The Most Important Sports Stories of 2015

It's a simple concept that quickly turns complex—no pun intended, we promise: Name the most important stories from the world of sports in 2015. And make sure they're in the right order. 

Our internal debate over what story deserved top billing vs. what story wasn't that big of a deal wasn't epic, but it was entertaining. In the end, we settled on 20 stories that dominated the airwaves, demanded our attention, blew up our mentions, and generated more #hottakes than Colin Cowherd riffing on the Dominican Republic's academics.

From Deflategate to Ronda Rousey's L, from American Pharoah's Triple Crown to Steph Curry's pursuit of G.O.A.T. status, we've dissected, discussed, and deliberated the Most Important Sports Stories of 2015 for your end-of-the-year consumption. You're welcome. 

20. American Pharoah's Triple Crown

Horse Twitter went nuts when Sports Illustrated named Serena Williams its SportsPERSON of the Year last week so I beg of you not to let that nonsense overshadow how big of a deal American Pharoah's run to the Triple Crown really was. The NBA Finals were still on tape delay the last time we had a Triple Crown winner (1978) before Pharoah gave horse racing fans—like yours truly—and the general public something that was not only historic, but unifying. Think about it: Other than our national soccer teams or Olympic squads every two years, what pursuit of perfection in American sports can grab the country's attention—even for just two minutes—like a horse at Belmont with a chance to capture the Triple Crown? It took a special one to end the 37 year drought and chances are it'll be at least that many more before we see another one. I'll spare you all the reasons why—because there are a ton of them—but just know you should respect a legend when you see one. —Adam Caparell

19. Mayweather-Pacquaio

We waited five years for this? Easily the most anticipated fight since Tyson/Holyfield 1, and unlike its predecessor, the boxing match of a generation failed to live up to the hype. But the blame doesn’t only fall on Floyd Mayweather. Pac-Man wasn’t ready to fight, and instead of postponing he made the smart move of taking the payday. Floyd did what boxers do, and that’s hit and don’t get hit. Manny struggled to force the action resulting in a 12-round snoozefest. Now with boxing biggest stars out of the picture, we wait for the next generation to disappoint us all over again. The lead up and anticipation was legit, though. —Angel Diaz

18. Jose Bautista’s Bat Flip

Long after the 2015 Toronto Blue Jays are forgotten—after all, they didn’t even make it to the World Series—Jose Bautista’s bat flip will be replayed and replayed and replayed. The official MLB Vine has been looped over 20 million times, its six-second length perfectly encapsulating the swing, the stare, the flip. Not everyone appreciated it, of course: Bautista actually penned a piece for The Player’s Tribune a few weeks later explaining why he did what he did. Talking about the at-bat in question—seventh inning, tie-breaking homer—he said “My adrenaline wasn’t 10-out-of-10. It was ten-million-out-of-10.” We didn’t need any sort of explanation, though. We just want more. —Russ Bengtson

17. LeBron's NBA Finals Performance

The Warriors hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June, but the 2015 Finals were LeBron's Finals. Yeah, I'm aware that Andre Iguodala was named Finals MVP and that some guy named Steph Curry won what could be the first of many titles, but when I think about those six games, I think about LeBron. Because he was a beast, because he was godly, because he played some amazing basketball averaging 35/13/8, playing over 45 minutes a game with a supporting cast that was more YMCA than NBA. It was a minor miracle that the Cavs pushed it as far as they did considering Matthew Dellavedova was Cleveland's No. 2 option after Kyrie Irving went down. LeBron nearly stole Game 1 on the road, dominated Game 2 (39/12/11) and physically exhausted himself each game to give the Cavaliers a chance. We witnessed true greatness from James—again—and in light of the red-hot start the Warriors have gotten off to this year, it feels tragically slept on. —Adam Caparell

16. FIFA Corruption 

Anyone who has followed soccer for any bit of time has known that FIFA is about as corrupt as an organization can be. Back in May, 14 of FIFA's highest figures were arrested on charges that they received over $150 million in bribes over the last 24 years. Then, just a few days ago, FIFA President Sepp Blatter and UEFA President Michel Platini, possibly the two most evil sons of bitches in all of soccer, were handed eight year bans in connection to ethics violations. The craziest part: most of this wasn't even related to the travesty of awarding the likes of Russia (2018) and Qatar (2022) the next two World Cups. Good thing they're all out of power now, right? Things are going to be better now? Probably not. These guys may be out, but don't underestimate the number of just as corrupt scumbags down the pecking order happy to step into their roles. C'est la vie for soccer fans. —Skylar Bergl 

