Let's begin with criticizing 2020 as everyone else did on this planet, 2020 was a rough year with some wildfires, world war three almost breaking out, celebrity deaths, global pandemic, toilet paper shortage, racial deaths, UFO existence and so much more. The sports industry also went through a lot - they had its ups, and had their downs. One of the downs was the death of Kobe Bryant aka 'Black Mamba'. Mamba's death had a considerable effect on sports fans worldwide, and stars like Drake, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and more took to social media to share their sadness over the death. Famous players like Shaquille O'Neal even cried on live television. Kobe Bryant's death shattered the hearts of people from all over the world into millions of pieces. Kobe Bryant was a massive icon of sports and a vast idol of every professional sportsperson, so to lose him was a significant loss to the world and the sports industry. Many famous players paid tribute to him like LeBron James, Lonzo Ball, Neymar, and much more after his death. Over a million posts were shared on all the social media platforms to pay tribute to the legend - RIP Mamba.
You must be thinking that surely this is the end to all the depressing things that happened in 2020 for sports, right? Worry not because we lost one more legend from the sports industry which had a place in every football fan's heart. I'm talking about the one and only Diego Maradona, Diego Maradona had different views on him. Some people considered him a God and the messiah after scoring the famous 'Hand of God' for Argentina and taking Argentina into the World Cup semi-finals. Maradona was heavily criticized for his illegal usage hand to score a goal and sparked many controversies. The German media called that legendary and iconic goal 'the scandal of the century'. As well as this, he is also known for leading a beat-up team to conquer Europe alongside. When Maradona passed away, many footballers were saddened even if they had different views about him; they still had respect for him for being a legend and an icon in football. Famous footballers like Messi paid tribute to Maradona by scoring the same goal Maradona scored on his debut for Messi's childhood club. After so much sadness and melancholy, I am sure you are done reading about deaths, so let's move on to some 'shocking Asia' moment that happened in sports in 2020. First, is Liverpool emerging victorious as league champions after 30 years of struggle or after three decades. Liverpool ended their 30-year wait for a top-flight title after being crowned Premier League champions. The last time Liverpool won a league title, Yugoslavia's communist regime collapsed. A similar thing happened in the NBA: Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA after ten years and went back to its prime time like how it used to be. One of the most astonishing things that hit every boxing fan was when Mike Tyson announced his return to an exhibition boxing match one more time to box Roy Jones Jr. It's a shame that Jake Paul fought as an undercard; however, Mike Tyson didn't let Jake Paul ruin the main card fight between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr as they both put up a great battle. The match ended as a draw (most probably rigged). Bayern Munich annihilated Barcelona as they defeated them by 8-2. As a Barcelona fan, it hurts me to write this. The pain is immense, and my heart is empty.
AND SO IS OURS BUT THERE IS HOPE AND THAT'S WHAT KEEP EVERYONE DRIVING FORWARD!