A sports decade in review
It’s now December 2009, which means that the first decade of the 21st century is coming to a close. Wow it’s been ten years already since Y2K, Gladiator and boy band mania. Where has the time gone? The world of sports has been no different. So many events, so many people, so many games have influenced the last ten years both on and off the field. Everything from the athletes that took our breaths away like the dominance of Tiger Woods and Usain Bolt to the introduction of such superstars as Lebron James and Michael Phelps. It wasn’t just the individual athletes that influenced the sports world, the actual games and events sparked the imagination of the sports world and would be remembered for decades to follow. The 2008 Summer Olympic games in Beijing come to mind, due to the sheer dominance of individuals and countries in so many different sporting events. Also, the 2001 World Series is a sporting event that touched people around the world, even though in directly impacted only two teams; the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks. It was the first sporting event that followed the tragic events of 9/11 and brought every American around the world a sense of normalcy once again. Along with the great individual performances and events that we saw throughout the decade, controversy didn’t follow far behind. Everything from the steroid era in baseball, to the Tim Donaghy betting scandal in basketball to the most recent sports scandal; Tiger Woods and his alleged affairs. The decade has brought so many memorable and unforgettable moments along with some that we would rather forget. With that said here is a list of my top ten moments of the last ten years in the world of sports:
10) The introduction and rapid growth of the UFC
9) “Tuck rule” begins the Patriots rise to dominance
8) 18-1
7) The King James era begins in the NBA
6) 86-year-old curse comes to an end for the Red Sox
5) Former Arizona Cardinal safety Pat Tillman dies in Afghanistan
4) Barry Bonds breaks Hank Aaron’s home run record
3) The steroid era in baseball
2) 2008 Summer Olympic games in Beijing
1) 2001 World Series
These are my personal top ten sports moments in the last decade. Obviously, there are going to be many people who will disagree with the list and I encourage anyone who wants to debate about the subject matter to feel free and respond. With that said, I hope the next ten years bring many more sports moments for us to enjoy and discuss.
December 15, 2009 at 11:36 pm
I just feel that the 2001 World Series brought so much more significance to the decade in a positive manner. The steroid era is something that will never go away fully, although it’s a period of time that will always be remembered in a negative reflection on one sport. The events surrounding the 2001 World Series expands way beyond sports and that’s why I felt it was a bigger moment than any other this decade.