2012 In Review : America

With only days to go to Christmas, it's once again that time of the year to look back on the year of sport that has been.

In this issue, we look at the year of sport in the big US of A.

2012 has been a big year in the world's largest sports market - we had the highs of the Olympics where the USA got their revenge on China for Beijing 2008 and reclaimed top spot on the medal ladder, and then we had the lows of the NHL lockout which looks like it has all but written off the entire 2012-13 NHL season, Bountygate scandal which resulted in Sean Payton being unable to coach the New Orleans Saints to a home Super Bowl and the deaths of NFL players, Jovan Belcher and Jerry Brown, Jr. during the 2012 season.

However, those lows were thankfully overshadowed by plenty of records being broken throughout the season as well as plenty of positive Cinderella/underdog stories that the media lapped up gleefully.

We started the year with the rise and rise of RG3 (Robert Griffin III) who snatched the Heismann Trophy from college and now-Indianapolis Colts star quarterback, Andrew Luck. RG3 got drafted the Washington Redskins and looks set to lead them into the playoffs in the new year. It has been a remarkable story for quite possibly the most gifted and capable quarterback we may have seen yet.

Missy Franklin's rise in the pool was just as remarkable as RG3's rise to NFL star. While swimming coaches and avid followers would have known about the 16-year-old Colorado native's rise through the national trials, Missy Franklin was still very much an unknown to the rest of the world going into the London Olympics. After winning 5 medals including 4 gold medals in her maiden Olympics, America may have found a new hero to dominate the pool with the great Michael Phelps calling time on his illustrious Olympic career at the same games. Like RG3, the Justin Bieber loving 6'1" Franklin is humble and down-to-earth, a personality now highly valued in America - she declined commercial commitments so she could swim for her college. I'm sure she will more than make up for it in the near future as she looks set to be the new force in the pool in the future.

Cinderella stories dominated the championship finals this year. The New York Giants once again staged a late comeback to usurp the much vaunted New England Patriots - again, sadly - in a repeat of the 2008 Super Bowl. The San Francisco namesake baseball team likewise staged comeback after comeback in their run to the World Series where they absolutely blanked the Detroit Tigers for their 2nd title in 3 years. But the story of the year has to be the Los Angeles Kings who came out of nowhere to shock the favourite, Vancouver Canucks and then win their first ever Stanley Cup - if there ever was an ugly duckling of a team, the Kings would be it and for now they look set to keep their title for a while yet given the current lockout.

And not forgetting the Miami Heat who finally won their title after spending heaps to get LeBron James and Dwight Howard to South Florida.

There were several other Cinderella stories this year - David Beckham winning the MLS Championship in his last ever game in the US and the return of Notre Dame to the big time, finishing no. 1 and earning the right to play to be crowned national champions next year against Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide who will be looking for a 2nd consecutive title. Notre Dame fans would have been thrilled with a season that has come on the back of the Manti Teo'o story - and it is truly a story.

So what a great 2012. Superstorm Sandy and other tragedies didn't really dampen the year which saw 4 American women finally smash the long standing 4 x 100 m record set by the East Germans all those years ago at the track in London. America's economy might not quite be back but its athletes sure are.

Moment of the year - San Francisco Giants winning the World Series, New England Patriots in the Super Bowl are up there but I quite enjoyed Michael Phelps' race where he won his last ever gold medal and Missy Franklin's performance against the favourite Australian, Emily Seebohm at the Olympics.

Here's to 2013!