Axios Sports Special: Decade in review

[BleedGopher]

All per Axios Sports:

The 2010s were the decade when analytics went mainstream, forever changing how sports like basketball (three-point explosion), football (passing revolution) and baseball (launch angles, defensive shifts) are played.

• It was the decade of conference realignment, as universities played musical chairs in the name of TV revenue; and it was the decade of player empowerment, as athletes raised their voices in the name of social change.
• Everything was under review, from plays at first base (except for this one) to catches near the end zone (but they still got this wrong).
• Social media usage went up, cable subscriptions went down, the amateurism myth shrank, marijuana advocacy grew, extra points moved back and gay athletes moved forward.
• Ticket prices skyrocketed, baseball attendance plummeted, the USWNT reached new heights and the USMNT reached new lows.
• Dynasties rose (Alabama and Clemson football, Golden State Warriors) and dynasties fell (Texas and USC football, Los Angeles Lakers), while others continued to dominate, just as they had in the 2000s (New England Patriots, UConn women's basketball).

Scandals: We had doping ones (Russia, Lance Armstrong, A-Rod), sickening ones (Larry Nassar, Jerry Sandusky, Ray Rice), bribery ones (FIFA corruption, college hoops recruiting), hilarious ones (Manti Te'o's fake girlfriend), Patriots ones (Deflategate, Spygate, Spygate 2.0) and trash can-banging ones (Astros sign-stealing).

GOATs: We watched history's best swimmer (Michael Phelps), gymnast (Simone Biles) and sprinter (Usain Bolt) at the Olympics, while witnessing arguably the greatest QB (Tom Brady), basketball player (LeBron James) and tennis stars (Serena Williams and the men's "big three") win multiple titles.

Go Gophers!!

 

[BleedGopher]

The 10 best athletes of the decade

​ 1. LeBron James played in eight NBA Finals, won three titles, two MVP awards and one gold medal, all while helping usher in the player-empowerment era and becoming a leading voice on social and political issues. 2. Tom Brady led the Patriots to five Super Bowl appearances (and three wins), was the only player this decade to win multiple NFL MVP awards (2010 and 2017) and is still going strong at 42. Insane. 3. Serena Williams has more Grand Slam singles titles (23) than any man or woman in the Open Era, and the fact that she won 10 of them after turning 30 is legendary. 4. Mike Trout, who debuted in 2011, is already one of the greatest baseball players ever. He accumulated the most total wins above replacement (WAR) of any player this decade — by a mile — and had five of the eight best statistical seasons. 5. Lionel Messi won five Ballon d'Or awards (world's best player) this decade and came in second four times. Think about that. 6. Steph Curry may not have been the best NBA player of the decade, but it was his style of play — and his team — that defined it. 7. Simone Biles shattered so many world records this decade that you almost want to laugh reading through them all. As SB Nation's James Dator argues, she might be the greatest athlete ever. 8. Usain Bolt was already a global superstar when the decade began, but he added to his legacy by becoming the only sprinter to win gold medals in both the 100 and 200 meters in three straight Olympics (2008, 2012, 2016). 9. Novak Djokovic might trail Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on the "all-time greatest tennis players" list, but he holds the upper hand this decade, winning 15 Grand Slams, followed by Nadal's 13 and Federer's five. 10. Michael Phelps made his biggest splash in 2008 when he won an unprecedented eight golds, but he still dominated in 2012 and 2016 and retired with a medal count that may never be topped (23 gold, three silver, two bronze). Go Gophers!!