2020 - a year unlike any other. Here are the moments to remember, for better or for worse.
Hello 2021,
The Last Night’s Game Team
1. The year started with a punch to the gut when basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others died in a morning helicopter crash. The shock wave was felt around the world, impacting the greatest of athletes to the everyday person. Their legend lives on through the Mamba and Mambacita Foundation and their work in making sports accessible to all. We hope in 2021 that Orange County (where the Bryant family still calls home) will continue the tradition of “Kobe Bryant Day” on August 24 (8/24 - his two jersey numbers). In a bittersweet moment, the Lakers won their first championship since the Kobe era this year. THE LEGEND LIVES ON
2. 2020 was a tough year for many, but it was a year filled with milestones for women in sports. From the hiring of Kim Ng by the Miami Marlins as the first-ever female general manager in MLB (Major League Baseball) to Callie Brownson of the Cleveland Browns, who became the first woman to coach an NFL (National Football League) position group during a regular-season game. Brownson again made history when she and Jennifer King, Washington Football Team's full-year coaching intern and NFL official Sarah Thomas were part of the first regular-season game in NFL history to have a female coach on both sidelines and a female official. We can’t leave out DC United (MLS - Major League Soccer) hiring Danita Johnson as president of business operations, making her the first Black woman or man to serve as a team president and one of the highest-ranking female club executives in league history. CAN’T STOP, WON’T STOP
3. The topic that dominated 2020 and the world of sports, COVID-19. We’ll never forget March 11, the day sports stopped when Rudy Gobert of the NBA (National Basketball Association) tested positive for COVID, and it subsequently spread through the league. The sports world will remember the look of shock and disbelief on Mark Cuban’s face when he received notice courtside that the basketball season had been suspended. There were plenty of unknowns that led to a lack of confidence in any sports proceeding this year but led to playing in a bubble for some leagues and cancelled/rescheduled games in others. This year also brought us brilliant acts of COVID kindness from the sports community, new champions and, of course, resilience. WE SHALL PREVAIL
4. After the unexplained death of George Floyd, Brianna Taylor, Jacob Blake and so many countless others, athletes had had enough. The Milwaukee Bucks (NBA) led the movement that stopped sports in protest of the racial injustice in America. The movement that started in Milwaukee quickly spread across the NBA and the sports world. We saw NASCAR’s (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) Bubba Wallace become a household name after a noose was found in his garage at a race track. Wallace is the only Black driver on the professional circuit. The drivers came together and it led to changes, including NASCAR outlawing confederate flags at races. Superstars like LeBron James started “More Than A Vote,” a non-partisan organization to combat systemic, racist voter suppression. Their efforts included rallying sporting facilities to become polling places. While there is still a long way to go, leagues, owners and athletes across sports have listened to their communities. They have pledged millions of dollars to support programs, implement best practices and start a movement that will lead our country in the right direction. BETTER TOGETHER
5. While we were all quarantined, we binged watched a lot of TV. On the heels of the “Tiger King” phenomenon came Michael Jordan’s “Last Dance.” Because we were all at home glued to the TV for any sense of normalcy, the production of the series was moved up by a few months and it was a hit. Sports fans and non-sports fans rejoiced in Jordan’s victories and felt the pain of his perils. Since you haven’t made it until you’re a meme, there were plenty of Jordan memes to go around, like the one about him eating an entire pizza himself - and subsequently coming down with food poisoning. If you haven’t seen the series yet, you’re in for a treat. (Also, where have you been)? FOR THE WIN
