Best sports stories of 2023: A look back at the athletes, moments that defined the year

Sports are one thing that brings people together, just as much as they tear people apart due to rooting interests.

We'd like to think that plenty of group chats of sports fanatics were blowing up throughout some of the biggest stories of this past year, which also turned out to be some of the biggest stories in years that we may not see again for quite some time.

With that, here's a look back at some of the biggest sports stories of the year:

Damar Hamlin suffers cardiac arrest on the field

It wasn't just the biggest this year, it might have been the biggest since Kobe Bryant's death. Hamlin was administered CPR on the field after making a routine tackle and spent several days in a hospital.

Thankfully, he made a full recovery and got back on the gridiron this season.

Brothers Travis, Jason Kelce face off in Super Bowl

It was the first time two brothers faced one another in a Super Bowl, and it put the Kelce family on the map, even before Travis started dating Taylor Swift.

The younger brother, Travis, got his second Super Bowl ring as his Kansas City Chiefs bested the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-35.

Shohei Ohtani signs $700 million deal with Los Angeles Dodgers

After winning his second unanimous MVP in three seasons, Ohtani inked the richest deal in North American sports history. He's also deferring $680 million of it until after his 10-year pact is up.

Ohtani spent his previous six seasons with the crosstown Angels, but now, he has a real chance at several World Series rings.

Tom Brady retires ‘for good’

Brady was a former pro for 40 days in 2022, but he still had the desire to play. Well, Brady retired a second time "for good" in February and stayed true to his word.

Brady retired as the greatest ever with seven Super Bowls and other seemingly untouchable NFL records.

Ex-NHLer Adam Johnson dies after skate slashes neck

Adam Johnson, formerly of the Pittsburgh Penguins, died after a skate cut his throat during a game in England. The incident led to the arrest of a man for manslaughter.

NHL players have begun wearing neck guards, and the International Ice Hockey Federation has made them mandatory.

LeBron James becomes NBA's all-time leading scorer

Many thought Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record was untouchable, but LeBron scored his 37,888th and 37,889th points in February, surpassing the NBA legend.

Meeting with Abdul-Jabbar on the court for a ceremony, James was teary-eyed and proclaimed himself as the best to ever play basketball.

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese put women's basketball on their backs

Clark wasn't afraid to show off, but when Reese pulled off Clark's own celebrations in front of her, it brought praise, criticism and a lot of viewers. The college women's national championship was the most-watched women's basketball game ever.

Bronny James, LeBron's son, has cardiac arrest

At just the age of 18, months before he was set to begin playing basketball at USC, the eldest son of the NBA's all-time leading scorer had a cardiac arrest, prompting a frantic 911 call.

Bronny recovered quickly and made his NCAA debut in early December. Now, we wait to see if the father-son duo will be teammates in the NBA.

Aaron Rodgers tears Achilles on 4th play with Jets

The New York Jets finally had not only playoff expectations, but Super Bowl hopes when Aaron Rodgers left Green Bay after 18 seasons with the Packers to come to the tri-state area. On just his fourth play, he ruptured his Achilles, and the party turned into a funeral.

Rodgers attempted an unprecedented comeback for this season, but in 2024, he will be back at the ripe age of 40.

Deion Sanders rises to most prominent figure in college football

For three weeks, Sanders was the biggest name in sports. After upsetting TCU in the season opener, he put the University of Colorado on the map as they started 3-0.

The Buffs lost seven of their final eight games, pouring cold water on it all, but not enough for Sanders to win Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year.

Novak Djokovic wins three Grand Slams

If anyone is beating father time, it's the Djoker. The 36-year-old appeared in each grand slam final this year, winning three of them, only losing the Wimbledon title to Carlos Alcaraz.

Djokovic set the record for most grand slam semifinal appearances, and with no signs of slowing down, he should extend his record of 24 titles.

United States Women's National Team misses out on World Cup three-peat

It was clear early on that the USWNT was going to have a mountain to climb if they wanted their third-straight World Cup victory after they just narrowly advanced past group play.

The Americans were stunned by Sweden in penalty kicks, by far their worst finish ever. In the previous eight Women's World Cups, they never finished worse than third place.

Lionel Messi joins MLS

Shortly after winning his first World Cup, arguably the greatest soccer player of all time became a member of the MLS in North America, joining Inter Miami.

In his MLS debut, he scored the game-winning goal in the 94th minute. He scored 11 goals in 14 matches and also won his record eighth Ballon d'Or.

Fairleigh Dickinson upsets Purdue

It was the second time a 16-seed defeated a No. 1 team as FDU joined UMBC, which slaughtered Virginia in 2018. This game was much closer, coming down to the wire, but New Jersey remained Cinderella – St. Peter's in Jersey City, a 15-seed, upset No. 2 Kentucky and went all the way to the Elite 8 in 2022.

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