A year is certainly a long time, 365 days, 8,765 hours, 525,600 minutes. Understandably, there’s a lot that happens in a year. Champions are crowned, history is made, and records are set. Teams win, and teams lose. That’s where the fun is in sports, you never know what will happen next. So let’s recap 2024 in sports! 

———————————————————————

This year was one of the craziest seasons for both the NBA (national basketball association) and NHL, and here’s why. The NHL (national hockey league) season started off hot with something we don’t see much of anymore, and those are line brawls. 

During a game between the all-time rival New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils, their players “dropped the gloves” off the drop of the puck, which started both teams fighting, and as a result, they got sent right to the locker room, waiting for their consequences. 

There was madness all around the NBA as well. The Philadelphia 76ers chose a man that goes by the name Jared McCain. McCain was nothing less than an all-star, with his stats and confidence through the roof. Unfortunately, McCain experienced a season-ending meniscus tear in a game against the Indiana Pacers. The injury prevented McCain from a chance at the prestigious Rookie of The Year award.

However, the madness does not stop here. One player is close to becoming what some would call the greatest hockey player to ever live. Alex Ovechkin is attempting to break the “great one’s” record , set by Wayne Gretzky. Ovechkin had a total amount of 19 goals last season and as of 1/10/25, he is only 22 goals away from breaking the all-time record. 

One of the most sought after ice hockey games took place in an outdoor stadium? Yes you heard me correctly, the New York Rangers faced the New York Islanders in game one, and the New Jersey Devils faced the Philadelphia Flyers in game two at MetLife Stadium, as part of the NHL 2024 Stadium Series. During this series, the 6 foot 9 monster Matt Rempe had his debut, and fought Matt Martin to set a tone. What a debut to have as a rookie in a new big city where pressure is on you 24/7 ,365, always trying to please coaches, fans or the press. The NHL madness doesn’t stop here but let’s move on to the NBA.

There was madness all around the NBA. The Philadelphia 76ers chose a man that goes by the name Jared McCain. McCain was nothing less than an all-star, with his stats and confidence through the roof. Unfortunately, McCain experienced a season-ending meniscus tear in a game against the Indiana Pacers. The injury prevented McCain from a chance at the prestigious Rookie of The Year award.

In 2024, the Boston Celtics won their 18th NBA Championship with possibly one of the best Celtics players of all time and that’s Jayson Tatum. They were victorious over the Dallas Mavericks’ super-team that includes stars like Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Unless you were living under a rock for the past year, you would know history was made in the NBA. “The King” Lebron James’s son, LeBron “Bronny” James Jr. was drafted to the NBA alongside his father on the Los Angeles Lakers.  

Now let’s change the topic of the same sport to a different league. I’m talking about the WNBA. In 2024, the No.1 overall pick was 22 year old Caitlin Clark. The player that potentially revolutionized the viewership of WNBA games. According to Yahoo Sports, due to Clark’s presence, the viewership levels of WNBA games quadrupled in size. 

• Brandon Jacob

 —————————————————————————————————————————————–

The craziness of 2024 was not limited to only the NBA and NHL. The NFL (national football league) was crazy too. The Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII, their second-consecutive win. 

The offseason saw some crazy roster changes. Kirk Cousins went from the Minnesota Vikings to the Atlanta Falcons, signing a 4-year, $185 Million contract. 

Saquon Barkley, a long-time player for the New York Giants, went to their NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles. Barkley ended the 2024-2025 regular season with 2,005 rushing yards, 101 off of Eric Dickerson’s 1984 single-season record. 

In the MLB (major league baseball), the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series, spreading the news that the New York Yankees didn’t have what it takes to get ring #28. This was the second win in five years for Los Angeles. They acquired stars like two-way player Shohei Ohtani,, and utilized their original star players like Mookie Betts, Gavin Lux, and Freddie Freeman. 

Kyle Schwarber set a MLB record for single-season leadoff home runs, with fourteen first-inning longballs. 

The aforementioned Dodgers set a record for a big contract, but that was soon broken. Shohei Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 Million contract before the season started. The New York Mets signed Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 Million contract, the largest contract in MLB history.

2024 was a benchmark year in motorsports. Formula One had a record 24 races in one season. They raced on five continents, nineteen different countries, and had the closest championship fight since the 2021 season. 

Dutch driver Max Verstappen won his fourth-consecutive World Drivers’ Championship with Red Bull Racing, beating Lando Norris and McLaren. 

Verstappen joins the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Juan Michael Fangio, Michael Shumacher, and Lewis Hamilton as drivers to win four straight championships. 

America’s favorite motorsport, NASCAR was no different. Team Penske driver Joey Logano claimed his third championship in eight years, having won championships in 2018, 2022, and 2024. This was the third-straight championship for Team Penske, with Logano’s teammate Ryan Blaney being crowned champion in 2023.

2017 Champion Martin Truex, Jr. announced his retirement this year. The 44-year old Mayetta, NJ driver said that he had never missed any event, and needed to “make his own schedule”. 

In 2024, we unfortunately lost many famous athletes. Former NFL Running Back O.J. Simpson passed away in April. Former NBA player Jerry West passed away in June. The “Say Hey Kid” Willie Mays passed away in June as well. Former NBA player Dikembe Mutumbo passed away in September, and former MLB player Pete Rose also passed on the same day as Mutumbo. Former NASCAR driver Bobby Allison passed away in November. 

2024 was a historical year in sports. We started dynasties. History was rewritten. History was made. Expectations were set. We won, we lost, we had fun. No matter how your favorite team did, 2024 was a year to remember for everyone. 2025 will surely be similar.

• Valentino Vaccarella