16. Seth Rollins' Injury

This past November, the WWE was dealt a major blow when Seth Rollins suffered tears to his right ACL, MCL, and medial meniscus during a spot at a show in Ireland. In the short term, this not only put their WWE World Heavyweight Championship in jeopardy, but it took one of the WWE’s top performers out of action for almost a year. Even bigger, though, was the long-term impact. While no one knows if Rollins would have held the title through the end of 2015, this disrupted the entire landscape of the federation. A new champion had to be crowned ASAP, but more importantly, the long(er) term booking going into WrestleMania that was set in place had to be completely re-written. While the WWE did see a ratings boost with Roman Reigns finally winning the World title, who knows how Rollins’ freak accident might have impacted the landscape of the WWE’s biggest show? —Khal

15. Mets' World Series Run

On June 24, the New York Mets dropped their seventh straight game, falling to 36-37, 3.5 games back in the NL East. A month later, on July 31, they traded for Tigers slugger Yoenis Cespedes. They took the NL East lead on Aug. 3 and, led by Cespedes at the plate and their platoon of young arms on the mound, never relinquished it. Cespedes drove in 42 runs in 41 games, and the Mets finished with 90 wins for the first time since 2006 when they won 97. They avenged that team’s NLCS loss, sweeping the Chicago Cubs to earn their first World Series berth in 15 years, driven in part by a historic run from second baseman Daniel Murphy, who homered in a MLB-record six straight playoff games. The run would come to the end in the World Series, where the Mets lost in five games to the 2014 runner-up Kansas City Royals. But what a ride. —Russ Bengtson

14. Kentucky's Pursuit of Perfection 

It would be easy to look at the 38-0 run that John Calipari’s Wildcats went on last season before losing to Wisconsin in the Final Four and say, “Meh, they had six future NBA draft picks on their team—of course they started 38-0!” But consider this: Kentucky has three freshmen on their team this season who were five-star recruits, three others who were three or four-star recruits, and several talented veterans, including senior Alex Poythress and sophomore Tyler Ulis. And yet, through their first 11 games this season, Kentucky has already lost twice. That’s twice as many games as they lost all of last season! It’s clear Calipari isn’t going to stop assembling ridiculously talented rosters, but he’s going to be hard-pressed to find another one that’s able to do what his team did last season. —Chris Yuscavage

12. Inaugural College Football Playoff

You have to start somewhere and the inaugural College Football Playoff was a runaway success if you're one of those people who thinks the idea of having more than one bowl game actually matter is a good idea. If you don't, you're a fool. The playoff didn't devalue the regular season like idiots proclaimed it would; it only added to the drama. And with your prayers one day we'll progress to an eight-team playoff so America can start filling out brackets every December. Ohio State wasn't the cuddly, upstart everyone could get behind (mostly because of the fanbase), but it was an underdog in both the semifinals and national championship game last year and pulled off impressive upsets on its run to the title. Doesn't matter if you root for Michigan, Oregon or Alabama; everyone owes the Buckeyes a debt of gratitude for showing the good 'ol boys who run the game that major college football wouldn't collapse onto itself with the advent of a playoff. RIP BCS. —Adam Caparell

11. Carli Lloyd's World Cup Dominance

With Landon Donovan and Abby “Amy” Wambach now retired, Carli Lloyd is currently the face of American soccer. Not just women’s soccer, either. After setting the country on fire after her three goal performance in the World Cup Final victory over Japan—and taking home the Golden Ball Award for the tournament’s best player—Lloyd has gone on to become the most influential person in American soccer. Literally, she just won a 2015 Goal USA Award for most influential person in American soccer. The Rutgers grad and Jersey native doesn’t have much time to celebrate, though, as the team is back at it this summer for the Olympics in Rio.—Maurice Peebles

