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2025's Biggest Sports Moments: A Year to Remember

USAWednesday, December 31, 2025
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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.

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