Patriots Win Caps Most Thrilling Sports Championship Year Ever

It was already an epic 12 months for sports championships, even before Tom Brady and the New England Patriots overcame a 25-point deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34–28 in Super Bowl LI Sunday night. Brady earned himself his fifth Super Bowl win and was named as the game's Most Valuable Player for the fourth time.

The question sports fans will be anxious to see answered is if this year goes down as the greatest year ever for sports championships.

MLB

The Chicago Cubs won their first World Series title since 1908 in November.

The Cubbies did so in dramatic fashion, as they needed not only seven games to take home the championship, but extra innings in that deciding game.

NBA

LeBron James was on a mission to deliver a championship for his hometown city, but superstar Stephen Curry was standing his way.

James' Cleveland Cavaliers were down three games to one in the NBA Finals, but led an epic performance in the deciding Game 7 to beat Curry's Golden State Warriors 93–89 in June.

James was the named the unanimous Finals MVP for the third time.

NCAA Football

The Clemson Tigers needed every second of the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship to defeat the Alabama Crimson Tide earlier this winter.

The championship game was the first rematch of the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in history as the two teams faced off in the 2016 final.

This year, the Tigers overcame a 14–0 deficit and scored the game-winning touchdown with one second left on the clock.

NHL

Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins overcame their biggest rival, the Washington Capitals, during the 2016 playoffs en route to defeating the San Jose Sharks in the NHL Stanley Cup finals.

Crosby not only earned his second Stanley Cup championship, but was named the playoffs MVP. He followed up his performance by leading Canada to the gold medal in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, where he was also named MVP.