2015 is in the rearview mirror and 2016 is upon us. What will it bring? Who will win the big events? These questions and others will only take a matter of time to answer. Since we have data about the past and only theories about the future, let us take one last look back at some of the better moments of 2015.
The Interception
Show Stealer
Oops
It Would Be A Pharaoh
Best Flip Ever
Another Smashing Of The Glass Ceiling
Amazing Catch
Not a bad year. Below are links to some other great recaps from 2015.
It’s no secret that the Seattle Seahawks called a pass play on 2nd and goal instead of a run play. It’s been debated, replayed and questioned to death but it just won’t die. In reality it’s death has provided us with a clinic on how to handle defeat.
We’re not going to replay what happened because you already know. What’s more impressive is that this play will not go away. We couldn’t forget last years Super Bowl quickly enough and now we don’t seem to want to let this one go. From major media companies to the social media stratosphere. What’s being called the ‘worst play call in Super Bowl history’ has a life of it’s own.
If you were watching the Boston Bruins at New York Rangers game on NBCSN you probably saw a tease for the Today show on Thursday where Matt Lauer sits down with Pete Carroll. It’s being promoted like a major expose or something.
Even the opposing coach, Bill Belichick, is telling people to back off.Like a lot of us, Belichick knows that A) it was a great play by New England Patriots defensive back Malcolm Butler and B) if Butler doesn’t make the play people would be pushing for Belichick and Tom Brady to retire and talking about a dynasty out in Seattle.
Instead of questioning we should be celebrating how head coach Pete Carroll and quarterback Russell Wilson are handling the situation. They, and just about the rest of the Seattle organization, has handled the repeated questions with grace and dignity. Their coolness under fire should become a college course they’ve done it so well.
It’s called a game of inches for a reason. Now the repercussion of those inches has a life of it’s own. From the Washington Postto twitter to the intro of the Nashville Predators mascot Gnash (‘He knows to run the ball on 2nd and goal!’) before a home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. You can’t escape it no matter how well the principles handle the onslaught.
It’s 2015 and you can watch the Super Bowl on just about any device you wanted to. Streaming technology has gotten to a place where people now expect great quality. While all this should be expected, what is new is the fact that you can watch the game without confirming your cable or satellite subscription.
As you can imagine, the video stream did some big numbers as Streaming Media’s EVP Dan Rayburn tweeted out after the game.
Even with that many people, the stream quality was top notch. While this is a lot of people, it is well behind the 5.3 millionwho watched the USA vs Belgium World Cup match this past summer.
The Super Bowl is a free, over the air event. It would make sense that if the event was streamed (which is was) and that anyone would be able to watch the game online. NBC thought so too and did not require you to have a cable or satellite subscription to watch the game through NBCSports.com which was a first.
NBC didn’t take full advantage of the live stream though.
There was only a stream of the game. There wasn’t a ’22’ angle or a ‘skycam’ angle. The experience lacked in a lot of ways. They could have done a lot more like ESPN did during the College Football National Championship game but chose not to.
Not only was it a great Super Bowl but it was also a well executed one by NBC. The live stream was of quality, was stable and served the cord cutters. While NBC could have done more with the medium, it at least allowed fans to watch a great event for free.
Portland TrailBlazers at Atlanta Hawks – 4:30pm NBA League Pass: The Hawks have been unreal but the Blazers are no joke themselves.
Chicago Blackhawks at Anaheim Ducks – 7pm NHL GameCenter: The Blackhawks head west to take on the best team in the NHL as far as points are concerned.
Saturday January 31st
Chelsea vs Manchester City – 8:30am NBC: Five points separate Chelsea and Manchester City at the top of the Premier League. Yeah, it’s a big game.
Washington Capitals at Montreal Canadiens – 10am NHL Network: Two quality teams in one of the best venues in all of hockey.
North Carolina at Louisville – 1pm ESPN: It was fun when they played a few weeks ago. This should be too.
Los Angeles Kings at Boston Bruins – 4pm NHL Network: An east coast vs west coast showdown.
Duke at Virginia – 4pm ESPN: Duke is ranked in the top 5 but have to have this game is they want any shot of winning the ACC regular season title. UVA looks to keep their unbeaten season alive.
LA Clippers at San Antonio Spurs – 6pm ESPN: Lob City heads deep into the heart of Texas to take on the defending champs.
UFC 183: Silva vs Diaz – 7pm PPV: As long as Nick Diaz shows up we should have a fun fight. Even a 39 year old Anderson Silva coming off an extended layoff is something to marvel at.
Sunday February 1st
St Louis Blues at Washington Capitals – 10am NBCSN: The Blues have to be the most underrated team in the NHL. See how good they really are. Tough back to back stretch for the Caps too.
Nashville Predators at Pittsburgh Penguins – 11am NHL GameCenter: Predators have been one of the best teams in the NHL this season. Pittsburgh is a tough place to steal three points though.
