2014 was a multi-faceted year in sports. It was a year where we bid farewell to some long-time legends, but also a difficult year in sports in many respects -- listening to the racist remarks of Donald Sterling, watching the video surveillance of Ray Rice beating his wife, hearing stories of the utter corruption in FIFA -- very often 2014 had us sighing and shaking our heads.
However, 2014 also had a lot of great and inspiring moments, too. And, as we ring in the New Year, now seems as appropriate time as ever to look back at the best memories from the year that was. Hopefully 2015 will bring just as many.
Derek Jeter, The Captain, earned our #RE2PECT by delivering in the clutch one final time.
Richard Sherman shut down the 49ers, and then let the whole world hear about it.
Mo'ne Davis showed all of us that "you play ball like a girl" isn't an insult -- it's a sign of your dominance.
TJ Oshie and Tim Howard made us feel the ectasy of patriotism as we cheered them on in the Sochi Olympics and World Cup.
Madison Bumgarner delivered one of the most dominant postseason pitching performances this side of Sandy Koufax
Lauren Hill showed us the meaning of true strength and true perseverance, fulfilling her lifelong dream of being a college basketball player despite living with an inoperable brain tumor.
Two powerhouse college basketball programs met for the first time as conference rivals, and gave us two of the best games of the year.
Odell Beckham, Jr. made this catch...
And Kevin Durant made this shot...
Michael Sam and Jason Collins were trail blazers for equality and social justice, becoming the first openly gay men to play in the NFL and NBA, respectively.
2014 was also the year of the Activist Athlete. The Clippers turned their warm-ups inside-out to protest Donald Sterling's racist remarks. The St. Louis Rams mimicked "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" to protest the killing of Ferguson native Michael Brown. And multiple basketball teams sported "I Can't Breathe" warm-ups in response to the death of Staten Island's Eric Garner, who died on camera in a police chokehold.
2014 was a memorable year in the wide world of sports for good and bad reasons, but the page now turns to 2015 as more sports memories are sure to come in the New Year.
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