2016, for all its geo-political miseries, was one of the greatest years in sports. So here is an attempt to capture (and rank) the important moments. Of course, it is impossible to be objective on a topic like this, but most lists I've read are not only terribly subjective, but also biased (this side/that side of the pond, etc) and incomplete. So here is my take on it, broken down into (4 equally weighted categories on a scale of 10). Of course, individual/olympic athletes are going to be downgraded, but hey, that's the way the world works. I also made a list purely based on achievement in globally relevant sports.
Stories:
Team/Individual Shock value / Significance to fans / Global importance / Achievement in that sport
1. Leicester city 10; 10; 8; 7
2. Cleveland Cavs 8; 10; 9; 7
3. Djokovic 6; 7; 9; 10
4. Usain Bolt 6; 7; 8; 10
5. Portugal 8; 9; 8 ; 6
6. Chicago Cubs 7; 10; 5; 7
7. Michael Phelps 8; 6; 7; 9
8. Simone Biles 5; 4; 5; 10
9. Katie Ledecky 4; 4; 5; 10
10. Serena Williams 4; 5; 7; 9
1. Simone Biles
2. Katie Ledecky
3. Usain Bolt
4. Novak Djokovic (only because he tanked half the year)
5. Michael Phelps
6. Lebron James
7. Serena Williams
Plays: (Team sports.. only championship games matter)
1. Villanova
2. Carlos Brathwaite
3. Irving / James
Performances: (Individual sports.. only finals matter)
1. Wayde van Niekerk (Olympic 400m)
2. Katie Ledecky 3. Simone Biles