Most Memorable Sporting Moments of 2023

That’s right, it's February 2024 and I am writing about the most memorable sporting moments of 2023. Cut me some slack I've been incredibly busy going to the beach, travelling and watching a hell of a lot of tennis.

Anyway, with it now being a month since 2023 wrapped up, I have had some time to reflect on the sporting year that was and in particular the events that were most memorable to me. Yes, to me, not you, me. So let's get into my takes on the most moments that will stick with me for years to come (in no particular order).

The Matildas Capture the Hearts of the Nation

Matildas team celebrate making the Semi-finals after defeating France on Penalties (Credit: Football Australia)

Nothing in recent times has brought the nation together in a way that the Matildas did in July 2023. No matter who you were in Australia, whether you liked football or sport, whether you were male or female or whether you were rich or poor, the Matildas captured the attention of the entire nation, breaking viewing records and achieving record crowds.

In a country and world that was relatively divided on many issues in 2023, Australia found something to agree on and that was getting behind our "Tillies".  I spoke a bit more about this in my previous "A moment in History" article but one of the key reasons why the Tillies took the nation by storm was because the women in this team are world class.

The Matildas run in the World Cup in 2023 will stick with me for a while, in particular Sam Kerr's goal against England and the way the Sydney streets and pubs were packed with all Australians showing some national pride . 

Aussies Winning the Cricket World Cup in India

Pat Cummins lifts the ODI World Cup trophy after overcoming a star studded India team (Credit: ICC)

Somehow these Aussies pulled off what has to be one of the best sporting moments in Australian history: winning the World Cup in India and beating the home team in front of 80,000 - 145,000 people. But it wasn't just that, it was the narrative behind it with the team were staring down the barrel after losing their first two matches and being in very difficult positions against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.

When it was time for players to step up they did and but for some individual brilliance from Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Marsh and Travis Head throughout the tournament and in the final, the trophy would never have ended up in Captain Pat's hands . An achievement that will live long in the memories of not only Australians but cricket fans around the world.

Glenn Maxwell 200 Red vs Afghanistan 

Glenn Maxwell absolutely cooked during his innings vs Afghanistan in the Cricket World Cup (Credit: Cricket Australia)

The Maxwell innings vs Afghanistan was simply astonishing with the way the Big Show was able to put balls over the rope with relative ease despite experiencing full body cramps and essentially being unable to walk. The ability to do this all whilst being in a high stress environment where his nation needed to win to stay alive in the tournament will go down in history as one of the best individual performances on a cricket field ever, and rightly so.

Carlos Alcaraz overcoming a Seemingly Unbeatable Novak Djokovic

Carlos raises the golden Wimbledon trophy after winning his first Wimbledon title (Credit: AELTC)

Alcaraz was supposed to be a hardcourt and claycourt specialist but the 20 year old Spaniard proved he can do it all in 2023. Carlitos defeated Djokovic at the All England Club who had not lost a match at SW19 since 2017 - ridiculous in its own right.

The match itself was special with Djokovic cruising early on to win the first set 6-1 and what came next, no one in their right mind would have predicted (not even me). Alcaraz defeated the champion in 5 sets in just under 5 hours. A moment that appeared to be the changing of the guard and a coming of age for the young Spaniard. We now know this wasn’t quite the case with Djokovic winning the 2023 tour finals and US Open whilst Carlos hasn’t lifted a trophy since his Wimbledon victory.

Everton 10 point deduction 

Everton fans show their distain towards the Premier League (Credit: Everton)

A little bit of bias in this one as an Everton fan.... BUT one of the biggest moments in English football and world football in 2023 was the 10 point deduction handed to the Toffees for breaching Premier League profitability rules. The appeal for the breach is ongoing with a ruling to be handed down in mid February 2024.

The reason why the breach is so controversial is due to the inequity of the penalties handed down. Man City have been charged with more than 100 breaches of Premier League rules whilst Chelsea remain under investigation for financial wrongdoing between 2012 - 2019... Any danger of getting a resolution on these? On the surface and as someone clearly not close to the finer details, it seems absurd how these larger clubs have not been docked points for these breaches/allegations. All whilst the relatively small, honourable and beloved Toffees get penalised despite no clear intent to breach rules but because their CFO has an inability to manage finances effectively. Not to mention a world war causing the club to lose their major sponsor.

Let's see if the Premier League removes the point deduction or at best applies consistent treatment across the league in 2024… I can't see it happening.

Collingwood Premiers in 2023 in an Elite GF

My most memorable moment on 2023 Grand Final day (Credit: Ollie's Takes)

In recent years the AFL Grand Finals have been relatively anti-climactic which made this year's thriller all the more appetising. I went through my 10 takes on the Grand Final in a previous article but just to reiterate, the game was electric with memorable moments throughout the game such as Daicos' handball, Zac Bailey's goal and Bobby Hill's mark.

The Pies will be tough to beat in 2024 but will they win it? Stay tuned for Ollie's Takes on the 2024 AFL Premiership season coming soon.

That Run Out

Jonny Bairstow run out after exiting his crease (Credit: ECB)

Oh the carry on from Jonny Bairstow meandering out of his crease before the ball was dead was simply hilarious. From Stuart Broad taking the moral high ground and Pat Cummins having none of it to the Lords long room abuse and the "same old Aussies, always cheating" chants from the Barmy Army, it was entertaining stuff.

Long in my memory will be the overreaction from the English general public and how quickly the poms are to take a moral victory in a situation that is (just) within the rules of the game. So congrats to England on their moral victory in the Ashes last year but it’s a shame the Aussies still hold the urn. 

The Others

Novak Rokovic had a remarkable year winning 3 Grand slams, the world tour finals and finishing the year as world number juan (Credit: ATP)

There were some other huge sporting moments in 2023 but for one reason or another will not stick with me as much as the seven above moments will. A few of these moments include:

• Novak Djokovic having a record breaking year again and breaking the record for most Grand Slam titles with 24 after winning the Australian Open, French Open and US Open. The third time he has won three majors in a year which shows a level of consistency at the top level which the sport of Tennis has never seen before

• Nathan Cleary and his Penrith Panthers winning the treble - yep cool, covered that, next

• Wallabies were absolutely useless in the Rugby World Cup which ultimately brought an end to Eddie Jones' tenure

• Leo Messi controversially won a record breaking 8th Ballon D'or

• Man City treble of the FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League is pretty damn impressive even if they breach Premier League rules for fun…

• Max Verstappen won a record 19 of 22 races throughout the season which is super impressive however made the F1 season pretty boring. Here's to hoping the 2024 season is bit more competitive

• Carlton's impressive turnaround from midseason being boo'd off the field in 14th posiition to making a preliminart final and recapturing their passionate fans in the process

• Jokic's Nuggets ended a 47 year drought to win the NBA Championship over the Heat

• Anndddddddddddddd my West Coast Eagles sucked

On behalf of all employees at Ollie's Takes, I would like to thank our loyal fans for the love and support shown throughout 2023. I am looking forward to producing more unique and entertaining content in 2024.

OT