams was finally defeated in a three-set thriller before tearfully bidding the crowd farewell and adieu.
October 4: Judge Breaks AL Home Run Record
New York Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge came out swinging in 2022, determined to show his value in a contract season. If you’re into numerology, pay attention here. Judge smashed 62 home runs, breaking Roger Maris’ 61-year-old record of 61 home runs that he hit in 1961. Number 99 ultimately helped to lead the Yankees to a 99-win season, which propelled them to the ALCS against the eventual World Series champion Houston Astros. Judge swung a big bat and made history while setting the stage for the massive deal that he earned which will keep him in New York for the next nine years. Betting on yourself has never proven to be more lucrative.
November 5: Baker’s Boys Win World Series
Dusty Baker is a 73-year-old survivor of prostate cancer who also suffered a mini-stroke in 2012. Baker is also one of the most loved and respected characters in all of baseball. Although Baker won a World Series ring with the L.A. Dodgers in 1981 as a player, he had never done so as a manager until now. Baker skippered the San Francisco Giants to the World Series in 2002, but they lost a heartbreaking seven-game series to the Anaheim Angels. The Baker-coached Houston Astros reached the World Series in 2021 vs the Atlanta Braves, but came up short. Against the Philadelphia Phillies in 2022, Baker and his boys finally cracked through when the Astros won in six games.
Baker became the oldest head coach/manager to win a title in any of the major American sports.
December 17: The Biggest Comeback in NFL History
When the Minnesota Vikings finished the first half down 33-0 against the Indianapolis Colts, there weren’t many people who expected the Vikings to mount a serious comeback. The author was one of the rare folks who were firmly in the minority (and also who turned out to be correct). My exact words to my friend in New Hampshire were: “It will be 33-33 before you know it.” The score didn’t exactly turn out that way, but it was 36-36 heading into overtime. Vikings’ kicker Greg Joseph booted a 40-yard field goal with three seconds remaining in overtime to steal the win, 39-36.
Minnesota completed the biggest comeback in NFL history, and Colts’ QB Matt Ryan once again found himself on the wrong side of an epic turnaround.
December 18: Messi & Argentina Win World Cup
Argentina squared off against France in the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday, and it was the best soccer game that any of us have seen in a very long time. Lionel Messi scored for Argentina to kick off the scoring. Angel Di Maria followed up with a goal of his own.
Seemingly in control for most of the game and winning 2-0 deep into the second half, Argentina was running out the clock and gliding towards victory. Then French forward Kylian Mbappe scored. Mbappe scored again. Tie score. Extra time. Shots hitting the post, kicks into the goalie’s face. Argentina and France put on an amazing show.
Penalty kicks. After an intense adrenaline-pumping match, Argentina came out on top winning 4-2 on penalty kicks. Messi, considered by many to be the GOAT, put the icing on the cake of his career by winning the World Cup in his fifth, and likely final, appearance. Messi’s Instagram post about Argentina’s victory has quickly become the most-liked instagram post ever, and it grows by the day. Close out the year with a bang!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CmUv48DLvxd/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=
