I began this decade as a fifth grader and will exit it as a college junior. When I’m old, I will look back on my childhood and point to right now: the 2010’s. The 2010’s established my sports fandom and will forever shape the way I view the world. I often recall the series finale of The Office when Andy talks about wishing you could know when you’re in the “good old days”. Here’s my attempt to remember the good ol’ days of sports while I’m living in them.
The single greatest aspect of sports are those rare moments that seemingly transcend time and space. These briefs period of heightened significance that carry an almost supernatural gravity. They drop our jaws, start citywide parties in the streets, and drive us to tears. You never forget where you were when they happened. Here are the emotional moments of the 2010’s:
The world is changing faster than ever; so fast we can barely keep up. There’s no way to know what’s coming next — is this the peak or merely the starting point? It’s impossible to say, but we can still take note of how things have changed and estimate where we’re going. Here are the most influential trends in sports of the 2010’s:
There have been dozens of trades and free agent signings that have swung championships, but only a handful reshaped their sport. The death of loyalty ushered in the player empowerment era. Here are the most impactful transactions of the 2010’s:
Legendary athletes don’t just put up incredible stats in the regular season and call it a day. They save their best when it matters most: the playoffs. These athletes rose their game to unparalleled levels for an entire postseason, not just a single game. Their heroic exploits elevated their names to a mythical status in athletics lore. Here are the greatest postseason performances of the 2010’s:
We spend seemingly every season comparing whichever athlete is enjoying their 15 minutes of fame to the greatest seasons of all-time. Remember when we thought Ryan Fitzpatrick might win the NFL MVP in September 2018? At the same time, the old saying “records are meant to be broken” rings true. Maybe nobody will ever break DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak — but some athletes did break 50-plus year-old records this decade. Here are the greatest single-season performances of the 2010’s:
Any player can get hot, catch a few breaks and have an incredible game. Great players break the status quo and etch their place in history, and only a select few can do that on the highest possible stage. Here are the greatest single-game performances of the 2010’s:
Initially, I planned to create one column highlighting the top moments from all of the NCAA tournaments of the decade. I quickly realized that there was simply too many amazing moments and I didn’t want to leave anything out. Instead, I will be doing a shorter column on each NCAA tournament of the decade. In…
The 2011 NCAA Tournament was one of the most memorable in recent history. UConn’s Kemba Walker led his team to the title, but they weren’t 2011’s only Cinderella story.
The 2010’s are coming to a close soon. I wanted to take a look back at the best moments in sports during the decade. It’s March, which can only mean one thing: madness. I take a look back at the first NCAA tournament of the decade.