10. The NFLLLL

The NFL is a giant, evil behemoth. In 2015, we learned a lot of things about America’s functional addiction that many of us probably wish we hadn’t. There are 44 active NFL players who have been accused of sexual or physical assault. In a recent study, 96 percent of ex players’ brains suffered from CTE, the disease Nigerian Accent Will Smith from the Concussion movie fought the NFL to “TELL THE TRUTH” about. And while we already discovered that Roger Goodell rakes in a ridiculous $44 million a year back in 2014, learning that the NFL took $5.8 million of taxpayer money to put on displays of patriotism like jet flyovers and giant American flags as part of some military advertising campaign is insane. Why are we paying for that? Exactly. The NFL is an abusive partner we all need to make a clean break from. And I’ll be right there with you...as soon as I get to see the Eagles win a Super Bowl. —Maurice Peebles

9. Kobe's Final Season

When Kobe signed that massive two-year contract extension during the beginning of the 2013-2014 season he said it would be his last contract. So when he decided to make a spectacle of what was already his last season after stinking up the joint, the lifelong Kobe hater in me cackled and sipped the hottest of teas. Kobe is a selfish samurai that would rather die on his sword than make those around him better. He’s been looking like himself lately and the Lakers still suck. Meanwhile, the future is struggling under his Sith Lord reign. D’Angelo Russell is shooting around 40 percent from the field, and Julius Randle, who happens to be a power forward, is shooting 42 percent from the floor. We can blame Byron Scott, but it’s better to blame Kobe. —Angel Diaz

8. Serena Williams’ Dominance

Serena Williams is 34 and the greatest athlete on the planet. No one dominated their respective sports like she did in 2015. After winning the 2014 U.S. Open, she went on one of her tears, winning the Australian Open, the French Open, and Wimbledon before falling to Roberta Vinci in the semifinals of the U.S. Open. She was also named Sports Illustrated’s ‘Sportsperson of the Year’ and had to deal with mouth-breathers being upset about American Pharoah (a horse, not a person) being “snubbed” in her favor. Serena has had to deal with a lot of stupidity throughout her career, and yet she finds away to rise above it and simply win. —Angel Diaz

7. Daily Fantasy Sports

Is it gambling or a game of skill? The two biggest purveyors of daily fantasy sports—and TV's most annoying/aggressive advertisers—continue to fight for survival as states like New York take a hard look at the gambling sites. Because, let's be real here, all the talk from DraftKings and FanDuel supporters that they are games of skill doesn't pass the sniff test. People go there to gamble. They lay down money based on the outcome of individual performances which they have no control over, hoping to win more money. That's the definition of gambling. Why that's allowed but an individual can't throw $20 on the Warriors to cover against the Cavs on Christmas unless you're in Vegas just shows you how screwed up things are. DraftKings and FanDuel, blessedly unregulated in the eyes of their owners, investors, and (depressingly) many players, will be litigating for their lives in 2016. But if you're a DFS fanatic and don't think the sites need more oversight—especially after the "insider trading" scandal broke—then I'd like to know how much DraftKings and FanDuel are paying you because I would like to sacrifice my credibility for an easy buck. —Adam Caparell

6. Lamar Odom's Health Scare

If we're talking straight sports stories—like by the most rigid of standards—then Lamar Odom has no business being on this list. But in the world we live in, we all know why Odom sits so high here. I can try and put into words how disappointing it was to see news organizations cover Odom's health scare and describe him to their audience as a "Kardashian star." For sports fans, he wasn't a Kardashian but a that lanky lefty from New York who won a title with the Lakers, carved out a career as a pretty good NBA player, won the 2011 Sixth Man of the Year Award, and, most importantly, earned a reputation as one of the game's great teammates. The rest of America doesn't know him that way. They know him the fugazi way, from a world where reality is often anything but. Scott Van Pelt's October editorial on SportsCenter summed it up better than I can. "I understand not everyone watches sports, but 'Kardashian reality star?'" Van Pelt said. "His name is Lamar Odom. And we knew it long before he got married on a TV show that we don't watch." —Adam Caparell

