John Riordan: Looking back on the MVPs who helped restore a little bit of US sanity

The year in America started off in the worst way imaginable. Its sporting heroes helped claw back some dignity

TOUCHDOWN TOMMY: Tom Brady achieved untouchable all-time greatness at the Super Bowl when his Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium last February. Picture: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

When recapping the year in US sport, the ultimate goal should be to avoid mention of the C-word and the P-word or even simply the fact that we’re all just a little bit F-ed.

It’s Christmas Eve and there’s enough to look back on to help us look forward to 2022 with some degree of hope.

Particularly so in US sport which ambled along admirably, its multiple majors providing the usual drama and intrigue to the ravenous markets which consume them, both domestically and internationally.

Of course, this was also the year when the ill-conceived notion of US exceptionalism took its hugest hit. How could a country which allowed something like the January 6 Capitol Hill riots brew up and explode ever be taken seriously again? If ever there was a cathartic need for a break from the mayhem, at least the sporting achievements and statements spread across the last 12 months did just about enough to alleviate some of the pain.

JANUARY

Barely days after the mayhem in Washington DC, the College Football National Championship seemed to encapsulate the fissures at the heart of the crisis. Here were two highly hateable college teams representing states which could easily stand accused of being sympathetic to the actions of the insurrectionists. The Alabama Crimson Tide beat Ohio State University comprehensively and the cartoon villainy/coaching genius of Nick Saban was underlined by his seventh national title.

Thankfully, however, the relatively little Louisiana-born wide receiver DeVonta Smith shone as hoped with three early touchdowns that justified his player of the year Heisman Trophy and his subsequent selection as the NFL’s number one draft pick for the Philadelphia Eagles. At least we could enjoy that subplot.

FEBRUARY

And speaking of cartoon villains and seven titles, Tom Brady achieved untouchable all-time greatness at the Super Bowl when his Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs in what was the 55th decider.

Happenstance had it that this was the Bucs turn to host and it helped the NFL coffers that the state of Florida was more than happy to pack as many fans as rules would allow into the arena. Meanwhile, coming into town from Missouri was the next generation of quarterbacking in Chiefs talisman Patrick Mahomes.

The intrigue was maxed out mostly by the fact that the ageing Brady had been deemed surplus to requirements by the coach and the ball club with whom he had already solidified his Hall of Fame career. Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots could only watch on as Touchdown Tommy added another ring.

MARCH

This was a collective success for Men’s and Women’s College Basketball which somehow managed to run off their National Tournaments involving over 100 teams and all the travel and logistics piled in on top of that. In a year in which student-athletes were finally afforded the right to make money off personal endorsements, this Herculean effort to get a massive sporting event off the ground was a lot more palatable than it ought to have been. And we needed it after a LONG winter.

APRIL

The US Masters in Augusta returned to its much more familiar timeslot, bringing with it the unfamiliar sight of a breakthrough success for Asia. Hideki Matsuyama became the first Asian-born man to don the Green Jacket, 10 years after his first appearance at Augusta National as an amateur. His back nine on the Saturday, when he shot a round of 30 which cracked open a four-stroke lead, was a key phase which will go down in history.

MAY

One of the most enjoyable weekends in May and maybe of the year was spent watching Phil Mickelson roll it back at Kiawah Island, South Carolina as he clinched the PGA Championship. “These are moments I will cherish forever,” he said, inspiring old guys everywhere to push themselves that little bit extra physically.

Phil Mickelson celebrates after winning the final round at the PGA Championship golf tournament on the Ocean Course in Kiawah Island. Picture: AP Photo/David J. Phillip

The two-shot victory was his first Major win since 2013.

JUNE

No team from Canada had managed to reach ice hockey’s Stanley Cup final in 10 long years. The US-based teams have been dominating since then and also enjoying a tight grip over the Cup for almost 30 years while employing the best imports from Canada and beyond. The Montreal Canadiens rekindled hope north of the border when they beat Las Vegas in Game Six of the semi-finals thanks to an overtime winner from Finland’s Artturi Lehkonen.

The wild celebrations of the fans stuck watching from outside the reduced capacity arena meant those lucky enough to be inside had to bask in the glory much longer than expected. Another Tampa Bay sports franchise success a few weeks later means Cadaians must continue waiting for the ultimate prize.

JULY

Each 2021 sporting achievement comes with a caveat that not every athlete and not every team was able to operate at full capacity. This year’s Milwaukee Bucks won’t go down as the greatest NBA champions ever but their star player Giannis Antetokounmpo, nicknamed the Greek Freak, will forever be one of the most beloved MVPs.

The then 26-year-old Athens-born son of Nigerian immigrants played with purpose and won with class — bringing belief both to his beleaguered adopted city but also to exiled families around the world.

AUGUST

It was really July when US gymnast Simone Biles began showing the rest of us why vulnerability at the highest level was a powerful example to set for so many. Risking injury as well as the possibility of dragging the rest of her team down when competing together, she went public about her mental health concerns and we all learned what the “twisties” were, not that we’d ever fully appreciate the physical greatness of her.

USA's Simone Biles watches the Women's Uneven Bars Final from the stands at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Picture: Mike Egerton

As the delayed Tokyo Olympics stretched through to August, the already iconic champion of the sport did manage to finish her campaign with a bronze medal in the balance beam final, securing a tie with Shannon Miller as the most decorated American in the history of Olympic gymnastics.

SEPTEMBER

It won’t make for easy reading here but the Whistling Straits Ryder Cup in Wisconsin was a long overdue masterclass from the American team. What was the scariest stat from a European point of view? The record winning margin of 10 points not seen since the 1979 expansion or the fact that the six US newcomers have plenty more Ryder Cups on their horizon. At least we can look to another team event rookie from earlier that month in Leona Maguire for some parochial consolation for the massacre that was about to follow.

OCTOBER

Although 2021 wasn’t their year, the US Women’s soccer team have enjoyed an incredible decade and some.

Central to their domination has been their star striker, Carli Lloyd, the pride of South Jersey. At the end of October in Minnesota, an emotional Lloyd bowed out during the second half of a friendly and bade farewell to an international career that boasted two World Cup titles and a pair of Olympic gold medals. That was her 316th cap, the second-most senior appearances of any player and she scored 134 goals along the way, enshrining her as the one of the greatest of a talented sisterhood of greats.

NOVEMBER

The seventh inning of Game Six of the World Series delivered the final home run of the final, clinching game for the Atlanta Braves and it arrived off the bat of Freddie Freeman. The amiable first baseman was the sole redeeming factor of an unpopular title winning outfit that came out of nowhere to end over 20 years of waiting for the largest prize. Way back at the start of the year, Braves icon and erstwhile home run record holder Hank Aaron passed away just before his 87th birthday giving neutrals two reasons not to begrudge A-Town their big moment.

DECEMBER

New York City FC goalkeeper Sean Johnson has championed and led the way for his fellow black players across Major League Soccer over the course of a tumultuous year and a half so it was pretty fitting that it was he who saved the crucial attempts in a thrilling penalty shootout win over Portland in the league deciding MLS Cup final. Johnson lifted the trophy as captain and their hometown welcomed them back with open arms as New York City turned sky blue for a day or two.

@JohnWRiordan