60 Fun Facts About 2010s Sports

Who scored the only goal of the 2010 World Cup final, four minutes from the end of extra time?

Andrés Iniesta then pulled off his shirt to reveal a message to his late friend Dani Jarque, the Espanyol player who had died in August 2009.

Which substitute volleyed Germany's winner against Argentina in the 2014 World Cup final?

Mario Götze had replaced Miroslav Klose after 88 minutes, and coach Joachim Löw said he told him to show the world he was better than Messi.

Germany's 7-1 demolition of Brazil in the 2014 semi-final was played in which city?

Belo Horizonte's Mineirão hosted the rout, and Brazil played without Neymar, out with a fractured vertebra, and their suspended captain Thiago Silva.

Which Croatian scored the first own goal in World Cup final history, in 2018?

Mario Mandžukić later made amends by scoring at the right end after a Hugo Lloris error, but France still won 4-2.

What pre-season odds did bookmakers offer on Leicester City winning the 2015-16 Premier League?

Leicester, 5,000-1 outsiders, were watching at Jamie Vardy's house when Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Tottenham handed them the title on 2 May 2016.

Which curse was blamed for the Chicago Cubs' title drought before 2016?

The Billy Goat curse supposedly began when tavern owner Billy Sianis's goat was barred from a 1945 World Series game at Wrigley Field.

The 2016 Cavaliers became the first team to win the NBA Finals after trailing by what series score?

Trailing 3-1, Cleveland won three straight, capped by LeBron James's late Game 7 block on Andre Iguodala, ending the city's 52-year title drought.

Which Golden State star became the NBA's first unanimous MVP during the Warriors' 73-9 season?

Stephen Curry had gone seventh in the 2009 draft, after Minnesota spent the fifth and sixth picks on Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn.

What was Atlanta's biggest lead over the Patriots in Super Bowl LI, before New England came back to win?

From 28-3 down in the third quarter, New England scored 25 straight points to force the first Super Bowl overtime, then won 34-28 on a James White touchdown.

Which Seahawks cornerback's 2014 TV rant called Michael Crabtree 'a sorry receiver'?

Richard Sherman had tipped away the game-sealing pass meant for Crabtree, then offered a handshake, and Crabtree shoved him in the facemask.

Which undrafted Patriots rookie made the goal-line interception that won Super Bowl XLIX?

Malcolm Butler jumped a slant meant for Ricardo Lockette on second-and-goal from the 1-yard line, after Seattle chose to pass instead of running.

Tom Brady's Deflategate suspension came from under-inflated footballs used in which game?

The AFC Championship Game footballs led to Brady's four-game ban, and the Patriots were also fined $1 million and stripped of a first-round pick.

Which backup quarterback led the Eagles past Tom Brady's Patriots to win Super Bowl LII?

Nick Foles, in for the injured Carson Wentz, threw three touchdown passes and even caught one himself on a trick play.

Peyton Manning was the first starting quarterback to win Super Bowls with which two franchises?

Peyton Manning won Super Bowl XLI with the Colts and Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos, and retired a month after that second title.

Which Auburn player returned a missed field goal for the winning touchdown in the 2013 'Kick Six'?

Chris Davis was only there because coach Gus Malzahn put a returner in the end zone just in case Alabama's 57-yard try fell short.

In 2016 Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem while playing for which team?

The San Francisco 49ers quarterback first sat for the anthem, then switched to kneeling after talking with military veteran Nate Boyer.

Which team beat the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals?

The Toronto Raptors won in six after the Warriors lost Kevin Durant to a ruptured Achilles in Game 5 and Klay Thompson to a knee injury in Game 6.

Whose 2019 Game 7 buzzer-beater against Philadelphia bounced off the rim four times before dropping?

Kawhi Leonard, normally stoic, let out a roar as it dropped for a 92-90 win, the first buzzer-beater to decide a Game 7 in NBA history.

On 8 July 2010, LeBron James announced on ESPN he was taking his talents to which team?

The Miami Heat got him, and Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert answered with an angry open letter to fans, typed in Comic Sans.

Which NHL team made 'Gloria' its victory song during its Stanley Cup-winning 2018-19 season?

The St. Louis Blues heard 'Gloria' in a Philadelphia bar during an NFL playoff game in January and decided to play it after their wins.

