The sports things that made us laugh all year
It’s easy to get caught up in the drama of sports and forget just how silly it is. Billions of dollars spent and made so grown adults get to play recess games. Throughout the year, we kept an eye out for the things that made us laugh, from drunk fans setting several cars on fire at a tailgate, to thousands of people demanding a bird be named after a dick joke.
January 4: Sucks eAt Cfootball
During Kansas State’s 42-20 Texas Bowl win over LSU in January, a clever Wildcats fan took aim at the entire SEC with one of the most perfect fan signs we’ve ever seen. It’s become a mantra that we couldn’t stop repeating all year. Sucks eat cfootball, forever.
January 16: Novak Djokovic’s very awkward deportation
Novak Djokovic, one of many anti-vaccine athletes this year who tried to squirm around public health policy, got deported from Australia when he was caught lying on his visa application ahead of the Australian Open. That in of itself isn’t funny, mostly just sad and pathetic, but the way in which his deportation happened was hilarious.
February 5: The Russell Westbrook experience officially reaches peak hilarity
When Russell Westbrook was traded to the Lakers in August 2021, he was immediately heralded as part of a new Big Three in LA along with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The honeymoon ended nearly immediately. The Lakers struggled, and Westbrook put up historically bad shooting stats. His back hurt from sitting on the bench too much. Then fans started begging him to stop shooting.
At least things got better for Russ and the Lakers after this point, right?
February 11: Joel Embiid can’t keep a straight face after Ben Simmons gets traded
The Ben Simmons era in Philadelphia mercilessly ended in February when he was dealt to the Brooklyn Nets. His relationship with Joel Embiid had noticeably deteriorated, and when the trade was finally made official, Embiid posted a “showing up at my biggest haters funeral” meme. The next night he was asked about the image in a press conference and could barely keep a straight face while he lied that he didn’t know what it meant, he just thought the guy “had a nice suit. on”
Joel Embiid on his viral tweet once the Ben Simmons trade happened:
“I just saw the picture on the internet. I thought he was well-dressed, he had a nice suit on, good-looking. He had some swag, I thought it was a good picture” pic.twitter.com/UoVFVoeW3N
— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) February 12, 2022
A delightful theatrical stadium entrance from Tsuyoshi Shinjo, who has adopted the nickname BIGBOSS after becoming the manager of a pro team in Japan. He later showed up to a game on a hover bike.
April 8: This pathetic tweet from the Chicago Bulls
The Bulls were one of the most fun teams of the 2021-22 NBA season before a variety of unfortunate injuries completely decimated their core. They were 18 games above .500 in late February, but would go on to win just 6 games the rest of the season. After a particularly bad loss in the penultimate game of the season to Charlotte, the team account tried to adopt WorldWideWob’s “this is a safe space” tweet format. It was not received well, as you can imagine.
There have been some great moments in NIL marketing from De’Coldest Crawford and Kool-Aid McKinstry, but none were as perfect of a pairing as Arkansas golfer John Daly II signing a deal with Hooters. The quote that accompanied the announcement was an all-timer too.
John Daly II, the son of PGA pro John Daly, is Hooters’ first NIL ambassador.
“I have seen my father’s great relationship with Hooters over the years, and I am proud to continue my family’s association with this iconic brand.” pic.twitter.com/N6vp9DzI2x
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) April 19, 2022
Cameras caught a pregame scuffle between Reds outfielder Tommy Pham and Giants outfielder Joc Pederson, and while it initially looked like a Beef History in the making, Pederson explained in the locker room that it was all due to a dispute over fantasy football etiquette. Pham caught a three-game suspension for the incident, leaving us with some incredible quotes in the process.
Joc shares details of what happened in his fantasy football league that started his altercation with Tommy Pham today pic.twitter.com/d9NBTwPVoG
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) May 28, 2022
June 16: Klay Thompson has the perfect response to winning a fourth NBA title
The Warriors, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, bounced back from an awful 2020-21 season to claim their fourth title in the Steph-Klay-Draymond era in June. There’s a lot of things you can say after accomplishing such a rare feat, maybe “We’re the best!” or “I’m on top of the world!” Klay Thompson said this:
Never change, Klay.
After the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in June, the trophy was mistakenly delivered to the wrong Denver house. A couple went out to check their mail and found a delivery driver with a giant crate meant for captain Gabriel Landeskog. The cup eventually made its way to the right address, but not before some photos were snapped to share it with the world.
The way Brian Windhorst had the entire First Take set in the palm of his hand while waxing poetic about the Utah Jazz was one of the greatest moments in sports television history. The man monologued with the pathos of a Shakespeare sonnet about Royce O’Neal. And the best part? HE WAS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. The Jazz traded Rudy Gobert five days later, and Donovan Mitchell in September.
August 1: Jeannie Buss’ Twitter account get hacked, starts selling PS5s
I just love the the official Lakers account had to tweet this. I hope they never delete it.
“Lakers Fans, my Twitter account has been hacked. Please do not engage with it or send any money. These are NOT legitimate offers. The Lakers will alert you when I am back in control of my account.” – Jeanie Buss
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 2, 2022
After a complicated dispute during an ownership change of Sir Big Spur, the live rooster mascot of South Carolina, the university attempted to solicit a new name for their avian icon. Unfortunately, the name fans rallied behind was Cock Commander. The school eventually landed on The General as the new name, before everyone decided to hash out their differences and allow the Sir Big Spur name to live on.
“Hey guys I’ve got a great idea! (hic) If I leave the grill on low the burgers will still be warm after the game! Anyways kickoff is in 10 minutes let’s get going.”
You can always expect pandemonium after a game of this magnitude, but Vols fans took it to another level after a massive win over Alabama. After the ceremonial uprooting of the goalposts, Tennessee fans marched the uprights out of Neyland Stadium and down the street for a night of partying. They eventually ended up in the middle of the Tennessee River.
No matter what you think about Ted Cruz, it’s just a massive clown move to insert yourself into a championship parade like you did anything to help the team win. You’re a fan, act like one. Luckily a real fan was in attendance to remind Cruz of his place. Or maybe he thought the senator was just thirsty?
December 6: Arson Judge signs with the Giants
Scoop hunting is a really tough business. You’ve got to be well-connected. You need trustworthy sources. And above all, you need spell check.
On December 6th, Jon Heyman had none of the above. Frantically trying to break some Aaron Judge news, Heyman instead tweeted the plot to a fantasy novel about an underworld being named ARSON JUDGE battling some Giants.
Aaron Judge, on the other hand, did not sign with the San Francisco Giants.
