Ah, 2021. You were supposed to be different than 2020.
In many ways, you were. You brought us sporting joy and despair, like any year, but at times taken to its extremes.
And amidst the pandemic sport still thrived. At an Olympics like no other, things weren’t exactly normal, yet we saw as much Australian golden glory as we’ve ever seen.
Across the planet, sports-hungry fans flocked to big events, and those mega crowds were rewarded with storylines befitting them.
Back home Aussie fans had plenty of spectacular winter sport - we were even able to attend most of it - and even before the New Year, we’ve seen our men’s cricketers claim a World Cup and an Ashes.
Rohan Browning’s incredible personal best in the Olympic 100-metre heats stunned everyone... including the second-fastest man in history, Yohan Blake. The Jamaican sprinter’s hilarious reaction to being beaten by a mulleted Aussie summed it all up.
The Paul brothers know how to draw a crowd, even for an exhibition fight that doesn’t end up with a result. While Jake Paul has earned five wins at the professional level - controversial choices of opposition aside - Logan’s bizarre bout with the legendary Floyd Mayweather drew serious attention across the world, and indeed in Australia. As it turns out, people like watching people they don’t like get punched.
The race that stops the nation is followed by the race to find out if you won any money on it. While Foxsports.com.au’s coverage of the Cup is always well-visited, the numerous sweeps across the nation see our readers trying to figure out exactly where their horse ended up... and if they’d earned the $20 booby prize for last.
What do you get when you combine a 42-year-old ex-UFC heavyweight champion, a 40-year-old ex-heavyweight title challenging boxer, a triangle-shaped ring, an extremely slow stoppage from the referee and a standing knockout that looked like the winner was playing Mortal Kombat and couldn’t remember how to put in the Fatality code? Our seventh-highest rated story of the year, as it turns out.
After Melbourne Storm’s surprising NRL preliminary final exit, video emerged of Cameron Munster, Brandon Smith and Chris Lewis in a hotel room with white powder on the table. The club claimed not to know what the substance was and the trio were all suspended for one game plus fined - Munster being axed from the club’s leadership group and coping a $100,000 suspended fine.
As we know, there’s nothing Australia loves more than a bit of tall poppy syndrome. And so Olympic viewers were more than interested when one of the women’s 200m favourites Shericka Jackson was knocked out in the heats... all because she slowed down with 40 metres left, allowing her unfancied rivals to pass her on the line. “I can’t believe the unprofessional way she went about that race,” legendary commentator Bruce McAvaney declared.
Three of our top four stories of the year come from the world of combat sports, with Foxsports.com.au readers keen to read about - and watch, as soon as possible - exactly what happened. In this case, it was how Tyson Fury won his trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder, and how it turned from a fight few really wanted to see into one of the best heavyweight wars in years. Damn, it was good.
NRL champion Paul Gallen came in unbeaten, and went out on the canvas, after finally being stopped by Australian heavyweight champ Justis Huni. But it wasn’t without a brave fight from Gallen, 17 years older than his opponent but unwilling to give up. “One of the toughest, gutsiest efforts I’ve ever seen by any fighter,” former Australian boxer Barry Michael said of Gallen on commentary.
Phil Mickelson always draws plenty of interest and the golf great’s blow-up over an attendee refusing to put his phone on silent was no different. To be fair... it was pretty funny. Like, come on, it’s just a little ding. If the phone was ringing, and they were using the same music as Phil does for his alarm, and he was getting flashbacks to early-morning starts when he wanted to sleep in-hang on that’s probably just an us thing. Never mind.
Conor McGregor fights are always a big deal; throw in a disgusting injury that left the fight world shocked - and wanting to watch it again and again through their fingers, unable to look away - and you get the biggest story of 2021 at Foxsports.com.au. The hotly-anticipated trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 ended in dramatic circumstances when McGregor’s left leg bent in a way a leg never should. He hasn’t fought since, though lightweight champion Charles Oliviera - who beat Poirier earlier this month - wants him at UFC 274 in Brazil next May. We shall see.
*Note: Technically, AFL Off-Season Central repeated as champion, with over 1 million views by itself... however it’s a slightly different type of story, with dozens of different trade and free agency tidbits placed in there over the course of 3-4 months, as compared to the one-off pieces above - so it was ruled ineligible.
