2015 Sportsperson of the Year and Most Important Moments in Sports

Publisher’s Note:

Maya Moore has been a thrill to watch over the years, and it’s an honor to celebrate her winning ways as this year’s REAL SPORTS Sportsperson of the Year.

This year’s Most Important Moment is the calling out of the inability of the WNBA to gain traction since its founding 19 years ago. The WNBA, as the most globally visible team sport, has yet to find its groove. The timing of Adam Silver’s comments deflated some, but if women’s sports fans are truly reflective, they will see the truth in his words. A fresh approach is needed to enable the WNBA to thrive on its own terms, where it can be a profitable league while also serving as a mission-driven organization.

View the 2015 Top 10 Most Important Moments in Sports and Tribute to Maya Moore, 
REAL SPORTS 2015 Sportsperson of the Year Poster

The next president will inherit a league that has lost its relevance to all but its most-staunch fans and one that is wrestling with the public words of Gilbert Arenas and non-spoken words of others.  The league needs to chart its own course with focused profitability and sustained growth. Doing so will require rebuilding the WNBA brand and fan engagement, if the league is truly destined to be relevant in the sports entertainment and lifestyle arena.

(C) ISI Photos by Steven Lineman

In closing, I also want to acknowledge and thank Abby Wambach for her outstanding career and congratulate her on her retirement.  2015 turned out to be the year the USWNT recaptured the Women’s World Cup and in doing so, Abby’s role on the team changed from the go to star to the elder stateswoman. As the all-tie goal scorer in international soccer for men or women with 184 goals, her impact though is measured across the 15 years that she played internationally.

All the best,
Amy Love

Founder/Publisher

REAL SPORTS publishes this annual Most Important Moments in Sports edition and Sportsperson of the Year as a commitment to the history of women’s sports.  This nonprofit effort pays tribute to the passion exhibited by the 300,000 fans that engaged REAL SPORTS, The Authority in Women’s Sports, when it was a printed publication. 

Most Important Moments in Sports

#2 United States Recaptures World Cup

The U.S. Women’s National Team stunned Japan in the opening minutes of the match and went on to defeat the defending World Cup champion 5-2, becoming the first three-time FIFA Women’s World Cup winner. 

Photo Credit: (C) ISI Photos by Steven Limentani

In the first 16 minutes of play, the U.S. took a 4-0 lead after Carli Lloyd netted the fastest hat trick in Women’s World Cup history, and then Lauren Holiday added a goal to put the United States up by a wide margin.

Photo Credit: (C) ISI Photos by Steven Limentani

Twenty-three million watched the game on TV, setting a record for soccer-game viewing on a single U.S. network.

Photo Credit: (C) ISI Photos by Steven Limentani

The World Cup also featured two players who played in their record sixth World Cup: Formiga, 37, of Brazil and Homare Sawa, 36, of Japan. Plus, a lawsuit over playing on artificial turf rather than grass and was somewhat overshadowed by the corruption scandal that led to the arrest of several prominent FIFA members.

Read more about the US Team's Victory from Rolling Stone.

REAL SPORTS Most Important Moments in Sports 2015 Countdown

#9 Backing Winners

Kudos to Oracle for having Carli Lloyd meet and greet attendees at its 60,000-person Oracle Open World Conference. 

Carli Lloyd's pubic appearance at Oracle Open World on  October 28, 2015

Women athletes are a bargain for corporate sponsorship programs, and as evidenced by the around-the-booth line hours before her scheduled appearance, quite the draw as well.

See Carli's Goals: http://nesn.com/2015/07/carli-lloyd-scores-ridiculous-world-cup-goal-hat-trick-in-16-minutes-videos/