This week we’re taking a look at the best of 2015, both in culture, sports, and a whole lot more.
READ ALL OF OUR BEST OF 2015 COVERAGE.
Here are the top 10 most emotional moments of the year:
1. Wilmer Flores breaks down on the field thinking that he’s been traded
Every fan in Citi Field on Wednesday, July 29th, thought that shortstop Wilmer Flores was playing his final game for the Mets, as he was reportedly about to be sent to the Brewers just before the trade deadline. After grounding out in the 7th inning against the Padres, Flores received a standing ovation from fans and was in tears when he took the field in the top of the 8th — but the trade fell through and Flores remained in New York.
2. Gregg Popovich welcomes Craig Sager back to the sideline
There’s no coach in all of sports who hates in-game interviews more than San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich, but Popovich broke character for his first interview with Craig Sager since Sager returned to the sidelines following his battle with cancer.
3. Lee Corso watches himself coach the Navy Midshipmen 47 years ago
In what might have been the greatest segment in College GameDay history, ESPN found remarkable footage of Lee Corso as the defensive backs coach for Navy from 1968, and surprised him on the morning of the Army-Navy game with video that Corso had never seen before.
4. Jason Day wins the PGA Championship
Thomas J. Russo/USA TODAY Sports
Before winning the 2015 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, Jason Day was the best player in golf without a major who had three second-place finishes in majors to his name. Day finally broke though in September with a three-stroke win over Jordan Spieth, and even before holing his final putt on the 18th green, Day was in tears on the course. Day suppressed his emotions and finished the round, then shared a beautiful moment with his wife Ellie and son Dash.
5. WWE pays tribute to Rowdy Roddy Piper
Wrestling icon Rowdy Roddy Piper died in July at the age of 61 after suffering a heart attack. A few days later on Monday Night Raw, the entire WWE roster came out on stage to pay tribute to one of the best to ever grace the ring.
6. ESPN remembers Stuart Scott
The sports world lost one of its most beloved members in January, when iconic ESPN anchor Stuart Scott passed away after a long and courageous battle with cancer.
7. Jeff Gordon says goodbye
NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon is unquestionably one of the most important drivers in the history of the sport. He ushered in the modern era over the course of his incredible 23-year run in NASCAR’s premier series, winning 93 races and four titles — and he likely would have won even more if not for NASCAR’s controversial format changes. In a stellar farewell speech at NASCAR’s annual awards banquet, Gordon struggled to fight back tears as he said goodbye to the sport he defined for so long.
8. The Missouri Tigers carry coach Gary Pinkel off the field
Denny Medley/USA TODAY Sports
Missouri Tigers coach Gary Pinkel, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in May, announced in November that he would resign at the end of the Tigers’ season to focus on his health. Missouri didn’t win Pinkel’s final game at Faurot Field, but the team carried Pinkel off the field as he received an ovation from fans.
9. Serena Williams returns to Indian Wells
Harry How/Getty Images
Fourteen years after she was booed and her father accused fans of racial abuse during a match against Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams returned to the California tournament for the first time and received an ovation.
“When I was booed at Indian Wells — by what seemed like the whole world — my voice of doubt became real,” Williams wrote for TIME. “I didn’t understand what was going on in that moment. But worse, I had no desire to even win…. It has been difficult for me to forget spending hours crying in the Indian Wells locker room after winning in 2001, driving back to Los Angeles feeling as if I had lost the biggest game ever—not a mere tennis game but a bigger fight for equality. Emotionally it seemed easier to stay away. There are some who say I should never go back. There are others who say I should’ve returned years ago. I understand both perspectives very well and wrestled with them for a long time. I’m just following my heart on this one.”
10. The Montreal Canadiens honor Paris terror attack victims
One night after 130 people were killed across the city of Paris in a series of terrorist attacks, the Montreal Canadiens (along with a number of other teams across the world) held a moment of silence and played La Marseillaise before a game, as the French flag was projected onto the ice.
