2015 leaves high expectations for the new year

It went by quickly, but 2015 was an amazing year for sports. Between all the great games, plays, and moments, the last 365 days have created some sports history while also beginning whole new eras across every sport. It was one of the better years in sports in recent memory, and may be a difficult one to top.

2015 saw the beginning of the Golden State Warriors’ dominance in the NBA, the beginning to Cam Newton’s true success (whether or not it is legitimate or continued will be determined in the next month), and the usual suspects in every sport continuing to succeed, such as the Patriots, Seahawks (in early 2015), LeBron James, Chicago Blackhawks, etc. Also, like I highlighted in the “Top Sports Moments of 2015” Pick-Six, some of the best playoff games I’ve ever seen came last year. It’s rare to see such great competition sports-wide, and even though I didn’t highlight every league’s playoffs in the countdown, all of them had incredible games that had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see the outcome. The year also had some of the weirdest scandals I’ve ever seen in my life, mainly stemming from the NFL (see Deflategate, Greg Hardy, Patrick Kane, Sepp Blatter, the list goes on). Despite all of that, I’m not going to let the negatives outweigh the positives of a great year.

However, when you look ahead to 2016, you can’t help but get excited at everything that will go on in this new year. It’s already started with an incredible Winter Classic going on as I write this, which I feel is a good omen for the next 364 days. We also have a great upcoming college football title game coming up, the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl next month, the beginning of another great MLB season, and the finish to the NHL and NBA seasons, both of which will bring insane playoff competition from April to June.

The big one that everyone will be looking forward to will be the 2016 Summer Olympics. The 2012 Olympics created some amazing moments for the United States, with their 46 gold medals and overall medal lead over every other participating country. This year’s Olympics are sure to be just as great, if not better than previous versions of the classic event, and will get rid of the usual summer “lull” that comes from the end of the football, basketball, and hockey seasons.

It obviously will take a lot to outdo the success that came from 2015, but 2016 certainly has the potential to do it. I fully believe that, as much as I loved 2015, this upcoming year could become one of the best that the sports world has seen in a long time.