Publisher’s Letter
We here at REAL SPORTS are honored to recognize Mo’ne Davis as our 2014 Sportsperson of the Year. Her performances and maturity during and after the Little League World Series got the American public talking on a multitude of levels. The grace with which she, her teammates and coaches, as well as the opposing teams, handled it all are to be applauded. America’s pastime clearly has a new superstar who will be remembered for her on-field accomplishments.
As we conclude 2014 though, there were also many other outstanding performances during the year in women’s sports other than the 10 we are highlighting, and my letter provides the opportunity to recognize several of these great athletes.
This year, Lindsey Vonn overcame a career-threatening injury to lead American women skiers to a sweep of the World Cup downhill event at Lake Louise, Alberta, on Dec. 7, a historic first. And in April, forward Breanna Stewart concluded her sophomore year by starting all 40 games for the University of Connecticut and winning the NCAA championship, leading it in scoring (19.4 points) and blocks (2.8) per game. She was also name Associated Press Player of the Year, the third sophomore ever to be so honored (one of the other’s was former Husky Maya Moore).
Other notables events and personalities:
• Florida Gators softball pitcher Hannah Rogers, who capped her senior year with a 127-30 record, the most wins among active NCAA players. She led her squad to its first Women’s College World Series title, was the tournament’s most outstanding player and was named Southeast Conference Female Athlete of the Year.
• Maryland teenager Katie Ledecky, who set world records in the 1,500- and 800-meter freestyle events and seems to have overtaken Missy Franklin as the world’s best female swimmer, given her range from the 200 to the 1,500.
• UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has dominated mixed-martial arts, where she is unbeaten, and she was just signed by Reebok to represent their UFC apparel line. A fighter all her life, Rousey won a bronze medal in judo in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, as well as medals, from bronze to gold, in the Pan Am Games and World Championships.
• Lin Dunn announced her retirement in May, after 44 years of coaching, just a month before her induction into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Dunn coached the Portland Power in the American Basketball League, the Seattle Storm and Indian Fever in the WNBA, as well as an assistant or head coach for several U.S. national teams. She had a 447-257 record as a college head coach at such schools as Austin Peay State University, Mississippi, Miami and Purdue. She reached the NCAA championship seven times and the Final Four in 1994 with Purdue. She is in the halls of fame at Austin Peay and Miami and a past president of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.
• Lauren Hill, the basketball player at Division III Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati who has diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a rare and inoperable brain cancer, inspired thousands with her drive and determination. The V Foundation for Cancer Research issued a $100,000 special grant for pediatric cancer research in her name.
One of the many joys of producing the 14th annual Most Important Moments in Sports for REAL SPORTS, is following the amazing accomplishments of outstanding athletes. These annual editions are designed to serve as a historical perspective of the year in women’s sports, and the countdown maintains our commitment to being “The Authority in Women’s Sports”
We welcome your thoughts and perspective
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Long live sports,
Amy Love
Publisher
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