Super Bowl XLIX – Seattle Seahawks vs New England Patriots – 3:30pm NBC: This should be an amazing game. We did think that last year too.
It’s really just a gut feeling when it comes to the biggest moments in sports for 2013. There will always be moments that will be left out but most moments or events are pretty obvious. In any event, here is the list, in no particular order, that we came up with.
THE BAD
Boston Strong
The terrorist attack in Boston at the finish line of the Boston Marathon left three dead and 260 injured. But you can’t keep Boston down. The culprits were caught or killed and the city recovered as the Boston Red Sox went on to win the World Series. David Ortiz, aka Big Papi, said it best thought:
Lance Armstrong
Remember that great story of a man who beat cancer and went on to win seven straight Tour De France? Yeah, not true. He cheated. He told Oprah.
Aaron Hernandez
From up and coming NFL star to charged with murder. It’s a sad story but one that some saw coming.
THE ODD
When the Lights Went Out In New Orleans
Who could forget when half the lights went out during the Super Bowl. After which the San Francisco 49ers went on a tear. It wasn’t enough as the Baltimore Ravens held out to beat the 49ers. Either way, you can be pretty sure that the lights won’t go out in the Meadowlands for the 2014 Super Bowl.
The Finish
Possibly the greatest finish in college football history in one of the biggest games of the year. You’ve seen it before but it’s worth watching again.
The Hit
This launched Jadeveon Clowney into the public conscience. It’s a perfect play by a defensive end. NFL QB’s should be worried.
THAT JUST HAPPENED
Anderson Silva’s reign at the UFC Middleweight Champion came to an end in July when he was knocked out by Chris Weidman. His reign lasted over six years.
THE GOOD
Team Jack
While Auburn may have had some of the best finishes of the college football season the best moment may have taken place back in April when Jack Hoffman ran for a touchdown in the Nebraska spring game. Jack had a brain tumor removed and is fighting another one. Find out more here.
Goodbye Mariano
The respected paid to this man is well deserved. He is one of the greatest closers in Major League Baseball history. Credit to Joe Girardi and the Yankees for sending him out in a very cool way.
Green Machine
This may be one of the best stories of 2013. Why write about it when MLS Insider did this great piece on it.
Sunday marked the 500 day mark until the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The US Men’s National team plays their 1 and only “friendly” Tuesday before they jump into their 10 game World Cup qualifying schedule. They need to finish in the top 3 to earn a spot in next summer’s tournament.
The “friendly” against Canada is really a showcase for the players. 16 players have less than 5 caps (games with the National team) and 8 have never played a match for their team. Many notable players will be missing from the lineup such as Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard. But this game isn’t so much a place for the veterans as it is a chance for Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann (whose been taking a chopper to and from practice) to try out some new blood.
In the January camp leading up to the match against Canada, Klinsmann brought in some of the rising stars of MLS like Will Bruin, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Beslar and Graham Zusi. These players will have to become major staples of the team if the US is to make it deep into the 2014 World Cup. Klinsmann himself has said that MLS is ‘getting stronger every year’ and if that’s the case then those players should be making a even bigger impact on the National team.
Keep an eye on the back line tonight. If players like Gonzalez, Besler and even AJ DeLaGarza can show that they are up to the challenge of National team play then the US will be in good shape going into qualifying. If none of those players step up and really take control then the US may have to score 4 goals a game just to make it to Brazil.
This past fall the Red Bull Stratosjump had at its peak 8 million concurrent views on YouTube. That annihilated the streaming of last years Super Bowl which had 2.1 million uniques which was on NBCSports.com. No one knew what would happen when the streams hit that 8 million mark and there was some genuine concern among the engineers but the system held up. A major part of the system though hasn’t held up well this past year.
If YouTube (who’s parent company is Google) would have failed during the Red Bull Stratos jump one could argue about the level of consumer outrage it would have received from the public. If YouTube was hosting the Super Bowl or the BCS National TItle Game on the other hand and the stream fails then there is a pretty good chance that the level of consumer outrage would be significantly higher.
For all of the the mocking and criticism that goes toward broadcast television, cable and satellite providers they have something that people will continue to pay for, reliability. If the Super Bowl is on you can bet that you are going to be able to find a reliable “old school” way to watch it. The broadcast, cable or satellite signal does not get weighed down by the amount of people using it. It does not need to be ‘throttled down’ just to be able to continue showing you the game or event.
Strip away the economics of this argument and just look at the stability of the platforms and on that alone it is easy to see why live sports will continue to be the lifeblood of “traditional” outlets like broadcast, cable and satellite. While leagues like the NFL, MLB, NBA, MLS and UFC will continue to offer live streams of games and events they will not be able to deliver the same experience or reliability night in and night out like the “traditional” outlets can.
Sideline Signals 