Sometimes sports have a way of tugging at our hearts, and 2024 has had more than its share of special moments.
in baseball, Freddie FreemanWorld Series MVPHe returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers to a standing ovation after leaving the team to care for his son in the intensive care unit, while the New York Mets player Shawnmania He had one of the best games of his career just hours after learning of his aunt's death.
Meanwhile in basketball, Broadcast legend Dick Vitale Got great news about his health and… Lebron and Bronnie James Making NBA history.
in paris, 2024 Summer Olympics Brought tears on and off the field, starting with Celine DionA triumphant return to performing the moment she left Kelly Clarkson Speechless.
The biggest names in sports were honored at the 2024 ESPY Awards, and some were lucky enough to take home the coveted silver statue. The ESPYs, which stands for Excellence in Sports Performance annually, kicked off on Thursday, July 11 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. Serena Williams exits for the evening. before (…)
As the calendar turned to 2025, here were the sporting moments that ticked the box and left us all wanting more.
NHL honors the late Johnny Gaudreau
NHL left winger Johnny Gaudreau He was supposed to enter his third season with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2024-2025 season before he and his brother, MatthewThey were killed by a car driver while riding their bike. Johnny was 31 and Matthew was 29.
The two were in New Jersey to celebrate their sister KatieJohnny's wedding, and while the news wasn't public at the time, Johnny's wife, MeredithShe was pregnant with the couple's third child. (I gave birth in December). They also shared their daughter Noah, now 2 years old, and son Johnny, now 9 months old.
Johnny's unexpected death sent shockwaves through the hockey community, leading to an outpouring of support, especially from his former teams, the Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames. They both honored him when their season began.
Courtesy of Meredith Gaudreau/Instagram The family of the late Johnny Gaudreau made an emotional return to the city where he earned the nickname “Johnny Hockey.” Johnny played the first nine seasons of his NHL career as a member of the Calgary Flames. On Tuesday, December 3, the Columbus Blue Jackets – Johnny (…)
In addition to team tributes and arena vigils, more than a dozen Columbus players attended Noah's birthday.
The entire Gaudreau family also returned to Calgary, where Johnny played nine seasons, on Dec. 3, when the team played a video tribute to their former player before the game.
Freddie Freeman cries after Dodgers honor his son
Freeman, the Dodgers' first baseman, missed two weeks of regular-season action while his 3-year-old son, Maximus, He spent eight days in the intensive care unit Fights Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.
With Max back home and recovering, Freddie returned to action on August 5 in a home game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Dodgers fans gave him a standing ovation when he stepped up to the plate for the first time. Weeks later, Max attended his first match since being hospitalized as Freddy's teammates wore #MAXSTRONG T-shirts in his honour.
“It was a great night,” Freddie said after the match.
Courtesy of Chelsea Freeman/Instagram Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Freddie Freeman made sure his team's World Series pitch was a family affair. On Friday, November 1, the MLB player was joined by his wife, Chelsea Freeman, and their three sons, Charlie, 8, Brandon, 3, and Maximus, 3, in an unforgettable celebration. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart (…)
Cowboys cheerleader dances without her wig after being diagnosed with alopecia
Armani Latimer He took the field at AT&T Stadium for Monday Night Football on November 9 Without wig After revealing her alopecia diagnosis on Netflix America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Fans.
Latimer was diagnosed with the condition when she was 12 and was wearing a wig, but explained that she now felt the urge to take it off.
“I believe that if I can get over my negative self-talk and self-defeating mentality, I can help change the experience of a 12-year-old who is diagnosed,” she said. “She can start healing earlier instead of waiting until she's 23, like me. There are a lot of societal pressures that come with being a woman, and we don't need more.”
“We can be empowered by so many things, and you don't need your hair to feel that,” she added.
Dick Vitale is cancer free
Vitale, an ESPN college basketball analyst, is known for two things: his endless enthusiasm for hoops and his work to raise money for cancer research. He has fought many of his own cancer battles, but announced on December 12 that he is now cancer-free.
“Santa Claus came early when Dr. Rick Brown called and said my 7 a.m. PET scan came back cancer-free!” vitality books. “Oh my God, thank you all so much for (your prayers). Yes, I'll cut down the nets baby, it's my national championship!”
Many celebrities took to the field to watch the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees compete in the 2024 World Series. The two teams have a long history in the MLB Championship Series, having faced each other 11 times since 1941. The 12th game this year marks the two teams' win (.. .)
Fittingly, his announcement came two days after the Jimmy V Classic, the annual men's college basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden, which benefits the V Foundation for Cancer Research. Vitale was a close friend of Valvano, even introducing him before the late N.C. State coach's legendary 1993 speech on the ESPYS.
Celine Dion will perform at the 2024 Paris Olympics
He performed debts publicly For the first time since being diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome on the biggest stage imaginable, at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Performing at the base of the Eiffel Tower, Dion sang in French, performed… Edith Piaf“Hymn of Love.”
The song brought Clarkson, the NBC Olympics correspondent, to tears.
“I can't actually talk,” Clarkson managed to say as her hosts Mike Tirico and Peyton Manning Share their surprise too.
Diana Taurasi's father
Taurasi's parents, Mario and Lilianawas on the court as arguably the greatest women's basketball player won her sixth Olympic gold medal. It was Mario, a former professional soccer player I saw him wiping away the tears After Team USA defeated France 67-66 in the gold medal game.
While competing in the recent Olympics, Diana gave her father a kiss on the forehead after the match while the family posed for photos together.
The 2024 Summer Olympics may be held in the City of Light, but that doesn't mean it hasn't come with its fair share of darkness. After a flashy opening ceremony on Friday 26 July that continues to anger some celebrities and religious figures, the games have been plagued by allegations of sexism (…)
Bronny and LeBron James suit
Bronny's unorthodox path to the NBA included health concerns before his only collegiate season at USC and controversy, as he declared for the NBA draft despite a lackluster season. Drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers In the second round, Rooney met his father LeBron for the first time on October 23.
They became the first father-son duo to play together in an NBA game, momentarily quieting critics when the two shared the court together.
“In that moment, we were at the scorers' table together and checking in together, which is something I'll never forget,” LeBron said after the game. “No matter how old I get, no matter how much my memory fades as I get older or whatever, I will never forget that moment.”
Shawn Mania dedicates the game to his late aunt
Mania pitched the game of his life in the New York Mets' 7-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on October 8 in Game 3 of the 2024 National League Division Series just hours after learning it. Aunt Mabel He died.
Elmenea pitched into the eighth inning that night, allowing one run on three hits. When Mets manager Carlos Mendoza pulled him out of the game, Fox cameras caught Manaya blowing a kiss toward the sky.
“It was for my aunt,” he explained after the match. “I just got a message that she passed away early this morning. That toy was hers.”
He continued: “Everyone back home loved you so much. I know what is happening is difficult, but we will get through it. I love you guys.
