Pharoah’s historic triple
American NEWYORK— Pharoah’s sweep of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes for horse racing’s first Triple Crown since 1978 was selected the sports story of the year Thursday in an annual vote conducted by The Associated Press.
Eighty-two ballots were submitted from U.S. editors and news directors. Voters were asked to rank the top five sports stories of the year, with the firstplace story receiving five points, the second-place story four points and so on. American Pharoah’s Triple Crown win received 317 points and 43 first-place votes. No. 2, the “Deflategate” scandal, had 191 points and 13 firstplace votes.
1. Triple Crown
In the 37 years since Affirmed became the 11th Triple Crown winner — the longest drought in the sport’s history — an unlucky 13 horses had won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness only to fail to complete the sweep at the Belmont Stakes.
But American Pharoah took the lead from the start of the 11/2-mile race and kept extending it. The bay colt with the unusually short tail went on to win by 51/2 lengths for jockey Victor Espinoza, trainer Bob Baffert and owner Ahmed Zayat.
It was Baffert’s fourth Triple Crown try and Espinoza’s third, both records.
American Pharoah went on to cap his spectacular year with a victory in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic. He then retired at age 3 and will stand at stud for $200,000, one of the highest prices for a horse in his first year as a stallion.
2. Deflategate
The New England Patriots routed the Indianapolis Colts 45-7 in the AFC championship game Jan. 18 to return to the Super Bowl, but the on-field action was soon overshadowed by the scandal dubbed “Deflategate.”
Tom Brady, who had earned Super Bowl MVP honors when the Patriots won their fourth title, would be suspended four games. But a judge lifted the ban a week before the season, criticizing NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
3. FIFA corruption
In a raid of a Zurich luxury hotel May 27, the U.S. government started a chain reaction that would take down soccer leaders around the world. By year’s end, FIFA’s president, Sepp Blatter, and his one-time likely successor, UEFA President Michel Platini, had been suspended for eight years for unethical conduct by the sport’s governing body.
4. Warriors golden
Too small, not athletic enough. That was the knock both on the Golden StateWarriors as a whole and on their star, Stephen Curry. Instead, the sweet-shootingWarriors won their first NBA title in four decades behind the league’s MVP, beating LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in six games, then started the next season 24-0.
5. Spieth chases the golf Grand Slam
No one had gone wire to wire at the Masters in nearly four decades, but that victory was just the start of the year for 21-year-old Jordan Spieth. He won the first two legs of a Grand Slam.
The only others since 1960 to get as far were Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and TigerWoods.
6. Serena chases Slam, too
In tennis, a player was even closer to completing a Grand Slam. SerenaWilliams was two victories from becoming the first since Steffi Graf in 1988 to win the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open in the same year. But in one of the sport’s biggest upsets, unseeded Roberta Vinci stunned the 21-time major champion in the semifinals in New York.
7. U.S. women win soccer’s World Cup
Four years after a heartbreaking loss to Japan in theWomen’sWorld Cup final, Carli Lloyd and her U.S. teammates made absolutely sure there would be no repeat in the rematch. Lloyd scored a hat trick in the first 16 minutes as the Americans won 5-2 in Canada for their first title since 1999. All-time goals leader AbbyWambach got to end her career with her first World Cup championship.
8. Royals crowned
Kansas City was one win from a world championship in 2014, yet the small-ball Royals weren’t considered favorites in 2015. The players in the clubhouse knew better, and they came from behind yet again in Game 5 of theWorld Series to beat the New York Mets in 12 innings for their first title since 1985.
9. Missouri football
Just two days after Missouri’s football players threatened to boycott a game, the president of the university system stepped down. Tensions about race and other student welfare issues had been simmering for weeks before the athletes joined the protest in support of a graduate student who was holding a hunger strike.
10. Ohio State wins first CFP title
The first College Football Playoff saw Ohio State, behind third-string quarterback Cardale Jones, upset No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Oregon to kick off a new era in the sport.