14 unexpected sports moments we’re thankful for this year
Some moments make you cry. Others make your jaw drop so low you’re not sure if it will return. And then there are the moments that make you smile so wide your cheeks sting.
Sports — professional or collegiate or simply played in the backyard — can transcend all of the noise life creates. And 2019 has already been a year full of sports moments that made us grateful. Here’s a look at some of our favorites:
An incredible display of sportsmanship 👏
Braima Dabo came to the rescue of Jonathan Busby after he nearly collapsed on the final lap of a 5,000m race. pic.twitter.com/rmobFQczKf
When Jonathan Busby, from Aruba, collapsed during the final lap at the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, Guinea-Bissau’s Braimo Dabo was there to help him to the finish line.
“I knew I wasn’t going to beat my personal record, so when I realized that, it was better to go for the main aim, which was to finish the race. My thoughts were to help him finish — that is the point of the race,” Dabo told Reuters — and the world immediately handed him a gold medal for sportsmanship.
Bigger than sports 🙏
After the Angels threw a combined no-hitter, the players placed their No. 45 Tyler Skaggs jerseys on the pitcher’s mound. pic.twitter.com/vXYXj8L4PV
On July 1, Tyler Skaggs, a pitcher for the Angels, died in a Texas hotel room at age 27 after choking on his own vomit. Skaggs’ autopsy, released Aug. 30, found evidence of fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol in his system, and ESPN reported that he had been abusing oxycodone for years.
Eleven days later, the entire team wore his No. 45 jersey to honor him in their first home game without him, and the Angels threw a combined no-hitter in the 13-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Skaggs’ birthday was July 13, the next day.
“I’m speechless,” Angels star Mike Trout said after the game. “This is the best way to honor him.”
Class. Act. 👏
After defeating Coco Gauff in straight sets, Naomi Osaka asked the 15-year-old to join her for the encore interview. pic.twitter.com/kcat7fRggr
Osaka, 21, beat Gauff, 15, in the third round of the US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium in August in front of 23,000 spectators. But what made the match between two of tennis’ rising stars so fantastic was not just their dazzling play but their sportsmanship.
As Gauff cried, Osaka comforted her, and the two publicly shared their thoughts and feelings together in the encore interview — and in doing so, not just humbled everyone watching but inspired everyone watching.
Twenty-two years after he iconically hugged his late father to celebrate his first title in Augusta, Georgia, Woods — who had been struggling in PGA tournaments — won his fifth green jacket. He celebrated by hugging his two children.
Why golf clap when you can simply golf cry?
The power of perseverance 👏
Ryan Straschnitzki, who was left paralyzed from the Humboldt bus crash in 2018, took his first steps after undergoing spinal surgery!
(via @strazsr)pic.twitter.com/0eYWAvrIKF
A semitrailer truck collided with the bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos hockey team in April 2018, leaving 16 people dead and 13 more injured. Straschnitzki was one of those survivors, but he was paralyzed from the chest down.
It’s been less than two years, but the 20-year-old is moving his legs already, per a video posted by his father, Tom.
According to the BBC, Straschnitzki underwent epidural stimulator surgery at a clinic in Bangkok, Thailand, earlier this month.
Even in the darkest of times, Straschnitzki inspires us all to keep pushing toward the light.
🔁 🔁 🔁@Simone_Biles‘ historic triple-double on a 6-second loop. pic.twitter.com/gWiSvxhaS7
The most decorated gymnast of all time wows us every time she competes. But in winning her sixth all-around title at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Kansas City, Missouri, in August, Biles wowed the world even more by landing two never-done-before moves: a triple-double on the floor and a double-double dismount off the beam. Both were named after her in October at the world championships. Biles could have won both competitions easily without adding anything new — but she decided to go for it nevertheless.
O’Brien has had four bouts with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, after being diagnosed in high school. In October, the walk-on for the Minnesota football team held the snap for an extra point.
To most people, it was a pretty routine football activity, but for O’Brien, it was his collegiate debut after overcoming the absolute worst.
Talk about never giving up.
Bigger than sports.
