This previous yr offered us with some really particular sports activities recollections that may stick with us for years to return. For that, you may go to our 24 most impactful sports activities tales of 2024. However we thought we’d additionally discover these viral moments that had us laughing, cheering and simply plain scratching our heads.
These two dozen atoms within the larger construction that was the yr in sports activities captured our hearts and minds for days or even weeks at a time. Fairly a number of of these viral moments got here courtesy of the 2024 Paris Olympics, and none of them caught fireplace fairly as a lot as Australian breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn, who wound up being a preferred Halloween costume by the tip of the yr.
The Olympics dominated social media all through the summer season with “pommel horse man” incomes a bronze medal and a spot on “Dancing with the Stars,” Ilona Maher rumbling over Aussies (and likewise happening “Dancing with the Stars”), Steph Curry knocking out France and a lot extra.
Exterior of Paris, there have been numerous wacky and head-scratching moments. Every thing from Scottie Scheffler’s arrest to the Dwyane Wade statue reveal left customers feeling bewildered and generated numerous memes.
Earlier than we dive into the highest 24, listed here are a handful of honorable mentions that hardly missed the minimize:
Now, let’s get into the micro-moments that took social media by storm. Listed below are our 24 most viral sports activities moments of 2024.
24. Josh Allen throws, catches TD on similar play
As soon as upon a time, Gisele Bundchen famously mentioned that Tom Brady cannot “throw the ball and catch the ball on the similar time.” I might wish to direct her consideration to the Dec. 1 recreation between the Buffalo Payments and San Francisco 49ers. Within the third quarter, Josh Allen discovered receiver Amari Cooper close to the objective line and adopted his cross. As Cooper was combating off three tacklers, he pitched the ball to Allen, who obtained to the pylon for the rating. Allen was not credited with a reception, however that did go down as a seven-yard receiving landing for the celebrity quarterback.
23. Jon Jones knocks out Stipe Miocic
Jon Jones solely added to his legacy at UFC 309 when he knocked out Stipe Miocic for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Within the third spherical, Jones threw a spinning again kick that introduced Miocic to his knees earlier than ending him with a sequence of punches. With President-elect Donald Trump sitting within the entrance row, Jones celebrated by doing the “Trump dance,” which Trump did at numerous his marketing campaign stops.
22. “Faculty Soccer 25” launched by EA Sports activities
After an 11-year wait, school soccer followers lastly obtained to play their favourite online game as soon as once more. After a prolonged absence, the EA Sports activities “Faculty Soccer” sequence made its return, and it was an immediate hit. Up to date with trendy school soccer options like NIL and the switch portal, recreation provided an in-depth expertise. Grown women and men throughout the nation reverted to youngsters as they led their favourite applications to the glory of a nationwide title.
21. Vanderbilt upsets Alabama, tosses goalposts in river
You do not simply stroll into Nashville and beat Vanderbilt. Truly, Alabama did simply that from 1985-2023. That is how lengthy the Commodores went with out beating the Crimson Tide, however that drought ended this yr. Vanderbilt shocked top-ranked Alabama with a 40-35 win. Over the course of the celebration, the FirstBank Stadium goalposts made their means down Broadway and into the Cumberland River.
20. Ilona Maher barrels over Aussies
The US ladies’s rugby group took house bronze on the Paris Olympics, and Ilona Maher was one of many greatest stars. Maher wasn’t afraid to dish out some punishment to her opponents, and within the group’s match towards powerhouse Australia, she lowered her shoulder on some devastating runs.
19. Dwyane Wade statue raises eyebrows
When Miami Warmth legend Dwyane Wade obtained his statue outdoors Kaseya Heart, the response from the web was like one thing out of a Comedy Central roast. The face on Wade’s statue drew immediate comparisons to that of Cristiano Ronaldo’s, however Wade elected to take the excessive highway in response to the needling from social media.
18. DJ Burns takes over March Insanity
Yearly, a participant comes out of nowhere to win over the hearts of America all through a deep NCAA Event run. In 2024, that participant was NC State large man DJ Burns. Beginning with the Wolfpack’s first-round recreation towards Texas Tech, Burns was education most each participant he confronted within the low publish. In opposition to Duke within the Elite Eight, Burns went off for 29 factors and a pair of blocks on the defensive finish.