5. Cam Newton's Excellence

Gotta brag a little bit. At the height of RGIII’s popularity, I was asked what player I would take if I could choose anyone in the NFL to start a franchise with. My answer then was Cam Newton. Even then when the talking heads and the simple folks that follow them were propping up Luck and RGIII like they were two different flavors of QB Jesus, it was obvious that Cam was still the prototype. His only problem was maturity. Three years later, Cam Newton is staring down an MVP and his team is 14-0. He’s too big. Too fast. Too strong. Too accurate. Too confident. It’s unfair, and it almost seems impossible. In a league where historically for decade upon decade the premier quarterbacks have been stoic white dudes (save for a few like Broadway Joe), Newton is a rare case. He shouldn’t be grouped with Russell Wilson just because they’re successful, mobile, and share the same skin color. Cam Newton is Cam Newton. Big game and big personality. AND his team is undefeated. Dab on ‘em, Cam. —Maurice Peebles

4. Deflategate

Be honest: When the Patriots were first accused of using deflated footballs during the 2015 AFC Championship Game against the Colts, you thought the whole thing would blow over by the time the Super Bowl started. Was it a big deal that Tom Brady had allegedly used deflated footballs to gain a competitive advantage over the Colts? Of course. But because New England destroyed Indianapolis in the game and because the 24/7 news cycle has a way of wiping away even the most major scandals in just a few days, it seemed like Deflategate would end up being little more than blip on the NFL radar. But then it kept going…and going…and going…and going…and now we’re sitting here wondering when it’s going to end. For now, it’s over. But after the NFL suspended Brady for four games following an investigation earlier this year, a federal court overturned the suspension. The league then appealed the ruling and will get another chance to have their day in court next year. So at some point in 2016, Deflategate is going to become a story again. All this over some deflated footballs? Yup. —Chris Yuscavage

3. Ronda Rousey Falls

You could tell within the first 20-30 seconds that this one was different. It wasn’t Ronda Rousey’s refusal to touch gloves or her patented locked-in staredown that was any different. Nope. It was Holly Holm’s nonchalant body language throughout the entire process. She had been here before. She’d been in her share of wars. Ronda hadn’t. And only a handful of seconds into the match, when the live ammo was flying and the video game covers and movie roles and tough talk no longer mattered, it was clear who was the better fighter. And it wasn’t Ronda Rousey. Twitter, expectedly, immediately erupted after Rousey’s shocking loss, and the rest of the internet and American pop culture soon followed. We were left with a result that should have been more expected but had blindsided us all. Rousey losing never crossed our minds. Who knows if it ever crossed hers. And with Rousey still months away from comfortably eating an apple, we wouldn’t be shocked if the rematch happened later than sooner. —Maurice Peebles

2. Super Bowl XLIX

Most Super Bowls are remembered as a result of what happened during them. For example, Super Bowl XLII will go down as the game that featured David Tyree making a miraculous catch against the Patriots. But this year’s Super Bowl will be remembered for what didn’t happen. As in, the Seahawks didn’t have Russell Wilson turn around and hand Marshawn Lynch the ball on the one-yard line at the end of the game, even though he has been one of the most dominating running backs in the NFL over the last few years. If they had, they may have scored. Or they may have been stopped and been forced to throw the ball on the following play. But either way, Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler wouldn’t have been able to pick off the pass that Wilson threw like he did—and Seahawks fans wouldn’t have to live with one of the worst “What If…?” scenarios in sports history. —Chris Yuscavage

1. The Warriors Record-Breaking Start

It’s amazing to consider what the Golden State Warriors did LAST season as just prelude, but as they stacked win after win to kick off the 2015-16 season, last year’s championship appeared to be just that. With their smallball “death lineup” wreaking havoc on every defense and Steph Curry’s game elevated even beyond MVP level, it didn’t even matter that coach Steve Kerr was sidelined following back surgery. They put ABA numbers on people—135 on the Suns​, 134 on the Pelicans, 131 on the Pacers​, 129 on the Wolves, 124 on the Clippers—and started to look like they could run the table. They didn’t, of course. A back-to-back road game in Milwaukee proved to be their undoing, as Klay Thompson had an off night and the Ws picked up their first L. It was the 25th game of the season, and the first in which they scored fewer than 100 points. —Russ Bengtson