The best sports moments of 2020

Led by Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow (5,671 passing yards, 60 touchdowns, six interceptions), LSU used a 21-point second quarter to roll past Clemson 42-25 to win the program's first official national championship since 2007. Those Tigers were the dominant squad in all college football during the 2019 season, and, at 15-0, might be one of the great teams of all time.

Most football fans, without an established rooting interest, just hope for the Super Bowl to be competitive and entertaining each season. We got that when the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs hooked up for Super Bowl LIV in early February. Trailing 20-10 after three quarters, the Chiefs scored 21 fourth-quarter points, thanks to a pair of Patrick Mahomes touchdown passes, to win 31-21 and claim their first title since the 1969 season. Mahomes was named MVP of the game.

A month after his tragic death, former NBA superstar Kobe Bryant was memorialized at Staples Center (home of the Lakers) on Feb. 24. It was a true celebration of the life of Bryant, who died along with his daughter Gianna, among others. There were several tributes to Bryant throughout the sports and entertainment world, but this proved to be the most extensive. Beyoncé and Alicia Keys performed while Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal were among those who spoke.

Less than a month after the unexpected death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, the All-Star Game award donning his name was won by the Los Angeles Clippers' Kawhi Leonard, who scored 30 points in helping Team LeBron beat Team Giannis 157-155 in Chicago. This was not just any other All-Star star event. Considering the league was still mourning Bryant's death and what was to come in the world of sports amid a global pandemic.

OK, the cancellation of the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments do not necessarily qualify as "best" moments. However, it might have been the smartest decision, even though the NCAA dragged its feet on the announcement and allowed some league tournaments to go forward. It was the first time in the history of the men's tournament that it was canceled. The cancellations of other collegiate national championships for the winter and spring seasons followed.

Remote learning, remote working, remote meetings. So why not a remote NFL Draft? This is 2020. The wonders of technology and limits of the coronavirus pandemic turned what would be a three-day draft party in Nevada into an all-virtual event spanning offices and living rooms across America. The Cincinnati Bengals, though NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, selected Joe Burrow with the No. 1 pick via videoconferencing. In all seriousness, at the end of three days, things went off without any serious hitches. 

After creatively turning to iRacing when the pandemic halted NASCAR in March, the circuit eventually returned to the track. Earlier than most other professional sports. The cars were back on the track in May, running seven events over an 11-day span. Fans were also let into the stands (30,000 at Bristol). The season resumed and was completed without too many issues (the off-track controversy involving Bubba Wallace ). Chase Elliott was NASCAR Cup Series champion.

It took 30 years, but Liverpool finally earned another championship in the top-flight of English football. Paced by star forwards Mo Salah (19 goals) and Sadio Mane (18 goals), the Reds went 32-3-3 and posted 99 points to roll to their first English Premier League title (since it became known as the EPL). Overall, it was Liverpool's 19th time winning the highest level of football in England. "You'll Never Walk Alone" has never sounded sweeter.

There was a time in March, April, and into May, when sports fans were not sure if our North American professional leagues would return to the court, ice, or pitch in 2020. Once summer rolled around, however, we got some good news. Of course, it all looked different. MLS marked its return with a bubble-style tournament in Florida, the same state where the NBA resumed its season in a similar style in late July. The WNBA played its entire season inside a "Wubble" in Florida, while the NHL resumed play with a new, expanded playoff format in early October, with games played in Toronto and Edmonton.

While it was great to see the other major North American sports get back to the action, most eyes of sports fans were fixed on when and where Major League Baseball would start its season. After plenty of back-and-forth between the league and player's union, the first pitch of the 2020 season was thrown on July 23. The Los Angeles Dodgers faced San Francisco in an empty stadium, while the reigning World Series champion Washington National hosted the New York Yankees during a rain-shortened contest that opened a strange, but ultimately rewarded 2020 campaign.

