Flashback- 5 Best Sports Moment From 2017

As this year winds down we’ve recapped its highlights to bring you the best of 2017 in fashion, sneakers, music, movies and more.

To say that this year was an amazing year for sports would be an understatement. Championships came to down the last second, dynasties were born, unbelievable comebacks were pulled off: and that’s just what happened on the field.

Off the field, sports emerged as a microcosm of our broader society. The cliche phrase “stick to sports” died an unexpected death. Broader political and social issues seemed to intrude on the sports world constantly, making greater heroes and villains out of star athletes and owners.

* Golden State Warriors Begin a Dynasty

Great eras in basketball have been defined by great rivalries: the Lakers and the Celtics in the ’80s, the Knicks and the Bulls in the ’90s, and, in recent years, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. For better or worse, 2017 was the year the Warriors proved the rivalry might be becoming a bit lopsided.

* Neymar Breaks Soccer’s Transfer Fee Record

Paris Saint-Germain paying Barcelona handsomely for Neymar’s services would have been a big deal no matter what the number. But, the final haul of $263 million shook the soccer world this year. The Qatari-owned team paid Barcelona double the previous record. That number is so astonishing that it isn’t just a big deal in the sports world, but the business world has taken notice as well.

* Floyd Mayweather Jr. v. Conor McGregor

Sometimes the big sports moments are more about the build-up than the payoff, and that was exactly the case with the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor.

The problem with pitting giants of two different sports against each other—Mayweather is a boxing legend and McGregor is a UFC great—is that you have to pick a sport. And while MacGregor has been dominant in the UFC world, he is not a boxer. That was on painful display as the much anticipated match actually came to pass.

* Serena Wins Her 23rd Grand Slam

Setting records and changing history is nothing new for tennis great Serena Williams. The best tennis player in the world outdid herself once again in January. After an 81-minute match against her sister Venus, Serena emerged victorious and earned yet another place in the record books. With the win she passed Steffi Graf as the all-time leader in Grand Slam victories with 23 trophies.

* Penguins Win Stanley Cup

While there is a lot of talk about the greatness of the dynastic performances of the New England Patriots and the Golden State Warriors, not nearly enough attention has been given to the Pittsburgh Penguins on a national stage. While their sustained greatness hasn’t led to a yearly Stanley Cup—in fact, prior to last year, they were absent from the Cup finals for six seasons—they have managed a level of excellence with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on their team that can’t be understated. With two of the best players of their generation on the same squad (currently rated #2 and #5 on NHL’s top players list), the Pittsburgh Penguins have been an exciting and welcome burst of energy in the NFL over the last decade.