|
| |
The Best Championship Moments of 2024
Happy New Year! It’s a special edition — one that we’ve been putting together since the beginning of last year (or this year?). It depends when you read today’s newsletter. It’s the 2024 Sports Rewind! 🎉
We’ll briefly recap the most notable championship moments that took place over the last 12 months in sports, from the Super Bowl to the Masters, and the Olympics to the World Series. The celebrations and trophy smiles are the most memorable, after all. You can click the links to see each past edition of The Sportsletter and relive that moment in time, or click the highlight videos to watch and enjoy. Cheers to 2025! 🥂 (2024 Rewind: Chronological Order) |
🏈 College Football Playoff: Michigan
Jim Harbaugh, J.J. McCarthy and the Michigan Wolverines kicked off the 2024 sports calendar with a return to the College Football mountaintop and a dominant win in the CFP National Championship over Washington (34-13).
✉️ Hail to the Victors 🎶 (Jan. 9, 2024)
🎥 Michigan Wins CFP National Championship |
🏈 Super Bowl LVIII: Kansas City Chiefs
Ring No. 3 for Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid! The Chiefs won their third Super Bowl in February, beating the 49ers (25-22, OT) thanks to a walk-off touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman in overtime.
✉️ Chiefs, Champs, Corndogs 🏆 (Feb. 12, 2024)
🎥 Chiefs Win Super Bowl LVIII |
🏀 Women’s NCAA: South Carolina Dawn Staley’s South Carolina squad completed the perfect season (38-0) with a victory over Iowa and Caitlin Clark in the women’s NCAA title game (87-75). ✉️ Perfection! (Apr. 8, 2024) 🎥 South Carolina Wins Women’s NCAA Title |
🏀 Men’s NCAA: UConn Back-to-back! Dan Hurley’s UConn Huskies blitzed the competition in the men’s NCAA Tournament and shut down Purdue and Zach Edey (75-60) to win their second straight championship.
✉️ Danny’s Dog Dynasty 🐺 (Apr. 9, 2024)
🎥 UConn Wins Men’s NCAA Title |
⛳️ The Masters: Scottie Scheffler Scottie Scheffler captured his second green jacket with an 11-under performance at Augusta National to win The Masters by four strokes and continue his untouchable run of golf victories.
✉️ Another Scottie Sunday ⛳️ (Apr. 15, 2024)
🎥 Scottie Scheffler Wins The Masters |
🏇 The Kentucky Derby: Mystik Dan The 2024 Kentucky Derby was one for the record books with an unbelievable photo finish. Mystik Dan (18-1) won the race by a nose in the closest 3-way finish in 150 years of Derby history.
✉️ Photo Finish at Derby 150 📸 (May 6, 2024) 🎥 Mystik Dan Wins The Kentucky Derby |
🏁 The Indy 500: Josef Newgarden After 49 lead changes and 18 different race leaders (the most ever), Josef Newgarden made a last-lap pass of Pato O’Ward to win his second straight Indianapolis 500.
✉️ The Winner's Circle 🏁 (May 28, 2024)
🎥 Josef Newgarden Wins 108th Indy 500 |
🏀 NBA Finals: Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks in five games (4-1) to secure their NBA record 18th championship banner. Jayson Tatum and the return of Kristaps Porzingis were too much to handle, but it was Jaylen Brown who won Finals MVP.
✉️ Mean Green Banner #18 🍀 (June 18, 2024)
🎥 Boston Celtics Win 2024 NBA Finals |
🏒 Stanley Cup Finals: Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers fought off a wild comeback from the Edmonton Oilers to win their first Stanley Cup in Game 7 (2-1). Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov led the offense, but goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was a brick wall in the playoffs.
✉️ Sunshine, Stanley! ☀️ (June 25, 2024)
🎥 Florida Panthers Win The Stanley Cup |
🚴 Tour de France: Tadej Pogačar
The best cyclist in the world was at it again in this summer’s 2,200-mile bike ride. Tadej Pogačar won his third Tour de France in five years, and no one else really posed a challenge.
✉️ Perfect Pogačar 🚴 (July 22, 2024)
🎥 Tadej Pogačar Wins the Tour de France |
🏅 The 2024 Paris Olympics
The United States won the most medals (126) and tied China with 40 golds at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Men’s and women’s basketball, women’s soccer, and a whole fleet of Team USA track and swimming stars dominated the Games.
