Day 4 of my best of 2017 countdown finds us with my favorite topic, sports. There were a lot of big sports moments in 2017. I have to say, Clemson’s win in the NCAA football playoff last season is not on the list. I know it technically happened in 2017, but it feels too much like 2016. Same thing goes with the Patriots coming back from 25 points down in the third quarter to beat the Falcons in the Super Bowl. Again, it happened in 2017, but everyday we edge closer to the playoffs, and it doesn’t feel relevant enough to me. I’m sure I’ll leave out other things that happened in early 2017, but the 5 topics I picked hold the most weight with me. Let’s get into it.

At number 5 I have the UConn women’s basketball team getting beat in the NCAA tournament. This was a HUGE deal. The UConn women’s team was riding a 100 plus game win streak. They looked like the most unbeatable team in all of team sports. They didn’t just beat teams, they destroyed them. They always seemed to win by at least 20 points. But, you could see some “cracks”. This was an almost entirely new team from the previous 4 national champs. And, Mississippi State happened to play the perfect game and catch them at the exact right time. They slowed the game down to a trudge. They worked the shot clock. They made UConn work the shot clock. They muddied the game up. Even when it looked like UConn was going to pull away, MSU would find a way to stay in it. I turned the game on when it went to overtime. I knew this was a big deal when my wife joined me to watch. We were literally watching sports history. And when that final horn sounded and MSU had the win, I was in awe. The best college team ever, men or women, had just been beaten. It was amazing and so unbelievable. This is why sports is so great. No one saw this coming, and it happened. It was incredible.

At number 4 I have the crazy NBA offseason. Never in my life have I seen so much player movement. And not just players, star players. It all kind of kicked off when Gordon Hayward left Utah for Boston. This was a forgone conclusion, but still a shock to read. Then, players just started to switch teams. Derrick Rose left the Knicks for the Cavs. Dwayne Wade was bought out and joined the Cavs. Chris Paul was traded to the Rockets, and that was truly surprising. Rudy Gay joined the Spurs. George Hill, Vince Carter and Zach Randolph all left their teams and joined the Kings. Paul George got traded to the Thunder for Victor Oladipo and Damontas Sabonis. Carmelo Anthony also got traded to the Thunder. But, all of these moves, and the many I didn’t mention, pale to the Kyrie Irving trade. He demanded a trade, stating he wanted to be the star of a team, and the Cavs gave him his wish. They traded him to the Celtics for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder and the Nets pick in 2018. This trade had it all. A star going to a contender. A player that a town had fallen in love with, Thomas and Boston, being shipped without a second thought and a good role player and prized pick headed to LeBron James’ team. This trade surprised me as much as KD signing with Golden State last year. It was a true shocker. All the movement was nuts, but it has made the NBA that much more fun to watch this year. It’s been a blast.

At number 3, and for the rest of my list it will be sports with a political lean, I have the Warriors and UNC’s men’s basketball teams refusing to go to the White House after winning the title. I loved this so very much. These players, coaches, AD’s, GM’s and owners decided it was better to not go to what is a total disaster now in DC. They don’t want to give that narcissist that presides there currently the time of day. You know that has to really grate at him, and I love it. The fact that he tried to “rescind the invite” is so hilarious to me. They decided pretty much immediately that they weren’t going to go. They said as much before a formal invite was even given. Athletes are starting to use their platforms to speak out against the evil we have in our “government” right now. I love that Steph, KD, Klay, Draymond, Kerr and Roy Williams outright said they wouldn’t go on the visit. Kids listen to these players and coaches, and their refusal to go to the White House speaks volumes to them. They now know they can stand up to bullies.

This leads me to my number 2, which were the massive protests among the professional leagues, mainly the NFL, after the “president” called them “sons of bitches”, and demanded they get fired for protesting the anthem. Pro athletes are not property, they are people, and their freedom of speech led to massive anthem protests. I loved that the Steelers wouldn’t even come out on the field for the anthem. I loved all the players kneeling, locking arms or just sitting down for a stupid song. It was amazing to see players decide they were going to stand up and fight our fascist “government”. I don’t buy any of the owners lame attempts to connect with the players. These protests were started by the players, and they were for the players. Again, little kids look up to these athletes, and now they know they can speak their minds and fight for what is right. They can fight social injustice.

And for my number one sports moment, I actually just have a person. A person who didn’t play any sport in 2017, but he was a great big part of the sports world in 2017. My number one sports moment/person is Colin Kaepernick. He has started a revolution. I’m not hot taking that statement either, he started a movement. He was the first to protest the anthem due to corrupt police. His choice to kneel has become the face of all the players protesting the anthem now. He is the one that every player points to that gave them the courage to stand up and fight. Kaepernick not only protested, but he also put his money where his mouth is. He has given suits to people outside of court rooms that can’t afford one. He has donated tons of funny to many charities. He has won multiple man of the year awards. He has stayed away from interviews, which makes me respect him even more. He never did this for the attention. He saw something he felt was wrong and protested in his own, non violent way. During this he was called names, chastised and lost his job. Instead of moaning and groaning he kept at it. He never stopped his protests or the help that he gives. He one hundred percent deserves to be on an NFL team, but he has let people like me say that stuff. The fact that he’s trying to buy a stake in the Panthers now makes me so happy. If it works out, Roger Goodell and his cronies cannot collude against him to keep him out of the league. Colin Kaepernick will go down as a visionary and a trend setter many years from now. When my kids are older and ask me about sports in 2017, the first name out of my mouth will be Kaepernick’s. I respect that man so much and I salute him in his quest for justice. Thank you for all you’ve done Mr Kaepernick. You’re a true American hero.

That’s it for today. Come back tomorrow for my last top 5 list of 2017, podcasts.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He almost put the University of Michigan OT victory over the Indiana Hoosiers on his list, because he was there live. But then he remembered that it was Michigan against Indiana, it was more of an embaressment. 

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