Braves win Sports Illustrated’s Team of the Year Award

The three other finalists were the Chicago Sky, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Tampa Bay Lightning, but here’s why the Braves won the award.

Few teams capture the heart of its city en route to a long-awaited championship quite like the Braves did in 2021. That’s why Atlanta took home this year’s Sports Illustrated Team of the Year Award.

After 16 straight postseasons without a World Series title, this Braves team was a hodgepodge of season veterans, electric young stars, late-season additions and a fan base that has endured it all. They overcame a supremely talented Astros squad in six games to bring the city of Atlanta its first sports championship in a quarter-century.

What the Braves did was nothing short of miraculous when you consider where this team was before the trade deadline. As Joc Pederson said, it took a group of guys all pulling on the same rope to get the job done, and this city rallied around the Braves like nothing I’ve ever seen. That’s why they are Sports Illustrated’s Team of the Year.