This past year provided us with some truly special sports memories that will stay with us for years to come. For that, you can visit our 24 most impactful sports stories of 2024. But we thought we would also explore those viral moments that had us laughing, cheering and just plain scratching our heads.
These two dozen atoms in the greater structure that was the year in sports captured our hearts and minds for days or weeks at a time. Quite a few of those viral moments came courtesy of the 2024 Paris Olympics, and none of them caught fire quite as much as Australian breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn, who wound up being a popular Halloween costume by the end of the year.
The Olympics dominated social media throughout the summer with “pommel horse guy” earning a bronze medal and a spot on “Dancing with the Stars,” Ilona Maher rumbling over Aussies (and also going on “Dancing with the Stars”), Steph Curry knocking out France and so much more.
Outside of Paris, there were a number of wacky and head-scratching moments. Everything from Scottie Scheffler’s arrest to the Dwyane Wade statue reveal left users feeling bewildered and generated countless memes.
Before we dive into the top 24, here are a handful of honorable mentions that barely missed the cut:
- Freshman JuJu Watkins takes college basketball by storm
- Mayhem at Talladega Superspeedway
- Turkish Olympic shooter keeps it simple
- Purdue student robbed of halftime kicking contest prize
- LeBron James channels George Washington during Paris Games opening ceremonies on the Seine
Now, let’s get into the micro-moments that took social media by storm. Here are our 24 most viral sports moments of 2024.
24. Josh Allen throws, catches TD on same play
Once upon a time, Gisele Bundchen famously said that Tom Brady can’t “throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time.” I’d like to direct her attention to the Dec. 1 game between the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers. In the third quarter, Josh Allen found receiver Amari Cooper near the goal line and followed his pass. As Cooper was fighting off three tacklers, he pitched the ball to Allen, who got to the pylon for the score. Allen was not credited with a reception, but that did go down as a seven-yard receiving touchdown for the superstar quarterback.
23. Jon Jones knocks out Stipe Miocic
Jon Jones only added to his legacy at UFC 309 when he knocked out Stipe Miocic for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. In the third round, Jones threw a spinning back kick that brought Miocic to his knees before finishing him with a series of punches. With President-elect Donald Trump sitting in the front row, Jones celebrated by doing the “Trump dance,” which Trump did at a number of his campaign stops.
22. “College Football 25” released by EA Sports
After an 11-year wait, college football fans finally got to play their favorite video game once again. After a lengthy absence, the EA Sports “College Football” series made its return, and it was an instant hit. Updated with modern college football features like NIL and the transfer portal, game offered an in-depth experience. Grown men and women across the country reverted to teenagers as they led their favorite programs to the glory of a national title.
21. Vanderbilt upsets Alabama, tosses goalposts in river
You don’t just walk into Nashville and beat Vanderbilt. Actually, Alabama did just that from 1985-2023. That’s how long the Commodores went without beating the Crimson Tide, but that drought ended this year. Vanderbilt shocked top-ranked Alabama with a 40-35 win. Over the course of the celebration, the FirstBank Stadium goalposts made their way down Broadway and into the Cumberland River.
20. Ilona Maher barrels over Aussies
The United States women’s rugby team took home bronze at the Paris Olympics, and Ilona Maher was one of the biggest stars. Maher wasn’t afraid to dish out some punishment to her opponents, and in the team’s match against powerhouse Australia, she lowered her shoulder on some devastating runs.
19. Dwyane Wade statue raises eyebrows
When Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade got his statue outside Kaseya Center, the reaction from the internet was like something out of a Comedy Central roast. The face on Wade’s statue drew instant comparisons to that of Cristiano Ronaldo’s, but Wade elected to take the high road in response to the needling from social media.
18. DJ Burns takes over March Madness
Every year, a player comes out of nowhere to win over the hearts of America throughout a deep NCAA Tournament run. In 2024, that player was NC State big man DJ Burns. Starting with the Wolfpack’s first-round game against Texas Tech, Burns was schooling most every player he faced in the low post. Against Duke in the Elite Eight, Burns went off for 29 points and a pair of blocks on the defensive end.
17. Curry vs. Ionescu in 3-point showdown
The best sharpshooters in the NBA and WNBA went head-to-head in a 3-point shooting competition during NBA All-Star weekend. Sabrina Ionescu and Steph Curry faced off with the latter prevailing thanks to a red-hot finish. Ionescu’s 26 points would have tied her with the official 3-point contest champion Damian Lillard, but Curry hit eight of his last 10 shots to put up 29 points for the win.
16. Chennedy Carter shoulder checks Caitlin Clark
As the WNBA’s top-billed rookie, Caitlin Clark got a rather cold reception from her peers in 2024. None of the lumps she took were more blatant than the shoulder she received from Chennedy Carter in a game against the Chicago Sky. After knocking down a bucket, Carter proceeded to knock down Clark on the inbounds play. That play earned Carter a flagrant 1, but Clark would go on to downplay the incident in her march to Rookie of the Year.
15. Bronny James makes NBA debut
It’s not often that an NBA rookie gets to take the court with his father. In fact, Bronny James became the only player ever to do that during the Los Angeles Lakers’ season-opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves when he stepped on the floor with his father, LeBron James. The father-son duo then had to snap some pictures, including some with MLB father-son duo Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr.
14. Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter steals millions from MLB star
One of the more surprising stories of the year was Shohei Ohtani’s friend and interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, stealing roughly $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers star to fuel a gambling habit. Court documents showed that, from December 2021 to January 2024, Mizuhara’s gambling let to a net loss of around $16 million. That led to text messages like this between Mizuhara and his bookmaker. “I’m terrible at this sport betting thing huh? Lol . . . Any chance u can bump me again?? As you know, you don’t have to worry about me not paying!!”
