Sports have given fans a little bit of everything in 2024.
Two back-to-back champions, some of the most dominant tournaments and playoff runs seen in their respective sports, while almost giving fans an historic reverse sweep.
Here are all the champions that were crowned in the calendar year.
NFL: Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium. (Kirby Lee-USA Today Sports)
For the second consecutive season, and for the third time in five years, the Chiefs were Super Bowl champions in 2024. The Chiefs took down the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime, with Patrick Mahomes winning his third career Super Bowl MVP award. This Super Bowl win was a little different for the Chiefs. For the first time in the Andy Reid-Mahomes era, they did not have home-field advantage in the playoffs.
The Chiefs beat the Miami Dolphins at home in the wild-card round in frigid temperatures, and then went on the road and took down the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional round and Baltimore Ravens in the Conference Championship game en route to the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl victory.
NBA: Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and guard Jaylen Brown celebrate with the Larry O’Brian Trophy after beating the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals to win the NBA Championship at TD Garden. (Peter Casey-USA Today Sports)
The Boston Celtics were utterly dominant in 2023-2024, going 64-18 in the regular season. In the playoffs, the Celtics were even better, going 16-3 over their four playoff rounds. Only the 2016-2017 Golden State Warriors had a better postseason record since all four NBA playoff rounds became best-of-seven contests in 2003. The Celtics beat the Miami Heat in the first round, the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference semifinals, and the Indiana Pacers in the eastern conference finals.
In the NBA Finals, the Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks in five games. Forward Jaylen Brown won Finals MVP over Jayson Tatum. The championship was the Celtics’ first since 2008, and the 18th championship in franchise history. The championship also gave the Celtics the most titles in NBA history, breaking a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers.
NHL: Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk hoists the Stanley Cup after defeating Edmonton Oilers in game seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. (Jim Rassol-USA Today Sports)
The Florida Panthers were 60 minutes away from being on the wrong side of history, as they almost blew a 3-0 lead to the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Finals. After going up 3-0, the Oilers stormed back, winning three in a row, before the Panthers held on, winning Game 7, 2-1, at home. The win over the Oilers secured the team’s first Stanley Cup in the franchise’s 30 years of existence, and avenged their loss in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final to the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Panthers beat their in-state rivals, the Tampa Bay Lighting, the Boston Bruins, and the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference final en route to the Stanley Cup Final. Oilers superstar Connor McDavid joined a rare group of just six players, winning the Conn Smythe trophy (Playoff MVP) as a member of the losing team in the Stanley Cup Final. McDavid was incredible in the playoffs for the Oilers, scoring a whopping 42 points in 25 playoff games.
MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts celebrates with players and staff after winning the 2024 MLB World Series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. (Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images)
The Los Angeles Dodgers won their eighth World Series in franchise history in October, taking down the New York Yankees in five games. The Dodgers went up 3-0 in the series, lost Game 4, but then erased a 5-0 lead in Game 5 to come back and win it all in the Bronx. Freddie Freeman was sensational for the Dodgers, winning World Series MVP. The star first baseman hit .300 with four home runs and 12 RBI, including the first-ever walk-off grand slam in World Series history in Game 1.
The Dodgers were pushed to the brink in the NLDS by the San Diego Padres, falling behind 2-1 before winning their next two games to advance to the NLCS. The Dodgers then beat the Mets in six games to secure the National League pennant. In addition to winning the World Series, Shohei Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and have 50 stolen bases in the same season, while winning the NL MVP in his first season with the Dodgers.
College Football: Michigan Wolverines
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh lifts up the trophy as players and coaches celebrate their 34-13 win over Washington to win the national championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston on Jan. 8, 2024. (IMAGN)
In Jim Harbaugh’s ninth and final season as head coach of Michigan, he led the Wolverines to a 15-0 record and a College Football Playoff victory. The victory was Michigan’s first in the new format, and the 12th national championship in program history. During the season, Michigan defeated Iowa 26-0 to win their third consecutive Big Ten championship.
Michigan beat Alabama 27-20 in overtime in the first round of the College Football Playoff round, and then beat Washington 34-13 in the championship game. Quarterback JJ McCarthy and running back Blake Corum lead the charge offensively for the Wolverines, both becoming top picks in the NFL Draft. Following the season, Jim Harbaugh left and went back to the NFL, taking the Los Angeles Chargers head coaching job.
