There are so many to mention, and each of us I’m sure has our own list. In no particular order, here is what I think are the top stories of 2012 from a sports standpoint.:
2012 London Olympics: United States, Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, and Gabby Douglas all set records and dominated at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Pedophile at Penn State – In the sickest of stories, legendary coach Joe Paterno will forever be remember for being linked to the worst scandal in sports history. Former defensive coach Jerry Sandusky was convicted and sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison for sexually abusing ten boys. Paterno passed away in January with Sandusky being sent to jail in the spring.
Live Strong no more! – Lance Armstrong went down in a hurry once he announced he would no longer fight to keep his name clean. The Tour de France King gave up his fight in keeping his name clean from doping while he was competing. Seemingly most people assumed that Armstrong is guilty by not continuing his fight, as he has lost all of his major endorsements and was stripped of his titles since he gave up his battle.
Pac got whacked! Going into 2012 he was considered the best boxer on the planet, as the world waited to see if 2012 would be the year that Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather finally settled things in the ring. That dream will never come true for boxing fans now as the Pac-Man got robbed in his fight against Timmothy Bradley and in another fight Manny got knocked the %#$@ out in the other, as Juan Manuel Marquez perhaps ended a great career!
Roll Tide Roll! Even the Bear himself would be quite impressed with the Alabama Crimson Tide Football program. Alabama has a chance to claim the school’s 15th national title, and third in four years, with a win over Notre Dame. Put it this way Alabama has been so good lately others are crying foul about scheduling and things not being on a leveled playing field. Man, y’all please shut up! You’re sounding like a hater or sore loser at the very least. This program is a machine, much like the 1980’’s-90’s Miami Hurricanes were. With a 2013 schedule that features LSU at home and SEC Games from Eastern Division foes such as the powerful Wildcats of Kentucky and the Vols of Rocky Hill, the Tide will roll to their fourth title in five seasons one year from now.
Bounty, the quicker picker upper! Once known for scooping up spilled coke or milk, now the rest of the sports world will think of the New Orleans Saints when they hear the word “bounty,” an NFL made-up term for the so-called program that existed in the New Orleans Saints Organization from 2009-2011. The biggest fine/suspension ever of a head coach was handed down, and the Saints’ 2012 season was doomed from the get-go. To this day the league that has more power than any court in the land has yet to let anyone see what really happened. Oh well, there is nothing like being the king and making up the rules as you go along. Roger that!
That’s a fresh-man – For the first time ever a freshman player won the Heisman Trophy, as Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel took home the prize. Manziel was tops in a rather weak class and sealed his historic win by carving up the Tide on national TV.