When a soccer player’s hijab started falling off to reveal her hair, her opponents gathered around to provide cover while she fixed it. (via @JordanFA) pic.twitter.com/rSUxM0S5Xe
Arab Orthodox Club was facing Shabab al-Ordon Club at the WAFF Women’s Club Championship in Jordan when a player’s hijab began to slip off.
Shabab al-Ordon players stopped play and covered the Arab Orthodox Club member so she could have privacy while fixing it, the Indian Express reported.
We need more of this unity and respect, don’t we?
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce goes 10.71 seconds, fastest in the world this year, two years after childbirth, for her sixth combined Olympic or world 100m title. Greatest female sprinter in history? pic.twitter.com/p3jHyN11S1
At the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Qatar, Fraser-Pryce won the 100 meters, becoming the oldest woman to do so at age 32. The victory, her fourth 100-meter world title, came two years after she gave birth to her son.
Zyon joined his mom on the track after her victory and certainly heard her declare: “A victory for motherhood!”
Parents really are the best superheroes.
“You are not alone.” Here it is, the moment a stadium full of people hold up the number 3 in the @GamecockFB game. 3 for QB Ryan Hilinski’s brother Tyler, but also do continue the conversation on mental health. Here’s the @wis10 story of @HilinskisHope : https://t.co/PVICsMpgNc pic.twitter.com/dCUPO208rn
Sometimes it’s bigger than sports. Fans at Kyle Field stood in silence with three fingers up on the first play of the third quarter to honor South Carolina QB Ryan Hilinski’s late brother, Tyler: pic.twitter.com/qY0fuIXbyn
South Carolina quarterback Ryan Hilinski has been playing the whole season in remembrance of his late brother, Tyler, who died by suicide over the summer.
Starting in the second home game of the season, Gamecocks fans have been holding up three fingers to start the third quarter, as Ryan wears No. 3 in memory of his late brother.
Even when South Carolina is on the road, fans have been holding up threes, a testament to the importance of love and family, regardless of allegiance.
HOWIE. KENDRICK. #NLDS pic.twitter.com/ta232QleMx
The second baseman stepped up to the plate in the 10th inning of the decisive Game 5 with the bases loaded. The ball didn’t stand a chance.
The go-ahead grand slam against the Los Angeles Dodgers sealed the NLDS for the Washington Nationals, giving the franchise its first division series win. And it set the stage for the rest of the postseason, as the Nats went on to win the World Series in seven games over the heavily favored Houston Astros.
It doesn’t matter if your previous at-bat was your worst — always look forward to doing your best the next time.
Football is family 🙌
He had a clear lane to the end zone, instead he decided to hand it off to his teammate to score in his final college game. (via @utpbfalcons) pic.twitter.com/p1lAYAroQ4
What better way to end your college career than to score a touchdown. Not only did linebacker Chris Hoad get to do just that, but he did so and went more than viral — if there is such a thing.
It was fellow linebacker John O’Kelley who could have scored but selflessly handed the ball to Hoad to let him score, and the two have pretty unreal stories. O’Kelley came back from a 2018 knee injury and the death of his father, and Hoad is one of eight seniors who have been with the program since it was created in 2016.
Football really is family.
The underdog.
Andy Ruiz Jr. made history last night, becoming the first Mexican heavyweight champion after defeating Anthony Joshua 💪 pic.twitter.com/ZlwpFpviLA
Andy Ruiz overcame 11-1 odds to knock out undefeated British champion Anthony Joshua and become the first fighter of Mexican heritage to win the heavyweight belt.
His seventh-round TKO in Madison Square Garden in June is considered one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, and the chubby 29-year-old with the affable smile became an overnight sensation.
Another look at Kawhi’s Game 7 winner 🔥 pic.twitter.com/yfYqTxufsJ
Have you ever seen something more beautiful? It doesn’t matter what angle you watch Leonard’s shot from, it is absolutely breathtaking.
The first Game 7 buzzer-beater in NBA history sent the Toronto Raptors to the Eastern Conference finals, and the team went on to win the first championship in franchise history.
It took four bounces to go in, but that 21-foot shot from the corner will forever be remembered as one of the best, luckiest, most beautiful shots in sports history.
Anything can happen.