WNBA: New York Liberty
The New York Liberty celebrate after defeating the Minnesota Lynx in overtime to win the 2024 WNBA Finals at Barclays Center. (Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images)
The 2024 season was one of dominance for the Liberty. The team went 32-8 in the regular season and finished in first place in the Eastern Conference and earned the top seed in the playoffs. In the playoffs, the Liberty swept the Atlanta Dream in two games, beat the Las Vegas Aces 3-1 in the semifinals, and beat the Minnesota Lynx 3-2 to win the franchise’s first WNBA title. The Liberty WNBA Final win snapped the team’s streak of five WNBA Finals losses.
Center Jonquel Jones won WNBA Finals MVP, as the star center averaged 15.5 points per game over the playoffs. Forward Breanna Stewart led the Liberty in scoring over the regular season, averaging just over 20 points, eight rebounds, and three assists per game. Stewart was an All-Star and also named to the All-WNBA First Team in October.
Men’s College Basketball: UConn
Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley and his team celebrate winning the East Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament against the Illinois Fighting Illini at TD Garden. (Winslow Townson-USA Today Sports)
The Connecticut Huskies had a record-setting 2023-2024 season. The Huskies set a program record for regular season wins (28) and total wins (37) in a single season. They also became the first Big East team to win 18 conference games. Overall, the Huskies went 37-3 (18-2).
The Huskies capped off their incredible regular season with a historically dominant March Madness. Dan Hurley’s team won every tournament game by a margin of 14 points or more, breaking their own record from their March Madness run of beating every opponent by 13 points or more. UConn beat Purdue 75-60 in the National Championship game to win their second straight championship. Their dominant tournament run coupled with their incredible regular season has some people calling the 2023-2024 Huskies the best team in college basketball history.
Women’s College Basketball: South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley hoists the trophy after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Final Four of the women’s 2024 NCAA Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. (Kirby Lee-USA Today Sports)
The Gamecocks did not lose a game in 2023-2024. Dawn Staley’s squad went 38-0, becoming the 10th Division I women’s basketball team to finish the season undefeated. The Gamecocks were SEC regular season champions, SEC tournament champions, and NCAA champions.
South Carolina beat NC State in the Final Four 78-59, and then beat Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeye’s 87-75 in the championship game. In February, Dawn Staley won her 600th career game as a head coach (534 at South Carolina) in 786 games, giving her a sparking career record of 622-187. The Gamecocks 2024 national championship was the program’s third in school history, with the other two coming in 2017 and 2022.
NASCAR: Joey Logano
NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano celebrates after winning the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series championship and the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
Joey Logano secured his third NASCAR Cup Series champion when he won the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race and season title. Logano won four races in the season, including one in Nashville, to clinch a spot in the postseason. Logano’s win in Las Vegas secured him a spot in the championship race, giving him the chance he needed to win it all in Phoenix.
This was Logano’s third series win in three years, as the No. 22 car won in 2022 and 2018. Ryan Blaney was closing in on first place, but Logano edged him out by .330 seconds in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race to hold on for the top spot.
MLS: LA Galaxy
The LA Galaxy celebrate after defeating the New York Red Bulls in the 2024 MLS Cup at Dignity Health Sports Park. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images)
For the sixth time in franchise history, the Galaxy were MLS Cup champions in 2024. The Galaxy beat the New York Red Bulls 2-1 to win it, with Joseph Paintsil and Dejan Jovelić scoring the two goals in the win. Across the regular season and playoffs, the Galaxy were 25-9-8 and were tied with LAFC atop the Western Conference.
The Galaxy’s MLS Cup win was a league-record sixth MLS Cup win, and their first since 2014. Gastón Brugman was named the MLS Cup MVP after recording an assist and two interceptions in 75 minutes of action in the Cup match.
NWSL: Orlando Pride
Members of the Orlando Pride celebrate with the championship trophy after defeating the Washington Spirit in the 2024 NWSL Championship match at CPKC Stadium. (Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images)
For the first time in nine seasons in the NWSL, the Pride became NWSL champions. The club set numerous NSWL records, as the team went undefeated through their first 23 games. By making the playoffs, the team ended a five-year drought and won its first postseason victory in club history with a 4-1 win over the Chicago Red Stars.
The Pride beat the Kansas City Current in the semifinals 3-2, and then beat the Washington Spirit 1-0 in the championship game, with Barbra Banda scoring the lone goal in the win. Pride head coach Seb Hines was named the Coach of the Year for her work in leading the Pride to their first playoff victory and championship.
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