Philadelphia Flyers, Mascot
With a smile that should give kids nightmares and orange hair that should stop traffic, Gritty’s nonstop enthusiasm and infectious personality took over the sports world. His Twitter game is fire and there’s a video of him playing in the snow. If you hate Gritty, congratulations you’re the fucking Grinch.
Kansas City Chiefs, QB
Patrick Mahomes has rewritten the script on what it takes to be a young, successful NFL quarterback. No-look passes, 45 touchdowns and counting — he impresses fans and competitors alike, and has the skills and the charm to take Kansas City to the championship. I think a lot of people would be disappointed if he isn’t chosen as the MVP of the season.
Alabama Crimson Tide, QB
From the start of 2018 to the finish, Tua Tagovailoa dominated college football headlines. Taking over for an ineffective Jalen Hurts in the second half of the National Championship, he led Alabama to a dramatic comeback victory over Georgia. He then took over the starting role for the 2018 season, leading what through 13 games looks like one of the most dominant teams in college football history. His QB rating of 188 in SEC play was 10 percent higher than any other SEC QB in the last decade. And, as 2018 ends, he is preparing to face Oklahoma and Kyler Murray, to whom he lost a close race for the Heisman Trophy.
Seattle Storm, Guard
Masked Sue Bird took the WNBA playoffs by storm, draining threes to survive a win-or-go-home game, and never looked back. Few athletes become pros, few pros become champions, and even fewer can lead a team to 3 titles in 14 years. The ageless point guard is transcendent.
Tennis player
Serena Williams returned to the tennis court after surviving life-threatening complications after giving birth, while also wearing her motherhood proudly in many ways. While she didn't win a Grand Slam in 2018, she proved our belief that there are no limits to what she can do as an athlete.
Olympic snowboarder
Chloe Kim won over the masses with her incredible snowboarding and endearing personality. Not only did she take home the gold medal in the halfpipe after landing the first ever back-to-back 1080s in women's Olympic history, she tweeted between qualifying runs about wanting ice cream. Relatable AF. Well, the tweeting is, not the Olympic domination.
Los Angeles Lakers, Forward
LeBron James never had a real chance to add another championship this year after J.R. Smith's now infamous gaffe, but he still won 2018 on his own terms. Joining the Lakers was a move that transcended basketball. James isn't just a hooper; he's now a Hollywood mogul, celebrity father, and the social conscience of the sports world. No matter what happens with the Lakers the rest of this season, LeBron has already won.
Washington Capitals, Left wing
Alex Ovechkin finally shook his reputation for choking in the postseason by bringing home D.C.'s first Stanley Cup championship. And he celebrated it in the most Ovi way possible: Cup keg stands, drunk swimming in a fountain, and ultimately sharing the experience with the fans who believed in him when the national media didn't.
Cleveland Browns, QB
Baker Mayfield began the season playing in one of the best college football games of the decade, got selected No. 1 in the NFL draft despite being, you know, short, and has engineered more wins in Cleveland than the Browns saw in the last three years combined, despite having basically a minor league receiving corps at his disposal. It's December, and they're technically still in the playoff race! What more could you want from a guy?
Olympic gymnast / Activist
Aly Raisman's athletic accomplishments speak for themselves, as she's one of the most decorated American gymnasts of all time. But in 2018, she became an activist as well, speaking out about her own experiences with sexual abuse to fight for women in gymnastics, and everywhere.
Dallas Wings, Center
There's the 53-point game, the candid Instagram stories, and the dance moves that we know and love. But it's Liz Cambage's openness about mental health, her lack of fear when speaking her mind, and her advocacy for change in the WNBA that made Cambage the star the sports world needed in 2018.
Olympic figure skater
Adam Rippon not only broke barriers as the first openly gay U.S. man to medal in the Winter Olympics, he became an international star. Rippon followed up on his Pyeongchang success by winning "Dancing With the Stars" and making a host of other TV appearances, and even though his competitive figure skating career is over, his time in the spotlight may have just begun.
Philadelphia Eagles, QB
Nick Foles took a cliche that’s been around forever — that you’ll be rewarded if you work hard and treat your teammates well — and made it real. He became one of the most improbable playoff starting QBs ever, then became one of the most improbable Super Bowl starting QBs ever, then actually won the whole thing.
