The 25 teams that ruled 2019

Barca captured their second consecutive La Liga title in 2018-19 and eighth in the past 11 seasons. In April, they earnede their second consecutive title and 26^th overall, winning 26 matches, tying three and losing only three. During the season they enjoyed a 22-game stint between losses, with eight- and six-game win streaks, respectively. Lionel Messi led the way with 36 goals and captured a record-setting sixth Golden Boot honor in the process.

The Lady Bears took their only loss of the year in December, going undefeated over the final four months of the season, taking down the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to cap a 37-1 season and their third national championship in program history. Kalani Brown was voted Big 12 Player of the Year and to multiple All-American teams, while Chloe Jackson won NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in her lone season with the Lady Bears.

The Tigers began the year in stunning fashion, dominating Alabama to the tune of a 44-16 national championship win. Trevor Lawrence threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns and was named offensive MVP of the game. Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence all became first-round NFL Draft picks, and the returning Tigers opened the 2019 season atop preseason polls, with their multiyear winning streak reaching 20 games.

The first team to ever boast the top three recruits in the country on the same team, the Blue Devils were the talk of college basketball. Mike Krzyzewski’s team went 32-6 and reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils captured their 21 ^st ACC xhampionship in the process, with Zion Williamson winning National Player of the Year. In the 2019 NBA Draft, Williamson, R.J. Barrett and Cam Reddish all landed inside the top 10 picks, going Nos. 1, 3 and 10, respectively.

The Warriors reign above the NBA carried on, as they led the Western Conference in wins for fourth time in the past five seasons. They reached the NBA Finals for the fifth straight season; however their bid for a third consecutive title came up short, as playoff injuries to Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson cut deep into the Warriors’ upside. In the process, however, Stephen Curry became the all-time leader in postseason three-pointers, passing Ray Allen.

The Astros roared to a third consecutive 100-win, American League West championship, posting an MLB-best 107 wins. Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander combined to win 41 games and ring up 626 strikeouts, the second-most by teammates in MLB history. The Astros made their second World Series appearance in the past three years, reaching the Fall Classic via a dramatic Jose Altuve walk-off homer in Game 7 of the ALCS. However, the Astros would fall to the Washington Nationals in seven games in the World Series.

While not exactly a team, the combined returns for the champions in the world of video gaming continued to rise. The world of Esports continued to expand in 2019, as the various competition continued to emerge in a major way. Overall revenues soared to the area of $1 billion, as various competitions prize packages topped $1 million. The 2019 League of Legends tournament carried a $2 million prize in the finals, while the "NBA 2K" league victors have a chance at a total of $1.2 million in season-long earnings.

After finishing second in the English Premier League, Liverpool emerged victorious in the Champions League, capturing their sixth title. Liverpool was 30-9-1, finishing with 97 points in the Premier League, landing in second place, a point behind Manchester City. After reaching the Champions League tournament, Liverpool made it to the finals for a second consecutive year, this time emerging victorious after defeating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the Final, with a Mohamed Salah scoring just 24 seconds into the final.

Led by an MVP-caliber showing from Cody Bellinger, the Dodgers steamrolled their way to a seventh consecutive National League West title. Their 106 wins set a new franchise record, as they blew away their divisional competition via a 21-game margin. But a third straight National League championship wasn’t to be, as L.A. was stunningly beat by the wild-card Washington Nationals in the NL Division Series.

While the Lakers failed to make the playoffs in LeBron James’ debut in LaLa land, they did manage to remain the most talked about team in the game. Their drawn out — and eventually successful — acquisition of Anthony Davis was the main storyline, with the departures of Magic Johnson, Lonzo Ball and coach Luke Walton making headlines as well. Take-two of the LeBron Laker era has gotten off to much better start, as they have spent the early going of 2019-20 season as the top team in the Western Conference.

Manchester City defended their Premier League championship during the 2018-19 season, scoring a league-best 98 points. In the process they captured both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup en route to a return to the Champions League for the eighth consecutive season. The year was notable for intensity of the competition between Man City and Liverpool, as the two exchanged the league lead 32 times. Overall, Manchester City notched a total of 50 wins on the season, a runaway record for the club. 

Led by the breakout campaign of NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks finished with the best record in the NBA at 60-22. Milwaukee advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2001, going 8-1 en route to the Eastern Conference Finals. Ultimately, the Bucks would lose in the six games to the Toronto Raptors in the ECF but solidified themselves as long-term contenders in the process.

With new manager Rocco Baldelli in the dugout and a revamped roster, the Twins became an offensive juggernaut in 2019. Their 309 total home runs represented a new single-season MLB team record, topping the previous record by 40. Overall, eight different Twins had at least 20 home runs, led by 40 from Nelson Cruz. In the process, they improved by 23 games from the year before and won their first American League Central title since 2010.