13. Commanders humiliate Bears with walk-off Hail Mary
Nothing encapsulates the Chicago Bears’ 2024 season quite like their loss to the Washington Commanders. Down 15-12 with time for one play remaining, all the Commanders could do was let Jayden Daniels fling a desperate heave 52 yards from the end zone. As Daniels took the final snap, Bears defensive back Tyrique Stevenson was taunting opposing fans. Once he realized the play was underway, Stevenson ran across the field, but he was unable to prevent Noah Brown from catching the game-winning touchdown on a tipped ball. No wonder Chicago elected to make a coaching change a month later.
12. Jordan Chiles’ bronze medal gets revoked
The women’s floor exercise event in Paris was the source of much controversy. It initially appeared as though American gymnast Jordan Chiles had narrowly missed out on the bronze medal until an inquiry bumped her score past two more competitors to place her third in the event. Chiles got to wear the bronze medal around her neck on the podium, but it was later revoked when Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the inquiry was a mere four seconds after the alotted one-minute deadline.
11. Michigan tries to mark its territory in Columbus
The historic rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State got another memorable entry this year when the Wolverines waltzed into Ohio Stadium as three-touchdown underdog and upset the Buckeyes, 13-10. After the score went final, Michigan tried to assert itself further by planting a flag at midfield. Ohio State didn’t take kindly to that. That led to some physical confrontation, which led to pepper spray being used, which led to an Ohio state representative proposing a bill to ban flag-planting.
10. Steph Curry puts France to sleep in gold medal game
Steph Curry has made some big shots in his prolific career, and he added another one to his resume at the Paris Olympics. In the gold medal game against France, Curry looped a 3-point attempt over a double-team that found the bottom of the bucket and effectively sealed the win for Team USA.
9. Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam
World Series. Bottom of the 10th. Bases loaded. Down by one run. At-bats don’t get any bigger than that, and that’s the situation Freddie Freeman was presented with the Los Angeles Dodgers down in Game 1 against the New York Yankees. Not one to shy away from the spotlight, Freeman took the first pitch he saw from Nestor Cortes and launched it over the right field wall for the first walk-off grand slam in MLB history. The ball has since sold for $1.56 million at auction.
8. Noah Lyles wins 100m in photo finish
One of the marquee events in the summer Olympics is the 100m sprint, which crowns the fastest man on the planet. In Paris, American sprinter Noah Lyles took that crown in dramatic fashion. Lyles was a tick slow getting off the blocks, but he made up for it down the stretch. Lyles flew down the track and beat Jamaican Kishane Thompson by a nose at the finish line.
7. Taylor Swift celebrates Super Bowl with Travis Kelce
The fusion of the Swifties with NFL fans was something to behold at the end of the 2023-24 NFL season, and that culminated with Taylor Swift hanging out in a star-studded suite at Super Bowl LVIII. Following the Chiefs’s dramatic overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers, Swift found boyfriend Travis Kelce and celebrated with him on the field. Swift even flexed with Kansas City punter Tommy Townsend.
6. French pole vaulter’s groin gets in the way
No Olympic athlete wants to fall short of their goal after training for that moment for their entire life. Having said that, if you are going to come up short, at least go viral. That’s what happened to French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati, whose — uh, manhood — got in the way and caused him to fail one of his attempts … Now from junk to trunk we go to …
5. Mike Tyson gets heated … and cheeky
Mike Tyson’s return to the ring was one of the most anticipated sports moments of the year, and while the fight itself was a bit of a dud, the lead-up provided plenty of entertainment. At the weigh-in, Jake Paul crawled his way up to Tyson before rising up in his face, and the boxing legend didn’t take too kindly to that. Tyson reared back and delivered a forceful slap to Paul’s face.
On fight night, with millions of people watching, Tyson bared his soul and quite a bit more in a locker room interview. As Tyson finished the hit, the cameras panned a little too low, and fans saw a full moon despite being indoors.
4. ‘Pommel horse guy’ wins bronze
Unfortunately for comic book fans like myself, no one will ever see Clark Kent rip off his glass and become Superman in the blink of an eye. That said, U.S. gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik came pretty close when he put aside his spectacles and deliver a tremendous pommel horse routine at the Paris Olympics. That effort earned him a bronze medal, the creative nickname “pommel horse guy,” and a spot on “Dancing with the Stars.”
3. Tyreek Hill arrested outside Hard Rock Stadium
Dolphins’ fans making their way to Hard Rock Stadium for the team’s season-opening game against the Jacksonville Jaguars may have noticed someone who bore an uncanny resemblance to Tyreek Hill in handcuffs on the side of the rode. That’s because it was Hill, who had been forced to the ground in an altercation with police. The citations were reportedly dismissed last month.
2. Scottie Scheffler arrested at PGA Championship
Scottie Scheffler had a historic season on the PGA Tour for more reason than one. Sure, he won a half-dozen PGA Tour events and took home a gold medal at the Olympics, but he was also arrested and booked in jail just hours before his Round 2 tee time at the 2024 PGA Championship. What began with Scheffler misunderstanding traffic signals ended with him in a jumpsuit — and not the caddie kind. Scheffler was released before his round, and he still managed to shoot a 5-under 66 that day. (All charges would be dropped a week later.) Not even a trip to the clink could keep Scheffler down this year.
1. Aussie breakdancer Raygun steals the show in Paris
In breakdancing’s first — and perhaps last — appearance at the Olympics, Australian dancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn stole the show. Her curious routine took the internet by storm, and despite her not receiving a single vote in any of her three round robin battles, Gunn will be the lasting memory of breakdancing at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The memes were plentiful, and months later, Gunn would serve as the inspiration for many Halloween costumes.
