Track & field, tennis, basketball, baseball, football: these are the five great performances of the year that had everybody talking – sports fan or not!
SHA’CARRI RICHARDSON: YOU GO GIRL (above)
American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson had visions of gold at the U.S. Olympic trials in 2021, touted as the next great American running star of USA Track & Field and a medal contender for Tokyo. But she tested positive for cannabis instead, a substance banned under World Anti-Doping Agency rules, and was given a one-month suspension, costing her a spot on the American team. Finding comeback challenging, in 2022 she failed to even qualify for the U.S. World Championships team. 2023 brought redemption and a stellar season topped off at the World Athletics Championships, where she won the women’s 100m world title in 10.65 seconds.
SHOHEI OHTANI: SHOW ME THE MONEY
A modern day Babe Ruth, an ace on the mound and a slugger at the plate, the Los Angeles Angels, Shohei Ohtani was the talk of baseball heading into free agency. Everyone was wondering who would pay up. It was the LA Dodgers with a record 10-year $700 million contract, also unprecedented for how much he’s not getting paid. Ohtani agreed to defer $680 million, in order for the Dodgers to spend money on other stars and build a World Series team around him.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP: WOMEN WIN
The Women’s 2023 NCAA Championship game between Louisiana State University and Iowa was the most-watched women’s college basketball game in history, drawing nearly 10 million viewers across ABC and ESPN. LSU defeated Iowa 102–85 to win their first national championship, setting a record for most points scored by a team in an NCAA women’s basketball championship game. Star forward and game MVP, Angel Reese, shot 41 of these points. While some focused on the trash talk and finger wagging she directed at Iowa’s star Caitlin Clark, confidently forecasting the win, it was a victory for women’s basketball. Who remembers anything about the Men’s NCAA Championship?
DAMAR HAMLIN: MONDAY NIGHT MIRACLE
On Jan 2, in the first quarter of a Monday Night Football match up between the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills, 24-year-old safety Damar Hamlin went down in a tackle that seemed routine. He got up but moments later collapsed and went into cardiac arrest. CPR was administered for 20 minutes on the field, and his heartbeat was revived, before being taken by ambulance to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in critical condition. The terrifying scene played out on national television, although his teammates gathered around to block television cameras from witnessing what was happening. In a sport known for violent hits and critical injuries, this one ended the game.
Hamlin remained hospitalized as the world watched and prayed, hoping for what seemed like a miracle. On January 5 the miracle happened. Hamlin opened his eyes and asked “Did we win?” 20 days later he made his first public appearance from a stadium suite at the Bills’ home playoff game against the Bengals. 3 months after that he announced his intent to take the field again… as a player.
COCO GAUFF & CARLOS ALCARAZ: THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
While we mourned the absence of retired legends Serena Williams and Roger Federer, and an injured Rafael Nadal, the next generation of champions electrified the tennis courts and fans. Coco Gauff lived up to the hype, winning her first major at the 2023 US Open, and Carlos Alcaraz won his second major this year, beating Novak Djokovic in a 5-setter at Wimbledon.
