Just one week removed from Super Bowl LI, it is still difficult to appreciate what everyone saw last Sunday.
In a game that had the makings of a blowout, and another Super Bowl in recent memory where the halftime show would likely be more interesting than the game itself, the Patriots improbable come from behind win happened so quickly, it is hard to contextualize what 111.3 million viewers saw unfold at Super Bowl LI.
The Atlanta Falcons had a 99.7 percent win probability with under 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter until a strip-sack forced by Dont’a Hightower gave the Patriots a fighting chance. After being down by 25 points with just over 17 minutes left in regulation, the Patriots rallied back to force the first overtime in Super Bowl history.
The Patriots would score on the first drive of overtime ending the game with 31 unanswered points in the largest comeback in Super Bowl history. With some people in sports media calling this game the greatest comeback in sports history, we as sports fans should look back on this incredible year in sports: a year of comebacks.
April 4: The NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Villanova University
In NRG Stadium, the same location of Super Bowl LI, Villanova found themselves down 39-34 at halftime versus the No. 1 team in the nation. They battled back in the second half to take the lead, until UNC’s Marcus Paige hit a game-tying three-pointer with two defenders around him with six seconds on the clock. Villanova’s Kris Jenkins answered back with a three-pointer of his own as time expired to give the Wildcats their first national championship in 31 years.
June 19: The NBA Finals between the 73-win Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers
After trailing the series 3-1, Cleveland stormed back to force Game 7 in Oakland, CA. With one minute left in regulation, Kyrie Irving hit the go-ahead three-pointer over Steph Curry to end Cleveland’s 52-year sports championship drought.
Nov. 2: The Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians both looked to end decades of losing in the decisive Game 7 of the World Series.
Leading the series 3-1, Cleveland’s pitching could no longer hold off the Cubs’ high-powered offense, as Chicago scored 12 runs over two games to force the winner-take-all game. The Cubs led the whole game and went into the 8th inning up 6-3. Then, Rajai Davis hit one of the most improbable home runs in baseball history to tie the game at 6-6 before Chicago scored two runs in extra innings, which gave the Cubs their first World Series title since 1908.
Jan. 9: The College Football Playoff National Championship, a rematch between the University of Alabama and Clemson University.
The previous year, Alabama won 45-40 in an instant classic. This year, it looked as if Alabama would win the title again, as the Tide held a 24-14 lead at the start of the fourth quarter. Clemson’s offense finally found its rhythm, scoring three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including the game-winner with one second left in regulation to give Clemson the 35-31 victory in a rematch more exciting than the original.
Five championships, five historic comebacks, all of them forever cemented as all-time great moments in their respective sports. The last year of championship performances illustrated everything fans love so much about sports: the games.
Take away the 24-hour media coverage of “talking heads” giving their takes, for days or even weeks before the games are even played, and sports fans would still enjoy the game as much, if not more so than now. If anything, the build-up of sports culture as 24-hour coverage from ex-players trying to spout their knowledge of the game is likely a turn-off to more casual fans or those who would like to learn more about sports.
This last year of sports was great not because it served the most diehard of sports fans, but because even the casual viewer could enjoy the drama and excitement of these historic comebacks.
In the coming seasons, it will be hard to top the sports narratives crafted throughout the last year. These championship games will be looked back upon fondly for years to come. From breaking multi-decade long championship droughts to watching legendary performances from all time great players on the biggest stages in sports, this may be the golden era of sports championship games, so appreciate it while it is here.
