What Happened? 2014 Sports News

Sporting legends made their presence felt in 2014 but it was the behaviour off the field that garnered most of the attention.

Events

It was the FIFA World Cup 2014 that gained the most attention kicking off the year with some truly shocking events including protests after Brazil's dismal performance and subsequent defeat with Germany taking the title. The Winter Olympics took place in Sochi Russia and went relatively smoothly even if there were issues with accommodation.

The Laureus sports awards recognized the skills and technique needed to succeed in the world of sport while the big annual events saw the best of the best at Wimbledon where Novak Djokovic took the title along with Martin Kaymer who won the US Open. On the team front the Super Bowl was won by the Seattle Seahawks while the World Series went to the San Francisco Giants.

Individuals

Sporting legends made the news like former F1 champion Michael Schumaker who made progress and was brought out of his coma. Derek Jeter played his final game at Fenway Park in an emotional event which saw everyone from celebrities to athletes tip their hat in respect. Soccer legend Pele was hospitalized following surgery for kidney stones but was later released and Michael Sam became the first openly gay player to join the NFL.

It wasn't all good news when Australian Phillip Hughes passed away 2 days after sustaining a head injury during a cricket match. The NFL had a major image problem with domestic abuse claims and child abuse taking center stage and things got down right ugly at the FIFA soccer world cup which saw unsportsmanlike behaviour when Brazil's Neymar was kneed in the back and when Uruguayan player Luiz Suarez was banned after biting another player. Finally, off the court we saw the Oscar Pistorius trial which had people glued to the TV and the court room drama when Donald Sterling lost the Clippers in a disputed sale but walked away with $2billion despite his actions.

Sporting Shockers

Wow, what a week. From World Cup slaughters to court room drama, the sporting world has never been more explosive.

Beyond Shocking

In one of the biggest FIFA World Cup shockers of all time Germany decimated Brazil with a 7 - 1 win in the semi finals knocking the host country out of contention. The aftermath of the defeat made it's way on to the streets where buses were set on fire by fans expressing their rage. After the game the German boss urged calm saying "There is no euphoria" insisting the team were already focused on the final.

On a lighter note the internet was awash with meme's at the expense of Brazil and as bad as things were for Brazil, feel a little sympathy for the German promotion that offered Formula 1 tickets at a discount based on the number of goals scored by Germany during the semi-finals.

The Ugly Side of the Beautiful Game

It wasn't all skill and technique when Brazil's Neymar suffered a major setback after being kneed in the back by Juan Zuniga during the match between Brazil and Columbia. Even though the tackle was widely condemned FIFA's disciplinary committee announced they would not sanction the Columbian for his actions. After the events Neymar revealed he feared he would be paralyzed later discovering the tackle resulted in a cracked vertebrae.

Speaking of unsportsmanlike like behaviour, Luis Suarez biting ban appeal was turned down.

Off the Field

The Donald Sterling/Clippers legal battle found it's way to court but as expected things didn't go smoothly. Initially Donald wanted the case moved to another court but was denied when the trial finally got underway Donald made a scene and was combative in court shouting at his wife "Get away from me, you pig!". Things didn't get better with Donald verbally attacking two doctors who declared him mentally incapacitated.

The case against Oscar Pistorius came to an end with Oscar's defense team closing the case with final arguments set for August. However just before the end of the trial a video was leaked on Australian TV showing Oscar re-enacting the events of the night he killed Reeva Steenkamp. Oscars legal team said they would take legal action over the leaked footage.

Need to Know - FIFA World Cup 2014

It's time for what some might call the greatest sporting event ever, even bigger than the Olympics but marred by, if not the same problems that plagued Russia's Sochi Winter Olympic games, a very similar set of problems.

Infrastructure

Since the announcement Brazil seems to have taken it's time preparing with delays to construction being reported in the build up to the games. Concerns over safety have also been top priority not only due to questionable construction but to the large number of deaths that have accompanied the construction of the various stadiums across Brazil.

Protests

Not only was the infrastructure progress questioned by the international media but locals took to the streets with protests often turning bloody over the high costs of hosting the World Cup. Calls for peace and calm often went unnoticed as riots and clashes with police persisted in the build up. Just days before the opening ceremony and first match between Brazil and Croatia there were skirmishes between protestors and police. But the protests didn't stop with those on the streets but continued with several key industries being brought to their knee's by striking workers.

Scandal

While the FIFA World Cup has officially been launched questions of it's readiness still abound. However, not only is the current event in question but also the future 2022 games to be held in Qatar which has been plagued with rumours of corruption and fraud. Even though Sepp Blatter, President of FIFA, has been surrounded by controversy over past, current and future hosting he has thrown his hat into the ring to continue his presidancey in what is a very dark history for FIFA and the World Cup.