The single greatest contests ever
1. Superbowl LI
The New England Patriots were done. Brady looked the part of a tired, 39-year-old quarterback and the Falcons offense looked unstoppable. At one point the birds held a 25-point lead, forcing millions of spectators to turn off their TVs and unintentionally miss the absolute implosion that was to occur. The Falcons stopped scoring and allowed Brady to lead four straight scoring drives (including multiple two-point conversions) to force the first-ever Super Bowl overtime. Then, in typical Patriot fashion, they won the toss and calmly marched down the field to complete the greatest comeback in sports history.
2. Ali vs. Frazier
Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier, known as the Fight of the Century, took place in 1971 and marked the first time that two undefeated boxers fought each other for the heavyweight title. Frazier was 26-0 with 23 knockouts and Ali was 31-0 with 25 knockouts. The match lasted all 15 rounds and the belt was awarded to Frazier via unanimous decision. This fight, however, was the first of a trilogy in which the final two were won by Ali.
3. Game Seven 2016 NBA Finals
This 2015-2016 Warriors squad had the greatest regular-season record in NBA history with 73 wins and 9 losses. They were up 3-1 in the Finals and were seemingly poised to complete the most immaculate NBA season ever. Lebron and his hometown Cavaliers, however, had other plans. They clawed their way to a game seven and brought a championship to Cleveland by winning that final game in spectacular fashion. From Lebron's chase-down block on Iguodala to Kyrie's go-ahead three in Curry's mouth, this game 7 is one for the ages.
4. Game Seven 2016 World Series
2016 marked the 108th year since the Chicago Cubs had won a championship, making it the longest drought in sports history (by far). A baseball, however, only has 108 stitches, so this had to be the year. And it was. This epic World Series (in which the Indians at one point led 3-1) culminated in a magnificent game seven, fitted with lots of runs, a rain delay, and extra-inning heroics. The Cubs won 8-7 in ten innings thanks to the clutch hitting of Ben Zobrist and finally, the curse was broken. Also, shoutout to Rajai Davis for keeping the Indians in the game and making it one of the most intense ever.
5. Men's 4x100m Relay 1936 Olympics
The 1936 Berlin Olympic games were supposed to be Hitler's showcase of the new and powerful German Third Reich. Then came along African American sprinter, Jesse Owens, who dominated his Nazi competition. Owens won gold in each of his first three individual events and then proceeded to run an unbelievable opening leg in the men's 4x100m relay to lead the United States to victory. This event not only secured Owens' 4th gold medal, but it also marked a time that black and white Americans were able to work together to defeat Nazi scum.
6. Final Round 2019 Masters
Tiger Woods was the most dominant golfer of all time during his prime. Then injuries arose and he was forced out of the sport before he was ready. Years and years of rehabbing had many fans and talk shows proclaiming that his career was over. Rock bottom hit when his mug shot was leaked after an arrest and at that point, everyone officially decided that Tiger was done. That is, everyone except Tiger himself. After more years of rest, rehab, and soul searching, Tiger finally made his improbable comeback to the PGA Tour. Still, he struggled and while he was a big name, nobody thought he would win anything ever again. Then, eleven years since his last major win, Tiger Woods completed his epic return to glory by winning the prodigious Masters Tournament in 2019.
7. 2017 CFB National Championship
Alabama is recognized as the college football counterpart to the Yankees and Patriots. It's fun and easy to hate them because they are always good, and this was certainly the case heading into yet another championship game featuring the Crimson Tide. The Clemson Tigers were certainly dynamic, but nobody thought any college offense could do much against Nick Saban's incredible defensive group. It turns out we were all wrong as Clemson won an incredibly entertaining and high-scoring affair by a score of 35-31. As time expired, Deshaun Watson was able to hit Hunter Renfrow for the game-winning touchdown in the infamous pick play that still has Alabama fans angry to this day.
8. 2016 CBB National Championship
Imagine making the buzzer-beating three-point shot that gives your school a championship that they will never forget. That's exactly what Kris Jenkins did for Villanova in the 2016 CBB National Championship game. At the end of what was already a magnificent contest, North Carolina hit a crazy three only to be shocked moments later by one of the most clutch shots of all time.
9. Don Larsen World Series Perfect Game
Don Larsen had a career record of below .500 and was usually terrible in the playoffs. In Game 5 of the 1956 World Series, however, Larsen managed a 97-pitch masterpiece. He threw the only perfect game in World Series history and immortalized his legacy in one single game.
10. Dock Ellis' LSD No-hitter
Dock Ellis threw a no-hitter while tripping on LSD. I recommend you just watch the video because there's not much else to say.
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