Sports Synopsize

2021-2022 sports recap

Sports+Synopsize

Over the 2021 seasons of professional sports, only madness and chaos ensued. Whether it was a repeat, a broken championship drought, or even an underdog story, this past season had it all. 

 

Baseball:

Baseball had a historic season this year. One of the most inspiring stories of the 2020-2021 season was Trey Mancini. He beat stage three colon cancer, and 552 days later he was back in the big leagues. Another remarkable story was Shohei Ohtani. He had an amazing season on the mound and in the box. He ended the season with 3.18 ERA, while also hitting an astounding 46 home runs. At the end of the season, the Atlanta Braves going into the playoffs were the underdog. They managed to win game after game until they won the World series, ending a 26 years long drought. 

 

Basketball:

On December 14, 2021, Steph Curry made history. He broke the record for most three pointers shot ever with a massive 2,974 baskets made. On the playoff side of things, the Milwaukee Bucks going into the 2020-2021 season had a 50-year championship drought. Star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, helped to lead the Bucks to a championship, ending the drought while claiming MVP along the way. 

 

Tennis: 

Novak Djokovic continued his dominance in 2021 when he won the Grand Slam. The Grand Slam includes winning the Australian Open, Wimbledon, Roland Garros, and the US Open. That brings his total single winnings to an enormous 86. On the other side of tennis. Johanna Konta announced her retirement on December 1, 2021. She was one of the most successful British tennis players. She totaled a great 4 single titles in her career at the age of 30. 

 

MMA:

The world of UFC within the MMA sphere saw a new UFC Heavyweight Champion in the Canadian Fighter, Francis Ngaennu, after defeating Stipe Miocic during the UFC Apex PPV event in March. Deeper into the year, during UFC 264, Conor McGregor suffered a broken leg during his 3rd encounter against Dustin Poirier at the July Event. McGregor, injured and defeated, pulled off a post match interview with Joe Rogan that went viral online. Francis’ reign of the UFC Heavyweight Championship continues to this year, as the and the UFC are under contract negotiations as the Champion’s deal expired after his win in UFC 270.

 

Football:

The Los Angeles Rams won the 2022 super bowl led by super star quarterback, Matthew Stafford. They entered the season as heavy Super Bowl favorites and made key mid season trades along the way. In the Super Bowl, they ended the season of the Cinderella story Cincinnati Bengals who were a bottom five team in the prior year. This past season also concluded the career of Tom Brady after 22 seasons and seven Super Bowl Championships.

 

Soccer: 

New York City FC won their first cup title in franchise history against the Portland Timbers. The season had a late start as it usually starts in February but due to COVID, it was pushed back to April. The rosters endured many changes as there were instances where teams entire locker rooms would get covid and an entire team had to be made up of free agents. This past season also contained one of the highest free agent transfer rates we’ve ever seen.

 

NASCAR: 

Kyle Larson won the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship after a dominant comeback season with Hendrick Motorsports. Larson was one of 4 drivers alongside Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott, and Joe Gibbs drivers Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr to make it to the finale at Phoenix Raceway for an opportunity for the Championship within NASCAR’ knockout Playoff system. This season marked the end of the Generation 6 body, as NASCAR enters 2022 with the Next Gen body, as well several team-driver combinations, crew chiefs and a whole team in the form of StarCom Racing.

 

Hockey: 

The 2021 Stanley Cup Finals ended with a familiar foe taking home the trophy. For the second year in a row, the Tampa Bay Lightning won the NHL Championship. They knocked off the Montreal Canadians four games to one and ultimately dominated the series. Hockey has been one of the few sports not really affected by covid as it started on time and players would rarely miss games due to covid.