Which NHL team won three Stanley Cups in the 2010s, in 2010, 2013 and 2015?

The Chicago Blackhawks sealed the 2013 Cup when Bryan Bickell and Dave Bolland scored 17 seconds apart in the last 76 seconds to beat Boston.

The 2019 World Series was won by which team, upsetting the Houston Astros for its first title?

The Washington Nationals lost all three games at home but won all four in Houston, the first World Series in which neither team won a home game.

The Astros' sign-stealing scandal concerned their illegal use of what in 2017 and 2018?

A video camera system in center field fed the catcher's signs to a monitor near the dugout, and players banged a trash can to tell hitters what was coming.

Which American won the 2017 world 100m title in London, leaving Usain Bolt with bronze?

Justin Gatlin was booed by the London crowd over his two past doping bans, yet Bolt defended him and called the booing unfair.

Whose pre-race shadowboxing drew Michael Phelps's famous glare before an Olympic 200m butterfly semi-final?

Chad le Clos had beaten Phelps to 200m butterfly gold four years earlier; this time Phelps won the final and le Clos came fourth.

Katie Ledecky won her first Olympic gold at London 2012 in which event, aged 15?

Katie Ledecky, the youngest American at the Games, won the 800m freestyle by more than four seconds as defending champion Rebecca Adlington faded to bronze before her home crowd.

Simone Biles won the Olympic all-around gold for the first time at which Games?

Rio 2016 brought her first all-around gold; five years later in Tokyo she withdrew from the team final and the all-around, citing 'the twisties'.

The 2014 Winter Olympics were held in which Russian city?

Sochi's anti-doping lab director later revealed that Russian athletes' tainted urine samples were swapped at night, and a WADA inquiry found corroborating evidence.

The 2018 Winter Olympics were hosted by which country?

South Korea's Pyeongchang hosted, and North and South Korean athletes marched together under a unification flag and fielded a joint women's hockey team.

Andy Murray's 2013 Wimbledon win made him the first British men's singles champion there since whom?

Fred Perry turned professional after his 1936 title, which barred him from Wimbledon while it was still an amateur event.

At which tournament did Serena Williams win her 23rd major singles title, an Open Era record?

At the 2017 Australian Open she beat her sister Venus in the final while, it later emerged, in the early weeks of pregnancy.

Which golfer won the Masters older than Tiger Woods did in 2019?

Jack Nicklaus was 46 when he won in 1986 with a back-nine 30, then waited as Greg Norman, tied for the lead, bogeyed the last hole.

What name is given to Europe's 2012 Ryder Cup comeback from 10-6 down near Chicago?

The Miracle at Medinah came with Europe wearing Seve Ballesteros's favourite final-round navy and white, and captain José María Olazábal dedicated the win to his late friend.

On which tiebreaker did England win the 2019 Cricket World Cup final after the match and Super Over were tied?

Boundary count gave England the title, and the ICC later scrapped the rule: a tied Super Over in a final is now repeated until one side wins.

India won the 2011 Cricket World Cup by beating Sri Lanka at which ground?

At Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, captain MS Dhoni promoted himself up the order and sealed the win with a six.

New Zealand's 2015 Rugby World Cup win made them the first team to do what?

New Zealand's bid to retain the Webb Ellis Cup was sealed when Dan Carter kicked a 40-metre drop goal with 10 minutes left to stretch the lead to seven points.

South Africa beat England in the 2019 Rugby World Cup final in which city?

Yokohama had also hosted South Africa's pool-stage defeat by New Zealand, so the Springboks won the cup at the same ground where they had lost.

Eliud Kipchoge's sub-two-hour marathon in October 2019 was run in which city?

Vienna's 1:59:40 wasn't ratified as a world record because it wasn't in open competition and rotating pacemakers ran in and out around him.

Who became the first British winner of the Tour de France in 2012?

Bradley Wiggins then won the Olympic time trial in London just over a week later, taking his Olympic medal tally to seven.

Lance Armstrong finally admitted doping in a 2013 TV interview with whom?

Oprah Winfrey's interview came after he had been stripped of all seven Tour de France titles, and he told her he didn't believe seven straight wins were possible without doping.