Duke Blue Devils, Forward
When bowing in prayer at the Church of Zion before a nationally televised Duke game, I think about those who wondered if Zion Williamson's IG highlights would translate to college basketball success. Do they feel bad? They should! If you haven't seen him play this year, resolve to do so. If you are an NBA team, tank! NFL teams should probably tank for him, too!
Milwaukee Bucks, Forward
The most transformative athletes are usually transformative because they can do everything well. Giannis Antetokounmpo might have become the NBA’s most exciting player in 2018, and yet, something fundamental remains missing from his statistical body of work. Where is his jump shot? Well, if you didn’t know you were tracking a bird, you might wonder why the footprints end.
Olympic gymnast
Every once in a while, an athlete comes along who is so good, so dominant, and so untouchable that they raise the floor of their entire sport. Biles may be better than that. She has more hardware than any other American woman gymnast, and recently medaled in every single event at the world gymnastics championsips — the day after she was hospitalized for a kidney stone. Tokyo cannot come fast enough.
French national soccer team, Forward
Kylian Mbappé riveted our jaws to the floor during the 2018 World Cup. The 19-year-old's indelible mark was a near full-pitch run that won a penalty kick and left scores of Argentinians fallen in his wake. His physicality and beyond-his-years creativity during that month was a vision of splendor that could fill the void in a post-Messi/Ronaldo world.
Boston Red Sox, Outfielder
It's hard to imagine anyone had a better 2018 than Mookie Betts: 2018 World Series champion; 2018 AL MVP; 2018 Gold Glove recipient; 2018 Silver Slugger; and he won the AL batting title. Oh, and he and his girlfriend welcomed their first child — a daughter — to the world. Not too shabby.
Philadelphia 76ers, Center
The NBA is so fun to watch, as is NBA Twitter, and Embiid is partially responsible for both of those things. The 7-footer is having the MVP-caliber season he's promised, and his next-level shit-talking in folks' mentions is legendary. I can't wait for Markelle Fultz to get traded so I can find out what Joel really thinks.
NHL team
The Golden Knights became the most successful expansion franchise in modern sports history, earning a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in their debut season. They are the first major league sports team in Las Vegas, and raucous home crowds proved the fanbase exists to build pro sports in Sin City.
New Orleans Saints, QB
The accuracy. It’s the hardest stat to quantify for any QB and it’s also Drew Brees’ calling card. But whether measured by completion percentage (Brees is first, at 74.1 percent) or INTs (5, lowest for any full-time starter) or number of “Who is Dat?” WRs who’ve caught TDs from him this season, Brees’ constancy is what has him just now racking up all-time records — completions, yards — and maybe, finally, an MVP award.
Carolina Panthers, Safety
Eric Reid joined Colin Kaepernick in protest of racial injustice in 2016, and while Kaepernick remains black-balled from the NFL, Reid signed with the Carolina Panthers three weeks into this season. It has afforded him a highly visible platform to give new life to the protests and a chance to regularly speak to media at his locker after games on the critical issues involved.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Guard
Arike Ogunbowale slayed UConn’s all-time dominant program with a buzzer-beater in a national semifinal at the Final Four. Then she DID IT AGAIN to Mississippi State to win the national title for Notre Dame. She has to be on this list, because she created her sport’s moment of the year and topped it two days later.
Los Angeles Rams, Head Coach
In two years as a head coach, Sean McVay has taken one of the most unwatchable teams of the last 20 years and turned them into weekly appointment viewing. His secret? Designing systems that meet players where they are, not forcing them into the same tired plans his lizard-brained predecessors swore by.
Oklahoma Sooners, QB
If Kyler Murray had chosen to skip 2018 football, count his MLB first-round millions, and prepare for spring training, the Sooners might’ve gone 8-4 or so. Instead, Murray dragged a flawed team to a 12-1 Playoff run. It’s a rare delight to watch college football’s best player go mostly unspoiled by NFL Draft hot takes, though I would really like to somehow find out how unreal his 40 time is. Next, the same speed that helped him steal the Heisman at the last minute is gonna steal so many bases ... unless he chooses football again.