Lost in the craziness and unpredictability of the coronavirus pandemic might have been the fact the Kentucky Derby -- and the entire Triple Crown -- was void of its usual pageantry in 2020. There were far fewer spectators in attendance at Churchill Downs on Sept. 5, when the race was finally run after being postponed from its original date on the first Saturday in May. While the look and time of the event changed, the result was not too surprising. In fact, another Bab Baffert-trained horse -- Authentic -- won the race. Baffert's sixth Derby victory tied the event's all-time record.

There were few fans in the seats when the Kansas City Chiefs celebrated their Super Bowl victory one final time and used a 17-point second quarter to open the 2020 NFL season with a 34-20 win over the Houston Texans on Sept. 10. While it's been a season filled with uncertainty, limited fan attendance, and plenty of schedule reshuffling, one thing remains the same: The Chiefs had the league's best record -- 12-1 -- through the first 13 games. They're also looking good to become the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champs since New England during the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

The hodge-podge of a college season should have probably been foreseen from the start. Major conferences such as the Big Ten and Pac-12 opted to forego the season due to the pandemic. However, the SEC, Big 12, and ACC opted to push forward in their own unique ways and starting in mid-September. Eventually, the Big Ten and Pac-12 bowed to peer pressure, but the result entering bowl season has been riddled with personal opted-outs consistent outbreaks, and multiple cancellations that claimed the likes of rivalry games like Michigan-Ohio State and the Old Oaken Bucket. Still, the sport was never completely sidelined. Points for that. 

One season after being swept in the first round by Columbus as favorites to win the Stanley Cup, the Tampa Bay Lighting were once again able to call themselves Cup champions. En route to the franchise's second such title, the Lightning avenged that loss to the Blue Jackets by eliminating Columbus from the playoffs before taking down Presidents' Trophy-winning Boston. In the Stanley Cup Final, Tampa needed six games to take out pesky Dallas in a rather entertaining series.

One could say a healthy Breanna Stewart was the major reason the Seattle Storm returned to the WNBA limelight and win its second league title in three seasons and fourth overall. Stewart, who missed all of the 2019 campaign due to an Achilles' injury, led the team averaging 19.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and earned WNBA Finals MVP honors in helping the Storm sweep the Las Vegas Aces.

Ten years after winning the second of back-to-back NBA titles, the Lakers were champions again. It was somewhat of a bittersweet moment for star LeBron James and the franchise, which was still mourning the death of legend Kobe Bryant when Los Angeles, which owned the league's best record at 52-19, when it beat Miami 106-93 in Game 6 on Oct. 11, to claim the franchise's 17th world championship.

The Los Angeles Dodgers were the best team throughout MLB's condensed regular season, going 43-17. And, yes, they needed to come back from a 2-0 series hole to beat the Atlanta Braves in seven for the NL pennant. But, when the dust settled, the Dodgers won their first World Series since the heroic days of Kirk Gibson in 1988. Los Angeles beat upstart Randy Arozarena and the Tamp Bay Rays in six games. Corey Seager went 8 of 20 with two homers and five RBIs to earn World Series MVP honors.

How strange was it to watch the Masters, golf's most prestigious tournament, played without a gallery and in November? It was certainly a tradition unlike any other this year. But in the end, things seemed to go as well as expected considering the circumstances. Dustin Johnson won his second major championship, shooting a record-268, 20-under par to win the event by 5 strokes.

It looked strange, but college basketball made its return on Nov. 25. Now, those popular Thanksgiving week tournaments had few fans and the famed Maui Invitational was actually played a week later, but in Asheville, N.C. Games have been canceled, and still are, due to COVID-19. In fact, Duke abandoned its remaining non-conference schedule in early December. On the court, Gonzaga and Baylor look to be the two best teams in the nation, and we wait to see what, or if, an NCAA Tournament -- men and women -- will look like come March.

It's been an up-and-down, overly frustrating college football season. Yet, one of the true bright spots and historic moments in all of sports came via a rather unknown female college soccer player named Sarah Fuller. With Vanderbilt down on players due to COVID-19 issues, Fuller stepped in and became the first female to play in a game featuring a Power Five conference when she handled the second-half kickoff against Missouri on Nov. 28. She then became the first woman to score points in such a game when she converted two extra points versus Tennessee on Dec. 12.