✉️ Golden Daggers 🏅 (Aug. 12, 2024)
🎥 2024 Team USA Highlight Reel |
🏀 WNBA Finals: New York Liberty
The crazy month of October sports featured the first WNBA championship for New York and one of the W's original franchises. The Liberty beat the Lynx (67-62, OT) in a Game 5 winner-take-all where Jonquel Jones won Finals MVP.
✉️ Liberty Lift the 'W' Trophy 🗽(Oct. 21, 2024)
🎥 New York Liberty Win WNBA Finals |
⚾️ World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers
The end of October brought a titanic clash in the Fall Classic between the two most prominent franchises in baseball. The Dodgers beat the Yankees in five games (4-1) thanks to MVP Freddie Freeman’s ridiculous home-run-ripping performances (4 HRs, 12 RBIs).
✉️ Hollywood Ending 🎬 (Oct. 31, 2024)
🎥 Dodgers Win World Series |
🏁 NASCAR Cup Series: Joey Logano
History was made in early November when Joey Logano won his third NASCAR Cup Series Championship, becoming just the 10th driver in stock car racing history with at least three titles. Logano led for 107 laps in the Phoenix finale.
✉️ Logano Makes History 🏁 (Nov. 10, 2024)
🎥 Joey Logano Wins NASCAR Cup Series |
🏁 Formula 1: Max Verstappen
In perhaps the least dramatic conclusion to any sports season in 2024, Max Verstappen wrapped up the Formula 1 title weeks in advance when he won the night race in Las Vegas. It was his fourth consecutive F1 crown.
✉️ Verstappen's Victory Lap 🏁 (Nov. 24, 2024)
🎥 Max Verstappen Clinches F1 Title |
⚽️ NWSL Cup: Orlando Pride
In a big moment just before the holidays, the city of the Orlando won its first professional sports championship thanks to the NWSL’s Orlando Pride. They beat the Washington Spirit (1-0) in the finals on Barbra Banda’s winner.
✉️ Orlando’s Own! (Nov. 24, 2024)
🎥 Orlando Pride Win NWSL Cup |
⚽️ MLS Cup: L.A. Galaxy The LA Galaxy extended their MLS record with the club’s sixth MLS Cup in early December. They beat the NY Red Bulls (2-1) despite playing without their star, Riqui Puig. ✉️ Galaxy Capture the Cup (Dec. 9, 2024) 🎥 LA Galaxy Win MLS Cup |
Other Memorable 2024 Events |
The MVPs
Lamar Jackson, Ravens (NFL) | Nikola Jokic, Nuggets (NBA) | Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche (NHL) | Aaron Judge, Yankees (MLB: AL) | Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (MLB: NL) | Lionel Messi, Inter Miami (MLS) | A’ja Wilson, Aces (WNBA) | Temwa Chawinga, KC Current (NWSL)
Notable Farewells
Carl Weathers (Feb. 1), Vontae Davis (Apr. 1), O.J. Simpson (Apr. 10), Bill Walton (May 27), Jerry West (June 12), Willie Mays (June 18), Joe Bryant (July 16), Billy Bean (Aug. 6), Johnny Gaudreau (Aug. 29), Rebecca Cheptegei (Sept. 5), Mercury Morris (Sept. 21), Dikembe Mutombo (Sept. 30), Pete Rose (Sept. 30), Fernando Valenzuela (Oct. 22) Notable Retirements
Aaron Donald (NFL), Jason Kelce (NFL), Matt Ryan (NFL), Rajon Rondo (NBA), Blake Griffin (NBA), Derrick Rose (NBA), Joe Pavelski (NHL), Stephen Strasburg (MLB), Joey Votto (MLB), Candace Parker (WNBA), Alex Morgan (Women’s Soccer), Rafael Nadal (Tennis) |
We hope you enjoyed the rewind... Cheers to 2025! 🥂 Sincerely, Jeff, Marissa & Aaron |
Team News 🚨
We Need Your Help to Keep Writing
A small $3.50 donation (per reader) will help The Sportsletter Team achieve our goal of $100,000 and continue operations in 2025. Thanks to everyone who already contributed! |
|
|
Did Someone Forward You This Email? Subscribe Here
Feedback? Contact Our Editor: Jeff@TheSportsletter.com
*Sponsorship Has No Influence on Editorial Content* Not Loving The Letter? Unsubscribe Copyright © 2024 The Sportsletter
717 Market Street, San Francisco, CA, 94103 |
|
|
|