17. Curry vs. Ionescu in 3-point showdown
One of the best sharpshooters within the NBA and WNBA went head-to-head in a 3-point capturing competitors throughout NBA All-Star weekend. Sabrina Ionescu and Steph Curry confronted off with the latter prevailing due to a red-hot end. Ionescu’s 26 factors would have tied her with the official 3-point contest champion Damian Lillard, however Curry hit eight of his final 10 pictures to place up 29 factors for the win.
16. Chennedy Carter shoulder checks Caitlin Clark
Because the WNBA’s top-billed rookie, Caitlin Clark obtained a relatively chilly reception from her friends in 2024. Not one of the lumps she took had been extra blatant than the shoulder she obtained from Chennedy Carter in a recreation towards the Chicago Sky. After pulling down a bucket, Carter proceeded to knock down Clark on the inbounds play. That play earned Carter a flagrant 1, however Clark would go on to downplay the incident in her march to Rookie of the 12 months.
15. Bronny James makes NBA debut
It is not typically that an NBA rookie will get to take the courtroom together with his father. The truth is, Bronny James turned the one participant ever to try this through the Los Angeles Lakers’ season-opener towards the Minnesota Timberwolves when he stepped on the ground together with his father, LeBron James. The daddy-son duo then needed to snap some photos, together with some with MLB father-son duo Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr.
14. Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter steals tens of millions from MLB star
One of many extra stunning tales of the yr was Shohei Ohtani’s pal and interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, stealing roughly $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers star to gas a playing behavior. Court docket paperwork confirmed that, from December 2021 to January 2024, Mizuhara’s playing let to a internet lack of round $16 million. That led to textual content messages like this between Mizuhara and his bookmaker. “I am horrible at this sport betting factor huh? Lol . . . Any likelihood u can bump me once more?? As you understand, you do not have to fret about me not paying!!”
13. Commanders humiliate Bears with walk-off Hail Mary
Nothing encapsulates the Chicago Bears’ 2024 season fairly like their loss to the Washington Commanders. Down 15-12 with time for one play remaining, all of the Commanders might do was let Jayden Daniels fling a determined heave 52 yards from the tip zone. As Daniels took the ultimate snap, Bears defensive again Tyrique Stevenson was taunting opposing followers. As soon as he realized the play was underway, Stevenson ran throughout the sector, however he was unable to stop Noah Brown from catching the game-winning landing on a tipped ball. No surprise Chicago elected to make a teaching change a month later.
12. Jordan Chiles’ bronze medal will get revoked
The ladies’s ground train occasion in Paris was the supply of a lot controversy. It initially appeared as if American gymnast Jordan Chiles had narrowly missed out on the bronze medal till an inquiry bumped her rating previous two extra opponents to put her third within the occasion. Chiles obtained to put on the bronze medal round her neck on the rostrum, but it surely was later revoked when Court docket of Arbitration for Sport dominated that the inquiry was a mere 4 seconds after the alotted one-minute deadline.
11. Michigan tries to mark its territory in Columbus
The historic rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State obtained one other memorable entry this yr when the Wolverines waltzed into Ohio Stadium as three-touchdown underdog and upset the Buckeyes, 13-10. After the rating went ultimate, Michigan tried to say itself additional by planting a flag at midfield. Ohio State did not take kindly to that. That led to some bodily confrontation, which led to pepper spray getting used, which led to an Ohio state consultant proposing a invoice to ban flag-planting.
10. Steph Curry places France to sleep in gold medal recreation
Steph Curry has made some large pictures in his prolific profession, and he added one other one to his resume on the Paris Olympics. Within the gold medal recreation towards France, Curry looped a 3-point try over a double-team that discovered the underside of the bucket and successfully sealed the win for Group USA.
9. Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam
World Sequence. Backside of the tenth. Bases loaded. Down by one run. At-bats do not get any larger than that, and that is the state of affairs Freddie Freeman was introduced with the Los Angeles Dodgers down in Recreation 1 towards the New York Yankees. Not one to shrink back from the highlight, Freeman took the primary pitch he noticed from Nestor Cortes and launched it over the correct subject wall for the primary walk-off grand slam in MLB historical past. The ball has since offered for $1.56 million at public sale.
8. Noah Lyles wins 100m in photograph end
One of many marquee occasions in the summertime Olympics is the 100m dash, which crowns the quickest man on the planet. In Paris, American sprinter Noah Lyles took that crown in dramatic style. Lyles was a tick gradual getting off the blocks, however he made up for it down the stretch. Lyles flew down the observe and beat Jamaican Kishane Thompson by a nostril on the end line.
7. Taylor Swift celebrates Tremendous Bowl with Travis Kelce
The fusion of the Swifties with NFL followers was one thing to behold on the finish of the 2023-24 NFL season, and that culminated with Taylor Swift hanging out in a star-studded suite at Tremendous Bowl LVIII. Following the Chiefs’s dramatic extra time win over the San Francisco 49ers, Swift discovered boyfriend Travis Kelce and celebrated with him on the sector. Swift even flexed with Kansas Metropolis punter Tommy Townsend.
6. French pole vaulter’s groin will get in the best way
No Olympic athlete desires to fall in need of their objective after coaching for that second for his or her total life. Having mentioned that, if you’re going to come up quick, no less than go viral. That is what occurred to French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati, whose — uh, manhood — obtained in the best way and prompted him to fail considered one of his makes an attempt … Now from junk to trunk we go to …
5. Mike Tyson will get heated … and cheeky
Mike Tyson’s return to the ring was probably the most anticipated sports activities moments of the yr, and whereas the battle itself was a little bit of a dud, the lead-up offered loads of leisure. On the weigh-in, Jake Paul crawled his means as much as Tyson earlier than rising up in his face, and the boxing legend did not take too kindly to that. Tyson reared again and delivered a forceful slap to Paul’s face.
On battle evening, with tens of millions of individuals watching, Tyson bared his soul and fairly a bit extra in a locker room interview. As Tyson completed the hit, the cameras panned a little bit too low, and followers noticed a full moon regardless of being indoors.
4. ‘Pommel horse man’ wins bronze
Sadly for comedian e-book followers like myself, nobody will ever see Clark Kent rip off his glass and turn into Superman within the blink of an eye fixed. That mentioned, U.S. gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik got here fairly shut when he put apart his spectacles and ship an amazing pommel horse routine on the Paris Olympics. That effort earned him a bronze medal, the artistic nickname “pommel horse man,” and a spot on “Dancing with the Stars.”
3. Tyreek Hill arrested outdoors Onerous Rock Stadium
Dolphins’ followers making their method to Onerous Rock Stadium for the group’s season-opening recreation towards the Jacksonville Jaguars could have observed somebody who bore an uncanny resemblance to Tyreek Hill in handcuffs on the aspect of the rode. That is as a result of it was Hill, who had been pressured to the bottom in an altercation with police. The citations had been reportedly dismissed final month.
2. Scottie Scheffler arrested at PGA Championship
Scottie Scheffler had a historic season on the PGA Tour for extra cause than one. Positive, he gained a half-dozen PGA Tour occasions and took house a gold medal on the Olympics, however he was additionally arrested and booked in jail simply hours earlier than his Spherical 2 tee time on the 2024 PGA Championship. What started with Scheffler misunderstanding site visitors alerts ended with him in a jumpsuit — and never the caddie variety. Scheffler was launched earlier than his spherical, and he nonetheless managed to shoot a 5-under 66 that day. (All costs could be dropped every week later.) Not even a visit to the clink might hold Scheffler down this yr.
1. Aussie breakdancer Raygun steals the present in Paris
In breakdancing’s first — and maybe final — look on the Olympics, Australian dancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn stole the present. Her curious routine took the web by storm, and regardless of her not receiving a single vote in any of her three spherical robin battles, Gunn would be the lasting reminiscence of breakdancing on the 2024 Paris Olympics. The memes had been plentiful, and months later, Gunn would function the inspiration for a lot of Halloween costumes.
