2025's Biggest Sports Moments: A Year to Remember

College Sports

• NCAA Settlement: Changed college sports forever, allowing schools to pay athletes directly.
• Big Ten and SEC: Pulled away from the rest due to massive TV deals.
• College Football: Wild coaching carousel, Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU before playoffs.
• College Basketball: Florida Gators ended UConn's three-peat bid.
• Heisman Trophy: Indiana's Fernando Mendoza won, culminating a dream season.

Golf

• Rory McIlroy: Finally won the Masters after years of near-misses.
• Ryder Cup: Led Europe to a victory on U.S. soil.
• Scottie Scheffler: Dominated the golf world.

Hockey

• Alex Ovechkin: Became the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer, breaking Wayne Gretzky's record.

Basketball

• NBA: Rocked by gambling scandals involving coaches and players.
• WNBA: Faced labor issues despite growing popularity.
• UConn: Paige Bueckers won a national championship.
• Injuries: Plagued the basketball world, raising questions about the future of the sport.

Football

• NFL: Shedeur Sanders saga captivated the league.
• Super Bowl: Philadelphia Eagles crushed the Kansas City Chiefs, denying them a third straight title.

Baseball

• Cal Raleigh: Made history by hitting 60 home runs, the most ever by a catcher.
• Yankees: Caused a stir with their innovative bats.

Tennis

• New Rivalry: Emerged between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

Retirements

• John Cena and Terence Crawford retired, leaving big shoes to fill.

Other Notable Events

• Dallas Mavericks: Shocked the world by trading Luka Dončić to the Lakers, turning out to be a disaster for Dallas.
• Ohio State Buckeyes: Won the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff.
• Bill Belichick: Experiment as a college coach at North Carolina ended in disaster.
• Canada: Triumphed in a testy 4 Nations Face-Off.
• Oklahoma City Thunder: Validated their youth movement by winning the NBA title.