Nico Rosberg announced his retirement how soon after winning the 2016 Formula One title?

Five days after winning the title, Nico Rosberg retired, saying he wanted more time with his young family.

Floyd Mayweather's 2017 win over Conor McGregor took his record to 50-0, passing which boxer's 49-0?

Rocky Marciano's 49-0 was passed after Mayweather came out of retirement, saying he was returning just to fight McGregor.

Which team did the US beat in the 2015 Women's World Cup final, a rematch of 2011?

Japan were 4-0 down after 16 minutes, when Carli Lloyd completed her hat-trick with a shot from the halfway line.

The United States retained the Women's World Cup in 2019 by beating which nation in the final near Lyon?

The Netherlands held out until Megan Rapinoe's penalty on the hour, and Rose Lavelle added a solo goal eight minutes later.

A year after the finish-line bombing, which American man won the 2014 Boston Marathon?

Meb Keflezighi, whose family fled Eritrea when he was a boy, became the first American man to win Boston in 31 years.

Ronda Rousey, the UFC's first female champion, had earlier won an Olympic bronze medal in which sport?

Judo brought her that bronze, but Ronda Rousey then quit the sport at 21 and worked as a bartender before turning to mixed martial arts.

American Pharoah's 2015 Triple Crown was the first since which horse's in 1978?

Affirmed crossed the line first in that summer's Travers Stakes, only to be disqualified and placed second.

Who scored Canada's overtime winner against the United States in the 2010 Olympic men's hockey final?

Sidney Crosby scored seven minutes into overtime, after Zach Parise's goal with 25 seconds of regulation left had forced it, sealing a 3-2 win in Vancouver.

Mo Farah's 5,000 m and 10,000 m double at successive Olympics matched a feat first achieved by which Finn?

Lasse Virén fell midway through the 1972 10,000m final, got back up and still won in a world record.

Which Kenyan set the 800 m world record of 1:40.91 while winning the London 2012 Olympic final?

David Rudisha led from start to finish, and even last-placed Andrew Osagie's 1:43.77 would have won gold at the previous three Olympics.

Which driver won the 2010 F1 title at the season-ending Abu Dhabi race?

Sebastian Vettel took the title while championship leader Fernando Alonso spent the rest of the race stuck behind Vitaly Petrov's Renault.

Who was man of the match with two goals in Real Madrid's 2018 Champions League final win over Liverpool?

Gareth Bale came off the bench to score with an overhead kick, then his long-range shot slipped through goalkeeper Loris Karius's hands.

Which NHL expansion team reached the Stanley Cup Final in its very first season, 2017-18?

The Vegas Golden Knights retired No. 58 in March 2018, honoring the victims of the October 2017 Las Vegas shooting.

Pep Guardiola's 'Centurions' reached 100 points in the 2017-18 Premier League; which club finished second?

Manchester United finished second, 19 points back, and had even handed City the title by losing at home to bottom club West Brom.

What did Kobe Bryant say to sign off after his 60-point final NBA game?

Mamba out closed a comeback win in which Kobe Bryant took 50 shots and outscored Utah by himself, 23-21, in the fourth quarter.

Anthony Joshua's 2017 heavyweight win over Wladimir Klitschko drew 90,000 fans to which venue?

Wembley Stadium saw Joshua knocked down in the sixth round, then rally to floor Klitschko twice and stop him in the 11th.

Which team won its first Stanley Cup in 2012, beating the New Jersey Devils in six games?

The Los Angeles Kings had fired coach Terry Murray in December 2011, and his replacement, Darryl Sutter, led them to the title.

At which tournament did Rory McIlroy win his first major championship?

The 2011 U.S. Open came two months after McIlroy blew a four-shot final-round lead at the Masters with an 80; at Congressional he won by eight.

Whom did Rafael Nadal beat in the 2017 French Open final to become the first man with ten titles at one major?

Stan Wawrinka won just six games in the final; a year earlier, a wrist injury had forced Nadal out of Roland Garros before the third round.

By winning which race after the 2015 Triple Crown did American Pharoah complete racing's first modern Grand Slam?

American Pharoah lost the Travers Stakes to Keen Ice, then won the Breeders' Cup Classic by six and a half lengths in his final race before retiring to stud.