The Pats started the year off in a familiar place: the Super Bowl. At Super Bowl LIII, they defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3, for the franchise’s third Super Bowl title in the last five years. It capped a season in which they won their 10 ^th straight AFC East championship and became only the third team in history to make three consecutive Super Bowl appearances. In the fall, the Pats picked up right where they left off, winning their first eight games behind a dominant defensive unit that allowed 10 or fewer points in four games.

The Saints made waves throughout the entire year. They played a huge part in the revision of pass interference review being brought to the NFL this year, following a controversial play in January’s NFC championship game that potentially cost NOLA a trip to the Super Bowl. In the fall, they returned in peak form, posting one of the NFC’s best records despite losing quarterback Drew Brees for a large part of the early slate. Teddy Bridgewater stepped in admirably, while Michael Thomas continued to set receiving records with regularity.

The revitalization of the 49ers was the most stunning story of the first half of the 2019 NFL campaign. Led by a retooled defense, a dominant running game and the return of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from a torn ACL, the Niners roared out of the gates to an 8-0 start and stood as the league’s longest-running unbeaten team before losing to Seattle in Week 10. On the year, they accomplished their first winning record since 2013.

The Blues ended one of sport’s most notorious championship dry spells when they defeated the Boston Bruins in seven games to capture the franchise’s first Stanley Cup championship. After making the Stanley Cup Finals in each of their first three seasons, it had been 52 years since the Blues had won the Western Conference. However, behind the newly acquired Ryan O’Reilly, interim manager Craig Berube and breakout goaltender Jordan Binnington, the Blues brought the title home, in the process exorcising decades of crushing playoff defeats.

The Lightning enjoyed the best season in the franchise’s 27-year history, going an astonishing 62-16-4. Their 62 wins matched the highest single-season win total in NHL history, held by the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings. However, a more dubious record would await in the playoffs, as they were incredibly swept by the eighth-seeded Columbus Blue Jackets, becoming the first Presidents' Trophy winner to ever suffer such a fate in the first round.

After pulling off a surprising trade to acquire Kawhi Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for franchise cornerstone Demar DeRozan, the future of the Raptors was far from certain entering the season. But what would wait ahead would be greatest season in franchise history, as the Raptors would capture their first NBA championship in history, becoming the first non-U.S-based champ in league history. In the process, Leonard joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James as the only players in history to win Finals MVP with two different teams.

For the first time since the league's inaugural season, the MLS Cup Playoffs featured a full array of expansion teams in the final four. After finishing with the second-most points in the Western Conference, the Sounders dominated the final two rounds of the playoffs, outscoring Los Angeles FC and Toronto FC 6-2. Raul Ruidiaz and Jordan Morris were the two leading scorers in the tournament, as the Sounders captured their second title since 2016.

The United States women’s national soccer team entered the 2019 FIFA World Cup as the favorites and did not disappoint. The U.S. women were the defending World Cup champions and went undefeated in defending their title, setting nine tournament records in the process. Led by Golden Boot winner Megan Rapinoe as well as Alex Morgan, the team made a cultural impact too, as the players unapologetically celebrated their successes and publicly championed for women’s pay equity in line with their male counterparts.

The Commodores went 59-12 en route to being crowned champions of the College World Series. The SEC champions went 5-1 in World Series play, defeating the Michigan Wolverines in the championship game. In the process, freshman pitcher Kumar Rocker became a breakout sensation, throwing the first-ever no-hitter in the Super Regionals and setting an additional record with 19 strikeouts during the 3-0 victory over Duke.

The greatest turnaround in the history of March Madness was authored by the Cavaliers. A year after becoming the first No. 1 seed to fall to a 16 seed, Tony Bennett’s team took no mercy. With future NBA Draft picks De'Andre Hunter, Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome leading the way, the Cavaliers made good on their No. 1 seed status, defeating Texas Tech, 85-77, in overtime to capture the school’s first national championship.

With WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne leading the way, the Mystics won the Eastern Conference with a record of 26-8. The Mystics won their semifinal matchup vs. the Las Vegas Aces three games to one but faced a formidable Connecticut Sun team in the Finals without the benefit of Delle Donne in top shape, as she battled herniated discs in her back. Emma Meesseman stepped up, scoring 22 points in a decisive Game 5 to bring the Mystics their first title in franchise history.

Few teams in MLB history have overcome the odds — and history — in the way the Nationals did. They rallied from over 10 games under .500 as late as May and won their first postseason series in franchise history in the process. In the postseason they became the first team to beat two 100-win franchises, both of which topped their respective leagues in wins (Dodgers and Astros), after emerging from the wild-card play-in game. To cap their improbable run, they became the first World Series champion team to win all its games on the road and the first team ever in MLB, NHL or NBA history to win every road game in a seven-game series.